Postdoctoral Scholar Integrating Remote Sensing and Modeling of Wildfire Risk

Position Details: A three-year NASA-funded postdoctoral position is available in Dr. Mark Cochrane’s
global ecology lab (https://www.umces.edu/mark-cochrane) at the University of Maryland Center for
Environmental Science – Appalachian Lab (AL). The postdoc will join an interdisciplinary project designed
to provide fundamental understanding of the changing role of wildfire as climate change alters fire
regimes across the United States. The postdoc will lead the integration of remote sensing and modeling
methods to define and characterize altered fire regimes and Regional Extreme Wildfire Events (REWEs)
across the United States. The position is ideally suited to researchers with an interest in developing
decision support tools from multiple remote sensing data with model outputs and other geospatial data.

The postdoctoral researcher will be based with Mark Cochrane at AL, but will join a network of
collaborators at the USFS Fire Science Lab in Missoula, MT (Drs. William (Matt) Jolly and Patrick
Freeborn), and South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD (Dr. Xiaoyang Zhang). AL is located in
Frostburg, Maryland, a small college town in the central Appalachian Mountains that provides a highly
collaborative and interdisciplinary environment unique to smaller, research-intensive institutions. The
postdoc will be provided leadership opportunities in the project and coordinate collaborations with post
docs and other scientists at collaborating institutions.

Qualifications: A completed Ph.D. in ecology, geography, or a related field. The ideal candidate will have
demonstrated expertise in remote sensing, modeling and spatial analysis. Candidates with interest or
expertise in diverse types of remote sensing data are highly encouraged to apply. Past experience
working with wildfire will be viewed favorably but is not required. A promising record of research
productivity is highly valued and the successful applicant will be an independent, motivated scientist
who communicates well and thrives in a collaborative setting.

The position is available starting as early as August 2024 but ideally no later than December 2024. The
initial appointment is for 1 year, renewable annually thereafter.