JPL Postdoc: Remote Sensing of WildFires

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

11d

About The Position

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory is hiring a postdoctoral scholar to develop next-generation fuel maps that support fuel management, wildfire preparedness, and suppression response. The research will move beyond static products toward dynamic, multivariate characterization of fuel load, composition, and flammability across landscapes. The work uses airborne and spaceborne imaging spectroscopy and thermal infrared observations, with other sensing modalities incorporated where useful.

The appointee will collaborate with two JPL co-advisors and operational partners and stakeholders. The research is expected to result in publications in the open literature. The postdoctoral appointment is for at least one year and may be renewed for up to three years. Applicants must submit a CV, representative publications, contact information for three references, and a cover letter describing their research accomplishments and interests. Applicants who used large language models to prepare their application should state how.

JPL is located in Pasadena, California, on a campus-like site in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. The listed annual hiring range is $83,820–$83,820. JPL offers a catalog of benefits and perks, including health, dental, vision, wellbeing, and retirement plans, paid time off, learning, rideshare, childcare, flexible scheduling, and parental leave. For benefits-eligible positions, benefits take effect on the first day of the month coincident with or immediately following the employee’s start date. Applicants may be subject to additional NASA program requirements. Due to NASA rules, JPL will not accept applications from citizens of designated countries or people born in a designated country unless they are U.S. citizens, U.S. legal permanent residents, or have other protected status under 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3).

Requirements

• Ph.D. or equivalent experience in remote sensing, Earth or ecosystem science, fire science, data science, computer science, engineering, statistics, or a related field.
• Substantial experience analyzing and modeling remote sensing data, especially imaging spectroscopy and thermal imaging, including multi-sensor fusion with LiDAR, SAR, SIF, or similar data.
• Experience with classification and regression or interpolation problems, such as mapping vegetation and fuel types or dominant vegetation types, and estimating fuel- and flammability-related traits as continuous variables.
• A strong publication record demonstrating the ability to conduct research independently and collaboratively.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills across research, interdisciplinary, and external-partner settings.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with fire science, fuels characterization, or operational fire management applications.
• Demonstrated ability to process and analyze large geospatial datasets efficiently, preferably using high-performance computing (HPC) and/or cloud computing resources.
• A track record of documenting and publishing code and/or software in public repositories following open-science best practices.
• Experience soliciting stakeholder feedback and incorporating it in a flexible, fast-changing environment.

Responsibilities

• Develop scientific models, algorithms, and data products to map fuel load, fuel composition, and flammability across landscapes.
• Use airborne and spaceborne imaging spectroscopy and thermal infrared observations, integrating other modalities such as SAR, LiDAR, and Solar-Induced Fluorescence (SIF) where helpful.
• Validate products and quantify their uncertainty using field measurements and independent reference datasets.
• Co-design tools and data products with operational partners and stakeholders to ensure results are usable, relevant, and sustainable over the long term.
• Publish results in peer-reviewed journals, present at scientific meetings and stakeholder forums, and release code and data in public repositories following open-science best practices.
• Conduct collaborative research with two JPL co-advisors resulting in publications in the open literature.

Benefits

• Health plans
• Dental plans
• Vision plans
• Wellbeing plans
• Retirement plans
• Paid time off
• Learning opportunities
• Rideshare
• Childcare
• Flexible schedule
• Parental leave

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree