Environmental & Geospatial Data Technician w/Smithsonian (MD)

Environmental and Geospatial Data Technician
Salary: $39,291.44 - $48,670.34

Projected Start Date: March 2021

Appointment Term: 1 year minimum, with potential renewal for a total of 2 years

The Blue Methane Project is a NASA Carbon Monitoring Systems-funded program hosted at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. Tidal wetlands have the capacity to remove massive amounts of atmospheric CO2 by forming soil carbon, but they can also produce a variable and uncertain amount of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Monitoring and forecasting the dynamics of “Blue carbon” in these ecosystems is a major priority for state and national governments, as well as the local entities that manage coastal wetlands. Our project seeks to improve short term forecasting of methane dynamics at two focal sites in Louisiana and the Chesapeake Bay, as well as improve national scale mapping of the variables we use to estimate methane emissions. We are searching for a data technician to collaborate with a multi-university and multi-agency team on developing GIS and remote sensing workflows, managing new data produced by the team, and occasionally contributing to fieldwork for new data collection.


A successful candidate will have at least:
  *   A Bachelor’s degree in a Natural or Physical Science
  *   Demonstrated experience with using remote sensing and GIS to answer environmental research questions
  *   Experience managing data originating from multiple sources
  *   Proficiency with open-source coding in R and/or Python
  *   Excellent organizational and communication skills


An ideal candidate will have one or more of the following:
 *   A Master’s degree in Geography, or other Natural of Physical Sciences
  *   Experience with Google Earth Engine
  *   Experience with using Landsat and/or Sentinel-2 Imagery
  *   GitHub Experience
  *   Experience with wetland plant ecology, carbon cycling, or soils science
  *   Research interests in rivers, estuaries, and/or coastal processes


Please send a cover letter briefly outlining your how you meet any of the required or optional criteria, a CV or resume, a work sample, such as paper, report, map, figure, or link to a presentation, and the contact information for three references to Dr. James Holmquist ([email protected]) by January 15, 2021.

SERC is focused on understanding the causes and consequences of environmental change for marine, freshwater, and terrestrial ecosystems. The main campus is a 2,650-acre research site on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay in Edgewater Maryland. Facilities include the Global Change Research Wetland, the site of the known longest-running ecological manipulation experiment. Nearby cities include historic Annapolis, Maryland's capital, and D.C. The technician will be hired as a Trust Employee through Smithsonian's non-profit wing. This will entitle them to health, vision, dental, and other benefits.

Women, people of color, Indigenous people, and other underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply.


https://serc.si.edu/environmental-and-geospatial-data-technician-job-posting-0
Environmental and Geospatial Data Technician Job Posting | Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
Environmental and Geospatial Data Technician Salary: $39,291.44 - $48,670.34 Projected Start Date: March 2021 Appointment Term: 1 year minimum, with potential renewal for a total of 2 years
serc.si.edu