Research Associate: Earth Observation & Economic Impact

UAH College of Business; Alabama; On-site; USD 52,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

UAH Lab for Applied Science in Huntsville, Alabama, seeks a Research Associate to support BDEC activities at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. The role focuses on remote sensing, economic impact assessments, and geospatial analyses for biodiversity conservation.

The position involves developing EIAs, collaborating across centers, and producing actionable scientific outputs for land managers and scientists. Requires strong data skills and publication experience.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in economics, environmental and social science, or a related field.
• 2-4 years of verifiable, full-time work experience.
• Experience with remote sensing and GIS applications or a master’s in remote sensing and GIS with EO data impact assessments.
• Earth Observation‑driven methods and geospatial data analysis.
• Experience in math, statistical & scientific data processing automation (Python, R).
• Record of publication commensurate with experience.
• Familiarity with NASA Earth science datasets and biodiversity applications.
• Excellent verbal and written communication; leadership and collaboration skills.

Responsibilities

• Support BDEC scientific and application activities.
• Provide remote sensing data applications support for projects.
• Translate technical results into accessible products and materials.
• Coordinate with scientists and stakeholders to assess needs and solutions.
• Assist with Economic Impact Assessments and data collection for EIA projects.
• Lead peer‑reviewed publications and present at conferences.

Skills

Remote sensing

GIS

Economic Impact

Earth Observation

Data analysis

Python

R

Education

Bachelor’s degree in economics, environmental and social science

Master’s or PhD in economics, environmental and social science

Tools

ArcGIS

Job description

UAH Lab for Applied Science in Huntsville, Alabama, seeks a Research Associate to support BDEC activities at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. The role focuses on remote sensing, economic impact assessments, and geospatial analyses for biodiversity conservation.

The position involves developing EIAs, collaborating across centers, and producing actionable scientific outputs for land managers and scientists. Requires strong data skills and publication experience.