Research Assistant (Tropical Wildfires

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Professional Falmouth, MA, US

9 days ago Requisition

Mission:

Woodwell Climate Research Center (Woodwell Climate) conducts science for solutions at the nexus of climate, people, and nature. We partner with leaders and communities for just meaningful impact to address the climate crisis.

Woodwell Climate is a rapidly growing, top-ranked, independent non-profit climate research institute whose mission is to advance science-based climate policies through scientific research and outreach. Our world-leading research and impact helps individuals, organizations, corporations, communities, and nations understand the realities of climate change, recognize the impact on our planet, and embrace the urgent action needed to safeguard the future of life on Earth.

Join Woodwell Climate’s Tropical Wildfire team to support research on wildfire, deforestation, forest degradation and climate change in tropical ecosystems with an emphasis on the Amazon and Cerrado biomes. In this role, you will conduct spatial, statistical, and data-intensive analyses, collaborate with our scientists, researchers and external partners in the United States, Brazil and other countries, including practitioners and institutions working in wildfire management, environmental governance and conservation.

The project will assess where fires occurred in standing forests, how impacts varied across land-tenure and governance contexts, and which institutions held relevant responsibilities for prevention, enforcement, preparedness and response.

Responsibilities include but not limited to:

Support a project examining the exceptional 2024 wildfire season in the Brazilian Amazon

Contribute to projects examining the environmental and human drivers of tropical fire, the effects of different disturbances, and opportunities to improve ecosystem protection and climate resilience

Integrate spatial data on fire, land cover, land tenure, jurisdiction, and institutional responsibility and will work closely with researchers and partners involved in fire management and environmental governance in Brazil

Contribute to a broader portfolio of research on wildfire, deforestation, forest degradation, ecosystem condition, and climate impacts across the Amazon, Cerrado, and other tropical regions

Compile, organize, document, and quality-check large spatial and tabular datasets

Conduct geospatial analyses related to wildfire, deforestation, forest degradation, vegetation dynamics, governance, climate, and ecosystem change

Develop, adapt and maintain reproducible analytical workflows using Google Earth Engine, Python, R, GIS software, and leading AI-enabled tools

Maintain clear and well-documented code, metadata, data-management records and analytical workflows

Use contemporary AI tools to support coding, data analysis, literature synthesis, documentation, and problem-solving, while critically evaluating outputs for accuracy, bias, reproducibility, and scientific validity

Explore appropriate applications of machine learning and other AI-based methods to environmental and remote-sensing analyses

Integrate satellite observations, environmental datasets, administrative boundaries, and other geospatial information

Perform statistical analyses and contribute to the interpretation of findings, including the evaluation of uncertainty, methodological assumptions, and analytical limitations

Produce publication-quality maps, figures, tables, data summaries and other research outputs

Conduct literature reviews and synthesize relevant scientific evidence

Contribute to scientific manuscripts, technical reports, presentations, proposals, and policy-oriented materials

Participate in project meetings and communicate progress, results, analytical challenges, and methodological decisions clearly and concisely

Contribute flexibly to additional research projects across the Tropical Wildfire programme as project needs evolve

Work with Brazilian datasets, literature and/or project partners

Geospatial data processing and analysis using relevant programming environments and analytical tools.

Proficiency in R for data management, statistical analysis, and scientific visualization.

Proficient using GIS software such as QGIS or ArcGIS.

Ability to work with large, complex, and heterogeneous spatial and tabular datasets.

Data-quality assurance, reproducible research, metadata, and analytical documentation

Strong quantitative reasoning, critical-thinking, problem-solving skills, identify errors, evaluate assumptions, assess uncertainty, and troubleshoot analytical workflows

Ability to learn and apply new analytical methods, datasets, and software tools, manage multiple tasks, prioritize effectively and meet project deadlines

Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Work…