Research Scientist I, S4

University of Alabama in Huntsville; Huntsville (AL); On-site; USD 73,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Alabama in Huntsville seeks a research associate to support NASA SPoRT activities related to machine learning in satellite remote sensing. Located at the National Space Science & Technology Center in Huntsville, AL, the role advances science and applications across air quality, wildland fire, and related data products.

Applicants should hold a Master’s in a relevant field and have programming experience, strong communication, and willingness to travel for collaborations and

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in environmental science, meteorology, or related field or related experience.
• 9+ months of full-time work experience.
• Strong Python and/or other programming languages.
• Experience with satellite data processing and visualization.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Willingness to collaborate in a team and publish results.
• Experience with machine learning techniques desirable but not required.

Responsibilities

• Support machine learning efforts in air quality, wildland fire, and satellite remote sensing.
• Provide scientific expertise for applied science studies in satellite remote sensing and health & air quality.
• Develop higher-level air quality products and manage data distribution to science investigators.
• Develop synergistic products from TEMPO, ABI, and GLM data for applications.
• Contribute to proposals and scientific papers on machine learning and remote sensing.
• Engage SPoRT stakeholders through workshops and meetings, including travel as needed.

Skills

Python programming

Machine learning

Satellite remote sensing

Data visualization

Team collaboration

Education

Master's degree in environmental science / related field

Tools

TEMPO data processing tools

MODIS data processing tools

VIIRS data processing tools

Job description

Job no: 504589
Department: Earth System Science Center
Work type: Staff Full-time Exempt
Location: Alabama
Categories: Research - Environmental

Purpose of the Position

We are currently seeking a research associate to provide support to NASA SPoRT science and application activities related to machine learning in one or more of the following thematic areas: Air Quality/TEMPO, Wildland Fire, and Satellite Remote Sensing. The position will be located at the National Space Science & Technology Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and will support the scientific development and application of satellite remote sensing products.
SPoRT is a NASA project to transition unique observations and research capabilities to the operational weather community to improve short-term forecasts on a regional scale. Based at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, SPoRT is collaborating with the University of Alabama in Huntsville to provide direct science support, along with science and technical coordination in the areas of weather, climate, air quality, natural disasters, satellite remote sensing, and data science and applications.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum Master’s of Science in environmental science, meteorology, atmospheric science, Earth science, environmental public health, or a closely related discipline (Bachelor's and experience in a specialized area may be substituted for a degree) and 9+ months of full-time work experience.
• Ability to perform satellite and geophysical data processing, analysis, and visualization (preferred experience would include the following sensors TEMPO, MODIS, VIIRS, OMI, ABI, TROPOMI, EPIC)
• Strong programming background in Python and/or other programming languages.
• Understanding of remote sensing theory, satellite data applications, air pollution chemistry, and meteorological principles
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Willingness to work closely with others in a team environment
• Desire to participate in science workshops and conferences, as well as in publishing results
• Experience with machine learning techniques with satellite and/or model datasets and working with large datasets is desirable but not required for the position

Duties / Responsibilities

• Support machine learning efforts in one or more of the following areas: air quality, wildland fire, and satellite remote sensing.
• Provide scientific expertise to facilitate applied science studies in satellite remote sensing and health & air quality or wildland fire.
• Contribute to the design of higher-level value-added air quality products for applied science studies and manage data distribution to science investigators.
• Develop synergistic products from TEMPO, ABI, and GLM data to enhance scientific applications, with special attention to wildfire smoke and lightning NOx.
• Participate in the development of new proposals and scientific papers on machine learning, satellite remote sensing, and numerical modeling.
• Actively participate in and support SPoRT stakeholders through workshops, meetings, scientific conferences, and presentations of research results, including occasional travel to engage collaborators and end-users.

Published Salary (if available)

$73,226.00 - $75,000.00

Advertised: Oct 30 2026 Central Daylight Time

The University of Alabama in Huntsville is an equal opportunity employer (EOE), including an EOE of protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.