Visiting Scientist; San Francisco Office

Planet designs, builds, and operates the largest constellation of imaging satellites in history.

• We are seeking a highly motivated Visiting Scientist (Postdoctoral Researcher) to join our AI Research (AIR) team for a one-year residency. In this role, you will work directly with Dr. Mirela Tulbure during her sabbatical at Planet to develop our proprietary geospatial foundation models (GFMs).
• While Planet has historically leveraged external models, we are now focused on building in-house models specifically trained on our unique imagery. As a postdoctoral researcher, you will be the primary technical engine behind creating temporally dense embeddings that capture the dynamic and ephemeral nature of our planet—such as rapid flooding and disaster impacts. You will collaborate with "Planeteers" across data pipelines and analytics to bridge the gap between academic research and operational AI/ML solutions.

• Academic Foundation: A recently completed PhD in Geospatial Analytics, Computer Science, Remote Sensing, or a related field.
• Research Track Record:
  Demonstrated experience in building AI-based models for environmental change or satellite image analysis.
• AI/ML Fluency:
  Hands-on experience with foundation models, contrastive learning, and deep learning frameworks (PyTorch/Tensor Flow).
• Advanced Technical Stack:
  Expert-level Python skills and proficiency with the geospatial scientific stack (e.g., xarray, Dask, Rasterio, Geo Pandas).
• Data Engineering Aptitude:
  Experience building automated pipelines for preprocessing and labeling planetary-scale datasets.
• Collaborative Research:
  Experience working within a research lab environment and a strong desire to apply academic rigor to industry challenges.
• Specialized Domain Knowledge:
  Prior research in flood-extent mapping, water dynamics, or disaster response.
• GFM Fine-Tuning:
  Direct experience fine-tuning or modifying specific GFM architectures like Terra Mind, Prithvi, or Clay.
• Multi-Sensor Expertise:
  Proven ability to work with a variety of sensors including Planet Scope, Landsat, and Sentinel-1/2.
• Operational Mindset: A history of developing "human-in-the-loop" workflows or active learning strategies for labeling time-sensitive data.
• These offerings are dependent on employment type and geographical location, based upon applicable law or company policy.
• Comprehensive Medical, Dental, and Vision plans
• Health Savings Account (HSA) with a company contribution
• Generous Paid Time Off in addition to holidays and company-wide days off
• 16 Weeks of Paid Parental Leave
• Wellness Program and Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Home Office Reimbursement
• Monthly Phone and Internet Reimbursement
• Tuition Reimbursement and access to Linked In Learning
• Equity
• Commuter Benefits (if local to an office)