Website University Corporation at Monterey Bay
Postdoctoral Researcher
University Corporation at Monterey Bay
Salary: $87,264.00 Annually
Job Number: 2026-00003
Location: Various Field Locations (see posting)
Department: Applied Environmental Science
Description
Postdoctoral Researcher
Water, Agriculture, technology, and Remote Sensing (WATRS) Lab
NASA Ames Research center / CSUMB Applied Environmental Science
This is a temporary, one-year position funded for a fixed duration.
Position April 1, 2026 through March 31, 2027.
Priority Screening Deadline: February 13, 2026. All positions are open until filled.
Target Interview Dates: February 16 – February 28, 2026.
The University Corporation at Monterey Bay (“Corporation”): The Corporation is constantly looking for motivated employees with great organization and teamwork skills to join our team. The Corporation is a non-profit institution that is related and affiliated with the California State University, Monterey Bay. The University Corporation at Monterey Bay is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) public benefits corporation that is a recognized auxiliary organization of California State University and was established in July 1994. The University Corporation’s mission is to further the educational purposes of the University.
The University: California State University, Monterey Bay is a mid-sized university in California’s Central Coast that grants undergraduate and graduate degrees. Powered by an inspiring Founding Vision Statement, CSUMB is part of the nation’s largest four-year public university system, California State University, which educates nearly 460,000 students every year. With a vibrant, diverse student body of over 7,000 students, CSU Monterey Bay is both a Minority Serving Institution and a Hispanic Serving Institution. Our staff and faculty transform students’ lives with a focus on student success and engagement through experiential learning, service learning, and a strong emphasis on multicultural and global perspectives. CSUMB’s sustainability goal is to be carbon neutral by 2030.
The Community: Monterey, with its moderate Mediterranean climate, is a diverse community on the picturesque central coast of California and rich in agriculture. Miles of beautiful beaches, spectacular mountain ranges, groves of redwoods, low-rolling foothills, and scenic valleys are characteristics that contribute to the quality of life enjoyed by over 432,000 residents and millions of visitors. Boasting such world-renowned attractions as the spectacular Big Sur Coast, Laguna Seca Raceway, 17-Mile Drive, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Cannery Row, the Steinbeck Center, the Monterey Jazz and Blues Festivals and Pebble Beach – possibly the world’s most famous golf course, it’s easy to see why so many choose to live here and an estimated four million visitors a year make the County of Monterey their destination of choice.
POSITION SUMMARY
Under the general supervision Dr. A.J. Purdy, the Postdoctoral Researcher will conduct advanced research focused on improving live fuel moisture content (LFMC) modeling for wildfire science and advance applications of LFMC data to support fire risk evaluation and prescribed burn planning. The Postdoctoral Researcher will integrate field measurements, remote sensing and meteorological data including evapotranspiration (ET) data into a physically informed machine learning approaches to model LFMC. The Postdoctoral Researcher will lead model evaluation, refinement, dissemination via open-source repository, and publication efforts. This position is within the Water, Agriculture, Technology and Remote Sensing (WATRS) lab and will work closely with scientists at NASA Ames Research Center. The Postdoctoral Researcher will also have the opportunity to work with external collaborators on a NASA FireSense funded project.
Examples of Duties
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include, but are not limited to, the following:
• Compile, manage, review, quality control, and harmonize fuel moisture content (FMC) field datasets from multiple sources, including FireSense field campaigns, partner agencies, and the National Fuel Moisture Database.
• Expand, curate, and quality control the LFMC training dataset, including evaluation of region-specific models compared to a single OpenET-based LFMC modeling framework.
• Integrate FMC field observations into model validation and calibration workflows.
• Support refinement of a machine learning live fuel moisture content model developed by the proposing team that leverages OpenET, a state-of-the-art evapotranspiration modeling system.
• Apply physically informed machine learning approaches that integrate ET-based water fluxes, vegetation characteristics, and landscape attributes relevant to plant water storage and drying dynamics.
• Optimize computational efficiency for data preprocessing, modeling, and scaling to support daily, 30-meter resolution LFMC data products.
