Description
About the NASA Postdoctoral Program
The NASA Postdoctoral Program (NPP) offers unique research opportunities to highly-talented scientists to engage in ongoing NASA research projects at a NASA Center, NASA Headquarters, or at a NASA-affiliated research institute. These one- to three-year fellowships are competitive and are designed to advance NASA’s missions in space science, Earth science, aeronautics, space operations, exploration systems, and astrobiology.
Description:
We are seeking a motivated researcher to join our team in developing a next-generation wildfire risk assessment system. Wildfires are an escalating threat to ecosystems, infrastructure, and public health, exacerbated by climate change and land-use transformations. Existing fire risk indices often fail to capture the complex and dynamic interactions among environmental, climatic, and human factors.
Our project aims to create a unified wildfire risk index that integrates observations and model data from NASA, including meteorological variables, fuel characteristics, topography, human influences, and advanced indicators such as lightning frequency, the Vegetation Temperature Condition Index, and human interventions. This framework will be adaptable to diverse ecosystems—forests, grasslands, and wildland-urban interfaces— across a wide range of climate conditions.
Using machine learning methods, we will optimize the weightings of each contributing factor and identify the key drivers of wildfire risk. Historical wildfire records from MODIS, VIIRS, and NOAA will validate the system, and results will be compared to established indices such as the Fire Weather Index, the Fire Danger Index, and the Fire Potential Index. Sensitivity analyses will further ensure the system’s stability in varying environments.
Responsibilities
Field of Science: Earth Science
Advisors: Hugo Lee
huikyo.lee@jpl.nasa.gov
Olga Kalashnikova
Olga.Kalashnikova@jpl.nasa.gov
Madeleine Pascolini-Campbell
madeleine.a.pascolini-campbell@jpl.nasa.gov
Applications with citizens from Designated Countries will not be accepted at this time, unless they are Legal Permanent Residents of the United States. A complete list of Designated Countries can be found at:
Eligibility is currently open to:
U.S. Citizens;
U.S. Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR);
Foreign Nationals eligible for an Exchange Visitor J-1 visa status; and,
Applicants for LPR, asylees, or refugees in the U.S. at the time of application with 1) a valid EAD card and 2) I-485 or I-589 forms in pending status
This opportunity may require the following: 1-Mandatory drug testing; 2-Random drug testing; 3-Testing prior to initiation of fellowship appointment.
Questions about this opportunity? Please email npp@orau.org
Qualifications
Eligibility Requirements
How to Apply
All applications must be submitted in Zintellect
Please visit the NASA Postdoctoral Program website for application instructions and requirements: How to Apply | NASA Postdoctoral Program (orau.org)
A complete application to the NASA Postdoctoral Program includes:
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