Satellite-Derived Bathymetry Scientist

KBR•Sioux Falls, SD

17h•Hybrid

About The Position

KBR's Science and Space division is seeking a Scientist to support Satellite-Derived Bathymetry (SDB) for their Technical Support Services Contract (TSSC) at the United States Geological Survey (USGS) Earth Resources Observation & Science (EROS) Center near Sioux Falls, SD. The successful candidate will join the TSSC team, which supports the USGS EROS Center Integrated Science and Applications Branch (ISAB). This team consists of remote sensing scientists, land cover scientists, geospatial specialists, web developers, software engineers, and systems engineers. The TSSC is expanding its topographic science team to map bottom-type structure in dynamic coastal and riverine environments. The SDB Scientist will assist USGS researchers in characterizing, verifying, optimizing, and enhancing algorithms for estimating near-shore bathymetry using multiple optical sensors, satellite lidar, and traditional reference data. A background in aquatic remote sensing, data fusion, scripting, data mining, geospatial analysis, and interpretation will be valuable for advancing coastal and riverine bottom-type characterization mapping, SDB algorithms, and products using commercial and government satellite imagery.

Requirements

Ability to obtain and maintain a national agency check and background investigation after hire to obtain credentials for facility access and user accounts.
Minimum of MS in Earth Science, Natural Science, Physical Science, or related with emphasis in geography, remote sensing, GIS, software engineering, or information technology.
At least 5 years of directly related professional experience (willing to consider differing combinations of education/experience).
Mastery of basic remote sensing derivatives and applications.
Fluency in aquatic science principles.
Fundamental knowledge of elevation data and mapping applications.
Experience applying AI/ML to feature identification.
Literacy in Python programming.
Competency with image processing software, such as but not limited to ENVI/IDL, ERDAS Imagine, ArcPro, QGIS.
Excellent problem-solving skills used to comprehensively analyze unknowns.
Strong attention to data quality assurance, organization, detail, and record keeping.
Ability to communicate regularly, professionally, and clearly at general, technical, and management levels to inform team members, other EROS personnel and the remote sensing science community.
Superior written and oral communication skills, including effective questioning, listening, and presentation skills.
Demonstrated initiative, self-motivation, dependability, and interpersonal skills.
Three years of continuous U.S. residency required.

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with Landsat, Sentinel-2, DigitalGlobe, WorldView, and Planet datasets.
Experience generating topobathymetric digital elevation models (TBDEM).
Proficiency with satellite-derived bathymetry.

Responsibilities

Conduct imagery discovery, selection, and download; compile validation datasets such as LiDAR and bathymetry; apply cloud‑masking procedures; and generate custom validation grids for analysis.
Investigate bottom‑type and seafloor structure mapping using Landsat, Sentinel‑2, and NASA imagery sources, integrating ICESat‑2 ATL24 bathymetry with AI/ML techniques and data‑modeling methods to support a USGS physics‑based SDB algorithm.
Evaluate the applicability of the Landsat Aquatic Reflectance (AR) product for improving or enabling USGS SDB algorithms and computational workflows.
Explore and learn the NOAA SatBathy Tool and produce on‑demand satellite‑derived bathymetry (SDB) outputs in response to project needs.