Research Associate IV, Steps 1-4 SPoRT Air Quality

Department: Earth System Science Center

Work type: Staff Full-time Exempt

Location: Alabama

Categories: Research - Engineering

Purpose Of The Position

We are currently seeking a Research Associate to provide support to NASA SPoRT science and application activities related to machine learning in one or more of the following thematic areas: Air Quality/TEMPO, Wildland Fire, and Satellite Remote Sensing. The position will be located at the National Space Science & Technology Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and will support the scientific development and application of satellite remote sensing products.

SPoRT is a NASA project to transition unique observations and research capabilities to the operational weather community to improve short-term forecasts on a regional scale. Based at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, SPoRT is collaborating with the University of Alabama in Huntsville to provide direct science support along with science and technical coordination in the areas of weather, climate, air quality, natural disasters, satellite remote sensing, and data science and applications.

Duties/Responsibilities

• Support machine learning efforts in one or more of the following areas: air quality, wildland fire, and satellite remote sensing.
• Provide scientific expertise to facilitate applied science studies in satellite remote sensing, health & air quality, or wildland fire.
• Contribute to the design of higher-level value-added air quality products for applied science studies and manage data distribution to science investigators.
• Develop synergistic products from TEMPO, ABI, and GLM data to enhance science applications, with special attention to wildfire smoke and lightning NOx.
• Participate in the development of new proposals and scientific papers on machine learning, satellite remote sensing, and numerical modeling.
• Actively participate in and support SPoRT stakeholders through workshops, meetings, scientific conferences, and presentations of research results, including occasional travel to engage collaborators and end-users.

• Bachelor's degree in Science, Environmental Science, Meteorology, Atmospheric Science, Earth Science, Environmental Public Health, or a closely related discipline
• 5.5 - 7 years of full-time work experience
• Ability to perform satellite and geophysical data processing, analysis, and visualization (preferred experience would include the following sensors TEMPO, MODIS, VIIRS, OMI, ABI, TROPOMI, EPIC)
• Must have a strong programming background in Python and/or other programming languages
• Understanding of remote sensing theory, satellite data applications, air pollution chemistry, and meteorological principles
• Must have excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Willingness to work closely with others in a team environment
• Desire to participate in science workshops and conferences, as well as in publishing results
• Experience with machine learning techniques with satellite and/or model datasets, and working with large datasets is desirable but not required for the position
• U.S. citizenship is required

• Master’s of Science in Environmental Science, Meteorology, Atmospheric Science, Earth Science, Environmental Public Health, or a closely related discipline or PhD is preferred

$70,500 - $87,741

Advertised: Jul 22 2026 Central Daylight Time

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