Job Description

The Desert Research Institute's (DRI's) Division of Atmospheric Sciences (DAS) is accepting applications for a Postdoctoral Researcher interested in modeling of fire behavior and wildfire plume chemistry. We seek an individual with a strong research background in fire process and/or atmospheric chemical modeling and a passion for advancing fire science. This individual will be involved in existing and upcoming research towards understanding fire propagation and severity, fire-atmosphere interaction, fire emissions into the atmosphere, wildfire plume evolution, and pre- to post-fire changes of eco-hydrologic conditions with applications in fire and land management. The successful candidate will focus on numerical modeling, including assimilation of data from laboratory and field experiments, including from UAS payloads and Doppler lidar. This individual will design and conduct modeling simulations to explore various aspects of fire behavior and/or the complex evolution of wildfire plumes focusing on the gas-particle partitioning of organic compounds and toxicity changes during aging of the plume. While this position will be housed within DRI’s Division of Atmospheric Sciences (DAS), the successful candidate will interact and collaborate with researchers across all three of DRI’s science divisions (including Hydrologic Sciences, Atmospheric Sciences, and Earth and Ecosystem Sciences), as well as colleagues within the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) and University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). This position is located at DRI’s Northern Nevada Science Center in Reno, NV, but candidates preferring remote locations inside the United States may be considered.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

    Ph.D. in atmospheric sciences, engineering, forestry, physics, mathematics, computer science, chemistry, or a related discipline from an accredited institution.
    Familiarity with physics-based fire process and/or atmospheric chemistry.
    Experience with programming and data analysis languages (e.g., Python, R, Matlab, and Fortran).
    Demonstrated experience in conducting research in atmospheric, fire, or closely related science.
    Potential for initiating, planning, and carrying out research projects.
    Exhibited ability to publish peer-reviewed scientific literature.
    Excellent written and verbal communication skills in the English language.
    Proficient in presenting research results at conferences and professional meetings.
    Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with others in an interdisciplinary environment and in diverse research teams.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

    Familiarity with physics-based fire processes or wildfire plume chemistry modeling.
    Familiarity with fire–atmosphere models (e.g., WRF-SFIRE) and/or physics-based fire models (e.g., FDS, FIRETEC, Quic-Fire).
    Demonstrated expertise in using the WRF model as well as in post-processing of model results.
    Familiarity in spatial scaling of physics-based fire process models.
    Experience working with the Linux operating system.
    Ability to collaboratively develop research proposals and participate in grant writing efforts to secure research funding.

Apply online here:
https://nshe.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/DRI-External/details/Postdoctoral-Researcher--Fire-Process-Atmospheric-Chemical-Modeling_R0144602