Tropical Forest GIS Scientist & Ecologist

Colorado State University; Fort Collins (CO); On-site; USD 78,000 - 84,000; Full time

Job summary

Colorado State University, located in Fort Collins, Colorado, is seeking an Ecologist/Forestry Researcher for its Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands (CEMML). The position supports an Early-Career Development Program with hands-on mentorship and development opportunities.

The role focuses on using GIS, remote sensing, and FIA data to map and analyze tree species composition in a tropical environment, helping to understand forest disturbance and resilience.

Qualifications

• PhD in Systems Ecology or related field with relevant coursework in ecology, statistics, spatial analysis, and data visualization.
• Experience with GIS and remote sensing; familiarity with FIA plot data in tropical environments is a plus.
• Experience publishing in peer‑reviewed journals focusing on geospatial data and analysis.
• Proficiency in R and Python programming.

Responsibilities

• Combine spatial data with FIA data to map and analyze tree species composition and forest attributes.
• Evaluate model-assisted estimates to reduce FIA uncertainties.
• Link species maps to fire occurrence datasets and analyze where field data are limited.
• Compare FIA-based uncertainties with model-assisted estimates using mapped data.
• Create maps of model-derived composition gradients and related outputs.
• Model composition values for fires and develop related visualizations.

Skills

R

Python

GIS

Remote sensing

Statistics

Science communication

Education

PhD in Systems Ecology or related field

Tools

ArcGIS

QGIS

Remote sensing software

Python libraries (pandas, numpy)

Job description

Colorado State University, located in Fort Collins, Colorado, is seeking an Ecologist/Forestry Researcher for its Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands (CEMML). The position supports an Early-Career Development Program with hands-on mentorship and development opportunities.

The role focuses on using GIS, remote sensing, and FIA data to map and analyze tree species composition in a tropical environment, helping to understand forest disturbance and resilience.