Job Description

As a UW employee, you have a unique opportunity to change lives on our campuses, in our state and around the world. UW employees offer their boundless energy, creative problem-solving skills , and dedication to build stronger minds and a healthier world.

UW faculty and staff also enjoy outstanding benefits, professional growth opportunities and unique resources in an environment noted for diversity, intellectual excitement, artistic pursuits , and natural beauty.

The School of Environmental and Forest Sciences is looking for a temporary, 12-month Research Scientist to serve as a Geospatial Data Analyst for a Wildfire-Fuel Treatment Outcomes research project. There is some potential for a job extension depending on performance and funding.

Position Purpose

We are seeking a Geospatial Data Analyst with expertise in fire modeling and remotely sensed data to support innovative wildfire research that informs post-fire management decision-making. The successful candidate will contribute to a project aimed at improving our understanding of the conditions under which fuel treatments lead to desired socioecological outcomes when affected by wildfire. The analyst will collaborate with a multidisciplinary team of postdoctoral researchers, federal scientists, and university faculty to develop and refine a scalable methodology that utilizes existing spatial datasets on landscape characteristics, fire behavior, and fuel treatments. This methodology will be applied to real-world wildfire-treatment interactions across diverse U.S. landscapes to generate empirical case studies of Wildfire-Treatment Outcomes (WTOs). Fuel treatments are designed to alter fire behavior—such as reducing fire intensity, spread rate, or spotting potential—when wildfires occur. This research will provide critical scientific insight to guide future fire and land management strategies.

The selected candidate will collaborate on research evaluating recent large wildfires in the Northwest region, focusing on three key outcomes: reduction in fire severity, successful containment of fire spread, and minimized impacts to homes and critical infrastructure. These outcomes correspond to the three pillars of the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy (“Cohesive Strategy”): fire-resilient landscapes, safe and effective wildfire response, and fire-adapted communities. The research leverages the considerable variability in landscape, fire behavior, and treatment characteristics to conduct a series of natural experiments. Using a big data and remote sensing approach, the project aims to learn from past fuel treatment activities. These empirical, data-driven assessments of Wildfire-Treatment Outcomes (WTOs) are essential for informing process-based models of future treatment effectiveness under a changing climate. They also support improved treatment design, incident decision-making, and adaptive management of fuel treatment investments. The work involves both place-based case studies and methodological development. The incumbent will collaborate with a postdoctoral scholar and partners across the country to strengthen monitoring systems, rapidly assess the drivers of treatment effectiveness in key landscapes, and support collaborative learning with agency stakeholders.

Position Complexities

This position offers an excellent opportunity to apply diverse analytical skills in conducting original and applied research, presenting findings at scientific meetings and trainings, and contributing to peer-reviewed publications. The role also includes collaboration with research teams across the country who are conducting similar analyses as part of a larger, multi-regional project. The candidate will be expected to independently plan, prioritize, and carry out research tasks under the general guidance of a faculty member from the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences (SEFS) and a scientist from the U.S. Forest Service (USFS).

Position Responsibilities

The successful candidate will collaborate with a postdoctoral scholar and other partners to help build a foundation for improving monitoring systems, rapidly assessing the drivers of treatment effectiveness across key landscapes, and fostering collaborative learning with agency stakeholders. The incumbent will be responsible for collecting, processing, and analyzing large remote sensing and spatial datasets to support research on Wildfire-Treatment Outcomes (WTOs) . This work will involve the analysis of various spatial data types (e.g., vector, raster, imagery) to support multi-scale and multi-resource planning, assessment, and monitoring efforts.

Duties and Responsibilities

Research (75%)

Incumbent will assemble, process, and analyze large remote sensing datasets (e.g., Landsat, Sentinel-2, MODIS) and spatial datasets (e.g., FACTs, FTEM, field and model-generated data) of wildfires and operational fuel treatments using machine learning, R/Python and Google Earth Engine. Selected candidate will use cartographic principles and conventions sufficient to create maps for external and internal use that display natural resource and socio-economic information and highlight analysis results. (30%)
Collaborate with a national research team—including U.S. Forest Service Research Stations and university partners—to develop and refine a core, scalable methodology that utilizes existing spatial datasets on landscape characteristics, fire behavior, and fuel treatments. This methodology will be applied to large wildfires across diverse U.S. landscapes to generate empirical case studies of Wildfire-Treatment Outcomes. (15%)
Provide research support to the team using statistical and geospatial analysis, wildland fire modeling, fuel and vegetation modeling, and risk analysis. (15%)
Co-lead the analysis of forest biometric data on post-fire stand conditions for selected recent wildfires with treated fuels in the Pacific Northwest, collaborating closely with federal, tribal, and state partners. (15%)

Project Management (15%)

Support principal investigators on project management and interface with a group of research scientists, federal cooperators, and contractors. (5%)
Write internal/technical documentation as well as to contribute to external scientific documentation, including peer-reviewed research papers. (5%)
Prepare and manage data, including collecting, cleaning, organizing, and maintaining datasets. (5%)

Outreach (10%)

Provide technical assistance and support to other projects underway within the group. (5%)
Perform related duties as required. (5%)

Lead responsibilities

Incumbent will be responsible of gathering data, processing, and analyzing large remote sensing datasets and spatial datasets for wild-treatment outcome research. It includes analysis of spatial and related data (vector, raster, imagery) sufficient to support multi-scale and/or multi-resource planning, assessments, and monitoring.

