Opportunities

See employment opportunities for prospective postdocs, PhD students, and undergraduate research assistants below.

Postdoc fellowships: Prospective postdocs are encouraged to apply to the independent research fellowships listed below, which fund the applicant to pursue an independent research program they develop themselves. Applicants interested in listing Henri as a faculty host/advisor are encouraged to reach out to him beforehand to ensure the project fits within the scope of the group and that we can provide the expertise and resources required for the project to be successful.

• NOAA’s Climate and Global Change Postdoctoral Fellowship (Henri is an alumnus),
• The University of California President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program (for cultivating future UC faculty)
• NSF’s Ocean Sciences Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (and possibly other NSF postdoc solicitations)

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Fully-funded 5-year PhDs: We are not actively recruiting PhD students for the upcoming application cycle (start date of September 2025).

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Undergraduate Research Opportunities Programs (UROPs)

Research in the Ocean and Climate Dynamics is computational or theoretical in nature, so research opportunities are generally only provided to students who have satisfied the following course requirements. Students who have not satisfied these requirements but have other exceptional qualifications may nevertheless be considered and are encouraged to reach out to Prof. Drake by email.

Course requirements: Undergraduate students wanting to do research in the group should have:

• At least B- grades in two quarters of Multivariable Calculus (Math 2D and 2E)
• At least an A- grade in Introduction to Environmental Data Science (EARTHSS116), or concurrently enrolled
• At least an A- grade in Physical Oceanography (EARTHSS130), or concurrently enrolled

Funded opportunities: Our group is not anticipated to have external funding for undergraduate research opportunities until at least Summer 2025. However, UCI students are encouraged to apply for a Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) fellowship and non-UCI students are encouraged to apply for a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship at UCI.

Unfunded opportunities (for ESS199 credit): Enrollment in ESS199 is only offered to students prepared to make a major commitment–equivalent to at least 12 units of research credit (ESS199) over at least three quarters and/or work towards a senior thesis.

Curricular recommendations: Earth System Science (ESS) majors interested in pursuing Ocean and Climate Dynamics research or attending graduate school in a related discipline are strongly encouraged to take quantitative courses beyond the minimum requirements of the major. In particular, Prof. Drake recommends:

i) enrolling in Introduction to Environmental Data Science (ESS 116), Multivariable Calculus (Math 2D and 2E), Linear Algebra (Math 3A), Elementary Differential Equations (Math 3D)

ii) minoring or double-majoring in Applied and Computational Mathematics or Applied Physics;

iii) completing a specialization in either Oceanography or Atmospheric Science (including Prof. Drake’s Physical Oceanography ESS 130); and

iv) possibly enrolling graduate-level ESS courses, such as Prof. Drake’s 4-unit Physical Oceanography (ESS 230) or 1-unit Geophysical Fluid Dynamics (ESS280).