Wildfire Research Imaging Specialist

National Institute of Standards and Technology•Gaithersburg, MD

About The Position

Join the NIST Fire Research Division at the forefront of wildland-urban interface (WUI) fire safety innovation. As a Wildfire Research Imaging Specialist, you will deploy cutting-edge imaging technology onto active fire environments, including prescribed and experimental fires and large-scale laboratory experiments. Your visual data will capture unprecedented fire dynamics, powering scientific research, guiding engineering models, and informing the public through compelling visual storytelling. NIST's Fire Research Division leads efforts to advance the science and practice of fire safety engineering, firefighting, fire investigation, fire testing, fire data management, and controlled burning. Within this division, the Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) Fire Group conducts research to reduce fire hazards in WUI communities. Their research includes mission-related measurement science research and services to develop WUI fire risk exposure metrics, predict fire spread in WUI communities, assess the fire performance of structures and communities, and mitigate the effects of WUI fires on structures and communities through science-based codes and standards.

Requirements

U.S. citizenship
Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service
Suitable for Federal employment
One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-10 level (or ZT-III at NIST)
Experience deploying specialized imaging systems within active fire environments, wildland firelines, or hazardous operational field sites to collect optical data on active flame fronts and thermal dynamics.
Experience in engineering, building, or modifying custom optical instrumentation
Experience in specialized scientific lighting techniques, such as sub-millisecond motion freezing (strobe bursts), dual-spectrum excitation lighting, barrier filtering, and real-time tethered digital image capture.
Experience translating complex technological, physical, or environmental research into publication-ready visual assets for scientific documentation and high-impact public outreach.