PostDoc - Terrestrial Hydrology and Earth Sciences Applications - Water Resources
Requisition Number: 45008
Location: Boulder Colorado
Employment Type: Research Faculty
Schedule: Full Time
Posting Close Date:
Date Posted:
Job Summary
The Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR) at the University of Colorado-Boulder is seeking a highly qualified postdoctoral associate to assess, improve, and use in research and along with applications partners, remotely sensed snow cover and snow albedo from physically based spectral mixture models. The candidate will work with the Snow Hydrology Group at INSTAAR and the Snow Today team at the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) that are comprised of scientists, programmers, operations specialists, and communications specialists.
The successful candidate can select from a range of research and applications projects focusing on the retrieval of snow surface properties and their use in applications at regional and global scales supported by NASA Terrestrial Hydrology and NASA Earth Sciences Applications: Water Resources. The post-doctoral fellow will work collaboratively with investigators and programmers from INSTAAR and NSIDC, and with stakeholder groups that require snow remote sensing data to serve diverse needs of national and international water resource managers who produce streamflow and flood forecasts, inform agriculture water supply and hydropower production decisions, and conduct water futures planning in snowmelt dominated regions.
Research questions can be aligned with the interests of the successful candidate but should address existing project goals to assess the accuracy of snow cover properties from MODIS, VIIRS, Landsat 8/9, and Sentinel 2a/2b, improve and use the snow cover properties for snow hydrology, and to work with stake holders and programmers on implementing processes to use the remote sensing data in near real time. Collaborative agreements with four primary partners including the Colorado River Forecast Center, the Alaska Pacific River Forecast Center, the Global Water Futures Core Modelling and Forecasting team, and the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research as well as five additional institutional data users provides domestic and international collaboration across a global range of snow climates. Continued work will include exploring fusion efforts between the daily coarse resolution, less frequent but higher spatial resolution remote sensing observations, and models to strengthen weaknesses in the observational data. Data fusion work will contribute towards efforts with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CA-DFW) on understanding the current and future habitats of Sierra Bighorn sheep focused on repopulation efforts.
This is a one-year, full-time with the possibility for extension for an additional year. Salary will be commensurate with experience at the level of a Professional Research Associate. The preferred start date is April 1, 2023.
The University of Colorado Boulder is committed to building a culturally diverse community of faculty, staff, and students dedicated to contributing to an inclusive campus environment. We are an Equal Opportunity employer, including veterans and individuals with disabilities.
Who We Are
As the University’s oldest institute, lNSTAAR (Institute of Arctic & Alpine Research) has a long history of addressing pressing environmental issues. Our traditional focus has been on polar and alpine regions, where effects of global change are especially pronounced. In recent decades, our research has broadened to include environmental challenges that span local, regional, and global scales. Research topics vary widely and include Quaternary and modern environments, human and ecosystem ecology, biogeochemistry, landscape evolution, hydrology, oceanography, and climate.
INSTAAR’s research activities integrate field studies, state-of-the-art laboratory experiments, sample analysis, and numerical and laboratory modeling. Our field sites are located across all seven continents and the world’s oceans. Our expertise across disciplines helps us generate influential science that can inform public and policy decisions and move us toward a more sustainable society. INSTAAR’s national and international research leadership is augmented by exceptional strength in graduate education and bringing undergraduates into the research process.
What Your Key Responsibilities Will Be
The person in this position will conduct research on the topic of snow cover and snow albedo initially focused on regions with in-situ data such as the Western United States, but expanding to North America, Greenland, High Mountain Asia and eventually culminating with a global focus. Data fusion will be developed on smaller regions like the Sierra Nevada of California and the Colorado River basin with the goal of eventually expanding coverage. The position is located within the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR) on CU Boulder’s East Campus in Boulder, CO, USA or optionally, hybrid work contigent on approval from the director of INSTAAR.
In collaboration with the principal investigator at INSTAAR, the post-doctoral fellow will define the specific research tasks to be conducted as part of the project. They will: solve problems that may arise while completing the research plan; work independently to solve these problems; establish schedules to meet deadlines as needed by project supervisors; and obtain guidance when they cannot make a decision or solve a problem independently.
Primary responsibilities depending on the successful candidate's project selection will include:
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