USDA-FS Vegetation, Carbon, and Fire Risk Mapping Fellowship
To submit your application, scroll to the bottom of this opportunity and click APPLY.
A complete application consists of:
- An application
- Transcript(s) – For this opportunity, an unofficial transcript or copy of the student academic records printed by the applicant or by academic advisors from internal institution systems may be submitted. Click here for detailed information about acceptable transcripts.
- A current resume/CV, including academic history, employment history, relevant experiences, and publication list
- Two educational or professional recommendations. At least one recommendation must be submitted in order for the mentor to view your application.
All documents must be in English or include an official English translation.
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*Applications will be reviewed on a rolling-basis.
USDA Forest Service Office/Lab and Location: A fellowship opportunity is available with the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service (FS) within the Rocky Mountain Research Station (RMRS) located in Missoula, Montana.
At the heart of the USDA Forest Service's mission is their purpose. Everything they do is intended to help sustain forests and grasslands for present and future generations. Why? Because their stewardship work supports nature in sustaining life. This is the purpose that drives the agency’s mission and motivates their work across the agency. It’s been there from the agency’s very beginning, and it still drives them. To advance the mission and serve their purpose, the USDA Forest Service balances the short and long-term needs of people and nature by: working in collaboration with communities and our partners; providing access to resources and experiences that promote economic, ecological, and social vitality; connecting people to the land and one another; and delivering world-class science, technology and land management.
This opportunity is with the USDA Forest Service's Rocky Mountain Research Station (RMRS), a global leader in forestry and fire-related research. One of RMRS's laboratories is the world-renowned Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory, located in Missoula, Montana. The Fire Lab contains a chamber for experimental burns as well as computing facilities, but its most valuable resource is its researchers. This fellowship presents an opportunity to be at the Fire Lab and take advantages of its resources. https://www.firelab.org/
Research Project: We have an opportunity for an ecologist, forester, or physical scientist to join a group participating in mapping of vegetation, carbon, and fire risk at the scale of the United States. Spatial information about terrestrial carbon and risk to it from wildfire is in high demand from partners in both the public and private sectors. This information must be frequently updated in order to stay abreast of changes in landscapes due to disturbance, harvesting, etc. Research takes place at the Forest Service’s Rocky Mountain Research Station in Missoula, Montana. Research into fire behavior and fire risk have been ongoing for decades at the US Forest Service Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory.
The participant will gain exposure to researchers at the Fire Lab as well as through minimal travel to conferences and to meet with collaborators.
Learning Objectives: Under the guidance of a mentor, the participant may engage in a number of different learning research activities to:
- Leverage machine learning to produce imputed maps of forest and rangeland plot data (a.k.a. the TreeMap, FuelMap, and RangeMap datasets),
- Utilize forest growth and yield modeling to simulate the effect of wildfire on carbon, and
- Run fire simulation software to estimate fire likelihood and severity under current and future climates.
Mentor: The mentor for this opportunity is Karin Riley (karin.l.riley@usda.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research, please contact the mentor.
Anticipated Appointment Start Date: 2024. Start date is flexible and will depend on a variety of factors.
Appointment Length: The appointment will initially be for one year but may be extended upon recommendation of USDA Forest Service and is contingent on the availability of funds.
Level of Participation: The appointment is full time.
Participant Stipend: The participant will receive a monthly stipend commensurate with educational level and experience. The stipend range is between $60,000 - $74,000 yearly.
Citizenship Requirements: This opportunity is available to U.S. citizens, Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR), and foreign nationals. Non-U.S. citizen applicants should refer to the Guidelines for Non-U.S. Citizens Details page of the program website for information about the valid immigration statuses that are acceptable for program participation.
ORISE Information: This program, administered by ORAU through its contract with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to manage the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), was established through an interagency agreement between DOE and USDA Forest Service. Participants do not become employees of USDA, USDA Forest Service, DOE or the program administrator, and there are no employment-related benefits. Proof of health insurance is required for participation in this program. Health insurance can be obtained through ORISE.
Questions: Please visit our Program Website. After reading, if you have additional questions about the application process please email ORISE.USFS.RMRS@orau.org and include the reference code for this opportunity.
The qualified candidate should be currently pursuing have received a master's or doctoral degree in one of the relevant fields (ecology, biology, forestry, or related earth sciences). Degree must have been received within the past five years, or be pursuing and anticipated to be received by the start of the appointment.
Preferred skills:
- Experience in geospatial analyses
- Coding in R or Python
- Management of large tabular or geospatial datasets
- Familiarity with forest plot data (especially Forest Inventory and Analysis)
- Fire behavior models (e.g. FlamMap or FSim)
- Experience running the Forest Vegetation Simulator
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