Postdoctoral Position in Remote Sensing and Wildfire Impacts – Earth System Science at University of California, Irvine

The Rigden Lab in the Department of Earth System Science at the University of California, Irvine is seeking a postdoctoral scholar to lead a cutting-edge research project on wildfire impacts and forest recovery across California, Oregon, and Washington. This position is funded by NASA GEDI and will involve an integrated remote sensing–modeling investigation, leveraging spaceborne lidar, multispectral and thermal satellite observations, and the ELM-FATES-SPITFIRE modeling framework. The research aims to understand how forest structure influences burn severity, evaluate post-fire recovery trajectories, and identify fire-return thresholds that shape long-term ecosystem resilience. The successful candidate will integrate datasets from GEDI and other orbital sensors (such as ECOSTRESS, VIIRS, Landsat/MODIS) to build pre- and post-fire structural and functional diagnostics. Responsibilities include developing recovery chronosequences from multi-sensor time series, quantifying ecosystem recovery rates, initializing and optimizing FATES using remote-sensing constraints, running model ensembles, and evaluating vulnerability and resilience across burned landscapes. The postdoc will collaborate with a multidisciplinary team, including Robinson Negron-Juarez, Jennifer Holm, Anna Spiers, and Marcos Longo, and will have opportunities to publish in leading journals and present at major conferences. Applicants must have an expected or recent Ph.D. in Earth System Science, Remote Sensing, Forestry, Ecology, Atmospheric/Environmental Science, or a related field. Required skills include demonstrated expertise in satellite remote sensing (at least two of: lidar/GEDI, thermal/ECOSTRESS, optical Landsat/MODIS/VIIRS), proficiency in Python or R for geospatial analysis, and strong quantitative, communication, and scientific writing skills. The position offers a competitive salary ($69,073–$82,836 USD per year, depending on experience) and generous benefits. UC Irvine's Earth System Science Department is highly interdisciplinary, with 25 faculty members devoted to the study of the Earth as a coupled system. The campus is located in sunny Orange County, California, providing a pleasant living environment surrounded by beaches, parks, and mountains. To apply, submit your application through the UC Irvine recruitment portal, including your CV, cover letter describing your research goals, and contact information for 3-5 references. Applications will be reviewed starting November 25, 2025, and will continue to be accepted until January 31, 2026. For questions, contact Prof. Angela J. Rigden at [email protected] with 'Postdoc Application Question' in the subject line. Keywords: remote sensing, wildfire impacts, forest recovery, Earth System Science, satellite data, modeling, NASA GEDI, ecosystem resilience, geospatial analysis, California forests.