• Review, document, and improve model code for open-access availability.
• Lead the preparation of a peer-reviewed journal publication describing LFMC model development, performance, and retrospective applications.
• Present LFMC model updates at a scientific or applied science conference.
• Participate in project coordination, reporting, and collaboration with interdisciplinary research teams and external partners.
• Foster and maintain collaborative links with local groups and individuals, including agricultural producers, water resource management agencies, research organizations, and the public.
• Perform other related duties as assigned in support of project objectives
OTHER FUNCTIONS
• Promotes and maintains an atmosphere of excellent internal and external customer service within the department and the campus community.
• Attends workshops, conferences as needed.
• Performs other duties as assigned.
• Assists with other projects as needed.
PHYSICAL WORK ENVIRONMENT
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
This position requires extended periods of work at a computer/video display terminal and desk. Primary functions require sufficient physical ability and mobility to work in an office setting; to stand or sit for prolonged periods of time; to occasionally stoop, bend, kneel, crouch, reach, and twist; to lift, carry, push, and/or pull light to moderate amounts of weight; manual dexterity, hand-eye coordination; ability to operate office equipment requiring repetitive hand movement and fine coordination including use of a computer keyboard; to verbally communicate to exchange information; Ability to lift and carry 50 lbs.
WORK LOCATION
• Hybrid Position
• 40% in office
• Work Location: California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB) or at NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA.
Qualifications
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES
• Knowledge of wildfire science, fuel moisture dynamics, vegetation water stress, or related environmental processes.
• Experience developing remote sensing algorithms based on ground observations such as working with field-based LFMC measurements.
• Knowledge of evapotranspiration concepts and applications, including use of ET data in ecological or hydrologic modeling.
• Demonstrated ability to apply machine learning or statistical modeling techniques in an environmental or Earth science context.
• Proficiency in scientific programming (e.g., Python, R), geospatial analysis and statistics, and experience with data processing, quality control, and model evaluation.
• Ability to optimize computational workflows for large spatial datasets and scalable modeling applications.
• Experience with version control systems (e.g., Git) and collaborative code development.
• Strong written and oral communication skills, including the ability to lead peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations.
• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively within interdisciplinary teams.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Education and Experience:
• Ph.D. in Earth science, environmental science, ecology, hydrology, remote sensing, data science, or a closely related field by the start date.
• Demonstrated research experience relevant to fire risk, fuel moisture, vegetation water dynamics, evapotranspiration, remote sensing, or environmental modeling.
• Ability to program in Python to automate processing and analysis of satellite and meteorological data.
• Experience using Google Earth Engine to analyze and process satellite and climate data and generate datasets and maps.
• Record of peer-reviewed publications, public speaking and presentation of scientific results, and demonstrated ability to lead scientific manuscripts.
DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS
• Demonstrated understanding of and commitment to the CSUMB Vision Statement and the core values of mutual respect, collaboration and service orientation, multiculturalism and diversity, community service and institutional excellence.
Special Conditions of Employment
SPECIAL CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT
The person holding this position is considered a “mandated reporter” under the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act and is required to comply with the requirements set forth in CSU Executive Order 1083 as a condition of employment.
A background check (including a criminal records check) must be completed satisfactorily before any candidate can be offered a position with the University Corporation. The University Corporation at Monterey Bay will consider qualified applicants with a criminal history pursuant to the California Fair Chance Act. You do not need to disclose your criminal history or participate in a background check until a conditional job offer is made to you. After making a conditional offer and running a background check, if the University Corporation at Monterey Bay is concerned about the conviction that is directly related to the job, you will be given the fair chance to explain the circumstances surrounding the conviction, provide mitigating evidence, or challenge the accuracy of the background report. Find out more about the Fair Chance Act by visiting the Civil Rights Department Fair Chance Act https://calcivilrights.ca.gov/fair-chance-act/.
This position will have a duty to report to the Campus Title IX Officer information pertaining to victims of sex discrimination, sexual harassment, sexual misconduct, dating/domestic violence, and stalking as required by CSU Executive Order 1095.
