Wildfire Research Scientist — Lab and Field Data Lead

Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety; Richburg (SC); On-site; USD 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health care plan

401k/IRA

Life insurance

Paid time off

Family leave

Disability insurance

Training & development

Job summary

The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) invites applications for an early-career Wildfire Research Engineer. This role supports research on how wildfire exposures affect structures, helping to plan and execute laboratory, field, and full-scale studies focused on ignition, fire spread, materials, and practical mitigation strategies.

The position collaborates with IBHS teams to advance wildfire resilience.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in fire protection engineering or closely related field.
• Graduate research involving wildfire, fire science, building performance, or data analysis preferred.
• Proficiency with analytical tools such as Python, MATLAB, R, LabVIEW, GIS, or C++.

Responsibilities

• Support planning and execution of laboratory, full-scale, and field research projects.
• Conduct experiments involving wildfire exposures (embers, radiant heat, direct flame).
• Assist with developing test plans, procedures, schedules, and technical documentation.
• Coordinate with laboratory, instrumentation, construction, and safety teams for testing.
• Collect, organize, analyze, and quality-check experimental and field data.
• Use programming, statistical, or data-visualization tools to analyze findings.
• Participate in field studies and post-wildfire investigations.
• Prepare technical reports, presentations, figures, and summaries.
• Translate research findings into practical wildfire-resilience guidance.
• Follow all research, laboratory, and safety requirements.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Research orientation

Education

Master’s degree in fire protection engineering

Tools

Python

MATLAB

R

LabVIEW

GIS

C++

Job description

The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) invites applications for an early-career Wildfire Research Engineer. This role supports research on how wildfire exposures affect structures, helping to plan and execute laboratory, field, and full-scale studies focused on ignition, fire spread, materials, and practical mitigation strategies.

The position collaborates with IBHS teams to advance wildfire resilience.