Assistant Project Scientist in Remote Sensing

The Valley Institute for Sustainability, Technology, and Agriculture (VISTA) is seeking an Industry Partnerships Coordinator to support VISTA, the Farms-Food-Future Innovation Initiative (F3) and regional testbeds. This role is central in facilitating research partnerships (i.e. events, field trials, projects, hackathons, etc.) between UC Merced and agricultural and technology industry partners, the ag community regionally and others. This is an excellent opportunity to work in the development of external relationships and to engage in industry-university partnerships at the cutting edge of engineering, computer and data science, technology, natural resources management, food systems and climate smart innovation. As a new organization building a new facility and serving this region, the successful applicant would have the opportunity to develop relationships, from student projects to multi-year grants.

The VISTA Team is seeking enthusiastic and qualified candidates to join us as a Junior Specialist in Earth Observation and Geospatial Analytics. This role provides a unique opportunity to engage deeply in innovative research that spans from data collection in the field to advanced data analysis. You will play an integral part in designing, planning, and executing studies focused on geospatial and environmental systems, contributing directly to impactful research outcomes.

As project scientist, you will provide scholarly contributions to an active research program in ecological remote sensing, with a focus on mapping and modeling of vegetation in aquatic and agricultural ecosystems. You will design and execute research projects focused on advancing Earth observation-based monitoring of vegetation, including invasive vegetation, to support ecological conservation, restoration and natural resource management decision making. As project scientist, you will lead research to improve vegetation species distribution models, niche occupancy models, and other ecological models to hind cast and forecast species occurrences and study the environmental and management effects of distribution. You will also work with project stakeholders and decision makers to develop performance metrics and information systems to support and inform natural resource management and decision making, including restoration evaluation and future planning. Collaboration, communication and partnerships will be key, as you will work closely with collaborators, stakeholders and end-users from other Universities, and various state and federal government agencies, non-governmental organizations and other such as NASA, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), and the California Department of Water Resources (DWR).

As project scientist, you will publish research results in peer-reviewed journals either independently or in collaboration with the PI or other members of the research team and participate in professional societies and conferences appropriate to their specific field, attend seminars to present research results, and give presentations at seminars, laboratory meetings, or educational functions. You will lead the development of workflows, algorithms, and front-facing dashboard to communicate results and enable stakeholder decision-making. You will also assist in proposal writing for funding from federal and state agencies and other funding organizations.

You will assume a critical role in managing and coordinating research activities, including developing and adapting detailed project plans to monitor and track progress on research activities and deliverables to ensure project goals are achieved and executed in a timely manner. In some cases, you will also supervise and provide technical training to students and or technicians. You will also assist in the preparation of funding and permit reports as required by granting and permitting agencies, interact with funding agencies and prepare modifications of budgets and other grant components as needed. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, you will participate in and contribute to the development of an inclusive, equitable and accessible working environment for our research program and lab.

* Doctorate from an accredited university in a related area (e.g., ecology, engineering, environmental science, remote sensing).

* Three or more years of directly related experience with an academic background in a related area of research. The candidate should possess actual work experience and possess the skills, knowledge, and abilities essential to the successful performance of the duties assigned to the position.

* Expertise in ecological remote sensing, species distribution modeling (SDM), statistical and spatial modeling.

* Experience in programming and algorithms for applied environmental and ecological remote sensing, geographic information systems (GIS), big-data, and high-performance supercomputing (HPC, e.g., cluster computing, job-submission, parallel processing) techniques.

* Experience in geospatial analysis, ecological modeling, and environmental monitoring in the context of invasive species and/or wetland/riparian ecosystems.

* Demonstrated experience in scientific and academic accomplishments, especially peer-reviewed scientific writing, grant proposal development, and conference presentations.

* Ability to work independently on assigned tasks and activities, as well as work collaboratively with other team members.

* Ability to plan and perform field campaigns.

* Ability to work and use sound judgement in outdoor work environments under difficult environmental conditions, such as heat and cold.

* Strong active listening and critical thinking skills, alongside excellent time management and multitasking abilities.

* Strong experience in scientific/research planning, development, implementation, evaluation, and leadership.

* Strong skills in image processing, geospatial data processing, and data visualization, preferably with R.

* Strong organizational and problem-solving skills with excellent attention to detail and contribute to innovative solutions to complex research challenges.

* Boating experience (CA boating card a plus).

* Comfortable in UNIX (command line) and python.

* Knowledge of data management and best practices and version control software (e.g., Git/GitHub).

* Expertise using GIS software such as ArcGIS, GRASS GIS, QGIS

• 3 required (contact information only)

* 3 required (contact information only)

Please list three names of potential references and contact information.

The University of California, Merced, is the newest of the University of California system's 10 campuses. With over 9,000 undergraduate and graduate students (https://cie.ucmerced.edu/analytics-hub/student-statistics), UC Merced is committed to interdisciplinary excellence in research and teaching as well as to diversity, equity and inclusion. Ranked as one of the best public universities in the nation by U.S. News and World Report, UC Merced provides outstanding educational opportunities to highly qualified students from the heart of California, the nation, and abroad. The campus has special connections to nearby Yosemite National Park; is on the cutting edge of sustainability in construction and design; and supports the economic development of Central California. The Merced 2020 Project doubled the physical capacity of the campus, and enhanced academic distinction, student success, and research excellence (https://merced2020.ucmerced.edu/).

The University of California, Merced is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer advancing inclusive excellence. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected categories covered by the UC nondiscrimination policy.

Please refer to the University of California's Affirmative Action Policy and the University of California's Anti-Discrimination Policy.

As a University employee, you will be required to comply with all applicable University policies and/or collective bargaining agreements, as may be amended from time to time. Federal, state, or local government directives may impose additional requirements. This includes the University of California Policy on Vaccination Programs: https://policy.ucop.edu/doc/5000695/VaccinationProgramsPolicy.