USDA-FS Prescribed Fire Weather Data Processing and Research
*Applications will be reviewed on a rolling-basis.
USDA Forest Service Office/Lab and Location: A fellowship opportunity is available with the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service (FS) within the Pacific Northwest Research Station (PNWRS) located in Seattle, Washington.
At the heart of the USDA Forest Service's mission is their purpose. Everything they do is intended to help sustain forests and grasslands for present and future generations. Why? Because their stewardship work supports nature in sustaining life. This is the purpose that drives the agency’s mission and motivates their work across the agency. It’s been there from the agency’s very beginning, and it still drives them. To advance the mission and serve their purpose, the USDA Forest Service balances the short and long-term needs of people and nature by: working in collaboration with communities and our partners; providing access to resources and experiences that promote economic, ecological, and social vitality; connecting people to the land and one another; and delivering world-class science, technology and land management.
Research Project: Wildland fire and smoke are one of the most pervasive hazards to human health and infrastructure in North America. Prescribed burning is a critical management tool for building community resilience by reducing hazardous levels of fuels, and key for restoring and maintaining fire-adapted ecosystems. To be safe and effective, prescribed burns must be conducted in a specific set of weather and fuel conditions that are conducive to the burn plan’s particular fire behavior and smoke management objectives. Increasing the pace and scale of prescribed burning at the scale needed to mitigate the evolving threats of wildland fire and smoke will require optimizing our ability to utilize all available resources.
Our group develops decision support systems that harness historical weather and fuel record knowledge, and their counterpart real-time forecasts, to reduce hurdles to increasing prescribed burning. A current focus is on optimizing the identification and utilization of burn-weather windows. We also utilize our data warehouse to investigate the role that weather variability plays in controlling prescribed burn weather opportunity and wildland fire and smoke activity.
We are looking for fellows with interest in weather/fuel and related data processing, analysis and visualization, to help research and develop potential expansions to our suite of weather-knowledge-based decision support systems and tools.
Learning Objectives: The Fellow will learn how wildland fire managers use weather and fuel data to plan and conduct prescribed burns. The Fellow will gain understanding of the range of meteorological data sources currently available, and their potential applicability and limitations for wildland fire management decision making. The Fellow will learn to add value to source data by processing it into readily-available, fit-for-purpose products and decision support systems. They will also learn about current needs for additional weather and fuel information and how to expand incorporation of meteorological forecasts into these products and systems to meet them.
Mentor: The mentor for this opportunity is Andrew Chiodi (andy.chiodi@noaa.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research, please contact the mentor.
Anticipated Appointment Start Date: April 2026. Start date is flexible and will depend on a variety of factors.
Appointment Length: The appointment will initially be for one year but may be extended upon recommendation of USDA Forest Service and is contingent on the availability of funds.
Level of Participation: Full time participation is preferred, with part-time opportunity considered for current students.
Participant Stipend: The participant will receive a monthly stipend commensurate with educational level and experience. The anticipated stipend range is $70,000 - $90,000 annually.
Citizenship Requirements: This opportunity is available to U.S. citizens only.
ORISE Information: This program, administered by ORAU through its contract with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to manage the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), was established through an interagency agreement between DOE and USDA Forest Service. Participants do not become employees of USDA, USDA Forest Service, DOE or the program administrator, and there are no employment-related benefits. Proof of health insurance is required for participation in this program. Health insurance can be obtained through ORISE.
Questions: Please visit our Program Website. After reading, if you have additional questions about the application process please email ORISE.USFS.PNWRS@orau.org and include the reference code for this opportunity.
Qualifications
The qualified candidate should be currently pursuing or have received an associate's, bachelor's, or master's degree in the one of the relevant fields. Degree must have been received within the past five years, or anticipated to be received by 7/1/2028.
Preferred skills:
- Programming language appropriate for data analysis and visualization, such as Python,
- Knowledge of acquiring, processing and curating geoscientific data from varied sources, including weather and climate models.
- Experience running code in cloud provider services, like AWS and experience, or interest in learning to apply data processing techniques in a High-Performance Computing environment
- A strong desire to collaborate to build tools that support those tasked with managing our wildlands for a more natural and sustainable balance with fire.
Stipend
$70,000.00 – $90,000.00 Yearly
Point of Contact
Eligibility Requirements
- Citizenship: U.S. Citizen Only
- Degree: Associate's Degree, Bachelor's Degree, or Master's Degree received within the last 60 months or currently pursuing.