All university programs and activities are open and available to all regardless of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin. Consistent with California law and federal civil rights laws, The University Corporation at Monterey Bay provides equal opportunity in education and employment without unlawful discrimination or preferential treatment based on race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin.
Our commitment to equal opportunity means ensuring that every student and employee has access to the resources and support they need to thrive and succeed in a university environment and in their communities. The University Corporation at Monterey Bay complies with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, the California Equity in Higher Education Act, California’s Proposition 209 (Art. I, Section 31 of the California Constitution), other applicable state and federal anti-discrimination laws, and CSU’s Nondiscrimination Policy.
We prohibit discriminatory preferential treatment, segregation based on race or any other protected status, and all forms of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation in all university programs, policies, and practices.
Please note: University Corporation employment is separate and distinct from CSU Monterey Bay or State of California employment. University Corporation employees are not employees of either CSUMB or of the state of California.
All employees must be eligible for employment in the U.S. The University Corporation is not a sponsoring agency for any positions.
University Corporation at Monterey Bay positions are “at-will” employment.
CSUMB is a smoke and tobacco-free campus.
The campus leadership has committed the resources needed to achieve an engaged, safe, and in-person experience. The health and safety of our community remain our highest priority, and we are confident that existing public health measures provide for a safe environment capable of delivering a complete college experience on the CSUMB campus. Being an Otter means caring for each other and doing your part to protect your community.
In compliance with state and federal crime awareness and campus security legislation, including The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act, California Education Code section 67380, and the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA), the Cal State University, Monterey Bay Annual Security and Fire Safety Report is available at https://csumb.edu/clery.
Special License or Certifications and Conditions:
• May require occasional evenings and/or weekend work.
Questions can be sent to: mailto:hr_corporation@csumb.edu.
SALARY AND BENEFITS
The University Corporation is committed to providing our employees with a comprehensive program that rewards efforts that are appreciated by your colleagues, students, and the customers we serve. Salary placement is determined by the education, experience, and qualifications the candidate brings to the position, internal equity, and the hiring department’s fiscal resources. Our salary schedule is available https://csumb.edu/corporation/personnel/.
The salary for this position is $87,264 per year. Classification: Grade 8, Staff. This is an exempt position and as such is not eligible for the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act. The Corporation offers a rich benefits package that constitutes a major portion of total compensation. Benefits include medical, dental, vision, and life insurance benefits, contributory retirement plan, TSA (403b), and other benefits. Please review our https://csumb.edu/media/csumb/section-editors/university-corporation/Benefits-at-a-Glance-2025.pdf https://get.adobe.com/reader/ for details about sick time, vacation, and holidays.
The Corporation also offers access to CSUMB’s Faculty & Staff Meal Plans, which offers convenience, value, flexibility, to our all-you-care-to-eat dining commons, showcasing eight brand new dining concepts for an affordable price.
The University Corporation at Monterey Bay also provides access to affordable campus housing: https://csumb.edu/corporation/employee-housing
Although CSUMB is located in a high-cost housing area, Schoonover Park rental homes are affordably priced. Monthly rent rates include cable television, garbage service, and sewer. Convenient floorplans, attractive interior appointments, and numerous community amenities make Schoonover Park Rental Homes an exceptional value. Schoonover Park is near the main campus, yet a tranquil world away. The community lies nestled in the secluded beauty of rolling coastal hills three miles east of campus. Living in one of the most desirable areas of California, you will enjoy the natural splendor and cultural abundance of the Monterey Peninsula. Quality of life begins with your home in Schoonover Park and extends through every aspect of your California coastal lifestyle. https://www.schoonoverparkapartments.com
How to apply:
All prospective applicants must apply online. You must complete the entire application for submission. We only accept applications for the open positions listed. Please do not fax or mail in a printed version of the electronic applications or a resume in lieu of an application. If you are having difficulty applying or need assistance, please call (831) 582-3389. All positions are open until filled. The completed online application and resume must be submitted by 5:00 pm PST on the priority screening date. Applications received after this date will be reviewed at the discretion of the Corporation.
To apply, please visit https://apptrkr.com/6892951
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