Incumbent will support the field data collection and analysis of data collected in the summer of 2025 and potentially in following years to validate the monitoring protocols developed by the team researching the wildfire-fuel treatment outcomes on large wildfires in the Northwest. Selected candidate will be responsible of ensuring that research protocols are followed during the execution, data entry and analysis of studies on fire and smoke hazards for federal, state, and tribal lands.

Supervisory responsibilities

Works effectively as a member of a team under technical guidance of seasoned staff and collaborators; Incumbent will oversee a team of students and technicians on field data collected during the summer of 2025 and potentially in 2026 as necessary to achieve specific assignments.

Working Environmental Conditions

This is a full-time appointment (40 hours per week), with most work conducted in the laboratory. The candidate will likely participate in a field data campaign to collect additional data beyond what was gathered in 2025 from National Forests. Fieldwork will require hiking while carrying packs weighing up to approximately 60 pounds. Crews operate at elevations between 3,500 and 14,000 feet to access permanent inventory plots, often hiking long distances on- and off-trail over steep and rugged terrain. Field conditions include exposure to sun, rain, snow, and rapidly changing temperatures throughout the day.

Minimum Requirements

A Bachelor’s degree in a science-related field in forestry, fire ecology, forest ecology, natural resources, or geospatial science and four years of experience integrating, processing and analyzing large remote sensing datasets (e.g., Landsat, Sentinel-2, MODIS) and spatial datasets (e.g., FACTs, FTEM, model-generated and field data) using multi-analysis, machine learning, R/Python, and Google Earth Engine for wildfire and fuel treatment outcome research.

Equivalent education/experience will substitute for all minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements, such as a license/certification/registration.

Desired Requirements

Knowledge of fire science and geospatial analysis or expertise and experience using a variety of GIS, both proprietary (e.g., ArcGIS Pro, Google Earth Engine R geospatial packages, python - geopandas, arcpy) and open source (e.g., QGIS, Python, R, Julia, PostGIS, GRASS) to maintain data repositories and complete geospatial analyses.
Experience on using GIS and remote sensing to map and characterize distribution of plant species, vegetation communities, fire regimes and wildland fuels with a familiarity with FACTS, LANDFIRE, GNN, and CWHR spatial datasets.
A MS or PhD degree is desirable.
Experience on fire behavior and fire effects computer models.
Familiarity with forest and fuels inventory data and forest growth and yield modelling.
Demonstrated ability to create clear and concise visual displays of quantitative data.
Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
Ability to work collaboratively in a team environment.

Contacts/Interactions

Interact with faculty, other staff members, student employees, collaborators from USFS PNW Research Station, other USFS Research Stations, university partners, and other federal and state agencies on a daily to weekly basis to develop accurate and timely geospatial analysis and databases.

Compensation, Benefits and Position Details

Pay Range Minimum

$78,000.00 annual

Pay Range Maximum

$84,000.00 annual

Other Compensation

Benefits

For information about benefits for this position, visit https://www.washington.edu/jobs/benefits-for-temporary-per-diem-and-less-than-half-time/

Shift

First Shift (United States of America)

Temporary or Regular?

This is a temporary position

FTE (Full-Time Equivalent)

100.00%

About the UW

Working at the University of Washington provides a unique opportunity to change lives – on our campuses, in our state and around the world.

UW employees bring their boundless energy, creative problem-solving skills and dedication to building stronger minds and a healthier world. In return, they enjoy outstanding benefits, opportunities for professional growth and the chance to work in an environment known for its diversity, intellectual excitement, artistic pursuits and natural beauty.

Our Commitment

The University of Washington is proud to be an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer . All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, age, protected veteran or disabled status, or genetic information.

To request disability accommodation in the application process, contact the Disability Services Office at 206-543-6450 or dso@uw.edu .

Applicants considered for this position will be required to disclose if they are the subject of any substantiated findings or current investigations related to sexual misconduct at their current employment and past employment. Disclosure is required under Washington state law .

Geospatial Data Analyst for Wildfire-Fuel Treatment Outcomes (Temporary)

Job Type