Remote Sensing SAR Specialist and Developer (GS26100926)

GTSC-Talent Solutions•College Park, MD

13d

About The Position

GTSC and its Global Sciences and Technology (GST) business unit seek a SAR specialist and developer to support NOAA/NESDIS/STAR. The position is located in College Park, Maryland. The successful candidate will work with SAR scientists and software developers in the Satellite Oceanography and Climatology Division (SOCD) under the NOAA Center for Satellite Applications and Research (STAR). The position may be long-term depending on performance and federal government funding. The role focuses on developing and maintaining science code to produce flood mapping datasets from multiple SAR sensors, including Sentinel-1, RADARSAT Constellation Mission, RADARSAT-2, and NISAR. It also involves developing, implementing, and improving flood inundation detection algorithms and evaluating their performance. This scientific position requires a strong understanding of physical science, mathematics, and scientific computing. Additional work may include river-ice classification studies, such as detecting ice jams, tracking ice movement and breakup, and assessing flooding risk; using SAR imagery to identify, outline, and characterize suspected oil slicks; and supporting other coastal, ocean, and cryosphere SAR applications. Applicants must be U.S. persons and selected applicants will undergo a government background investigation.

Requirements

PhD or MS in a quantitative research field such as Remote Sensing, Oceanography, Physics, Mathematics, or Statistics, with a minimum of 5 years of professional experience.
Knowledge of SAR remote sensing, satellite and oceanographic data, systems, and analyses.
Proficiency in Python and IDL.
Experience with remote-sensing data formats and tools such as netCDF4, HDF5, GeoTIFF, Xarray, and Zarr.
Experience with Linux operating systems and common tools.
A proven record of deliverables, such as peer-reviewed publications, derived products, or software packages.
Ability to conduct independent research while contributing as a team player.
Strong scientific analytical skills and a detail-oriented working style.
Must be a U.S. person.
Selected applicants must be subject to a government background investigation.

Nice To Haves

Experience applying machine-learning algorithms using PyTorch or TensorFlow; working knowledge of machine-learning techniques will suffice.

Responsibilities

Develop and maintain science code for producing flood mapping datasets from multiple SAR sensors.
Develop, implement, and improve flood inundation detection algorithms and evaluate their performance.
Conduct river-ice classification studies, including detecting ice jams, tracking ice movement and breakup, and assessing flooding risk.
Use SAR imagery to identify, outline, and characterize suspected oil slicks.
Assist with additional coastal, ocean, and cryosphere SAR applications.
Conduct independent research, including problem definition, technical solution development, coding, and publication.