Postdoc: Radar Remote Sensing of Landslides and Vertical Land Motion (OPERA Project)-1

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

16d

About The Position

New ideas are all around us, but only a few will change the world. That’s our focus at JPL. We ask the biggest questions, then search the universe for answers—literally. We build upon ideas that have guided generations, then share our discoveries to inspire generations to come. Your mission—your opportunity—is to seek out the answers that bring us one step closer. If you’re driven to discover, create, and inspire something that lasts a lifetime and beyond, you’re ready for JPL. Located in Pasadena, California, JPL has a campus-like environment situated on 177 acres in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains and offers a work environment unlike any other: we inspire passion, foster innovation, build collaboration, and reward excellence. JPL is unique among NASA Centers in that its staff are Caltech employees, yet can access NASA technical resources. Cross-discipline teamwork is standard here: colleagues across JPL's science and engineering organizations and on Caltech's academic campus often work together. Learning to speak and understand other disciplines' languages is a doorway to the creativity needed to do what has not been done before. JPL staff are encouraged to create mission concepts that address humanity's core questions through a combination of science and technology. They are supported in developing ideas into proposals and hardware, and in communicating funded missions' results to the scientific community and the broader public. JPL seeks to employ scientists and engineers who are passionate about lifelong learning and excited to both contribute to and lead team efforts. We emphasize the importance of partnering across discipline boundaries and creating a friendly, constructive work environment to overcome space exploration's challenges. The Postdoctoral scholars at JPL benefit from an informal mentoring network, an annual conference showcasing their results, a dedicated seminar series, exposure to diverse career paths, and social connections across the JPL and Caltech community for advice on housing, childcare, and other aspects of living in southern California. The JPL-led Observational Products for End-Users from Remote Sensing Analysis (OPERA) project (https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/go/opera/) is seeking two postdocs to conduct research on landslides and vertical land motion (or related surface deformation phenomena) across North America using satellite radar remote sensing data. The selected candidates will perform original research using interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) data and OPERA-derived products to better understand surface deformation processes and their applications for hazard monitoring and response. The postdocs will contribute to advancing scientific methodologies while supporting the development of actionable Earth observation products for stakeholders.

Requirements

• Ph.D. in Earth Science, Remote Sensing, Geophysics, Geological Sciences, or a related field
• Demonstrated experience with InSAR processing and analysis using open-source software (e.g., ISCE2/3, MintPy, Dolphin)
• Experience working with InSAR time series products, including OPERA DISP-S1
• Strong programming skills in Python
• Experience with GIS application development (e.g., QGIS, GDAL) and version control platforms (e.g., GitHub)
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Demonstrated ability to conduct independent research and publish in peer-reviewed journals

Nice To Haves

• Experience modifying or optimizing InSAR processing workflows
• Familiarity with Jupyter notebooks, xarray/zarr, multiprocessing, Dask, and cloud-based processing environments
• Experience working with GNSS time series products
• Familiarity with disaster response applications and generating hazard-related products

Responsibilities

• Lead independent research on landslides, vertical land motion, or related deformation processes using radar remote sensing data
• Process and analyze InSAR datasets and time series products (including OPERA DISP-S1)
• Modify and improve existing InSAR workflows and processing pipelines
• Develop, document, and maintain reproducible scientific code for data processing and analysis
• Lead peer-reviewed publications and present results at scientific conferences
• Engage with OPERA stakeholders through the OPERA Stakeholder Engagement Program
• Collaborate closely with the OPERA Project Science Team and Algorithm Development Team

Benefits

• JPL has a catalog of benefits and perks that span from the traditional to the unique. This includes a variety of health, dental, vision, wellbeing, and retirement plans, paid time off, learning, rideshare, childcare, flexible schedule, parental leave and many more.
• Our focus is on work-life balance, and living healthy, fulfilling lives as we Dare Mighty Things Together.
• For benefits eligible positions, benefits are effective the first day of the month coincident with or immediately following the employee’s start date.

What This Job Offers

• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree