Special Information

• This position is subject to the availability of funding. The incumbent is not eligible for Service Professional non-renewal notice, or Classified Staff layoff or recall status.
• Driving a vehicle on behalf of the university is anticipated to be a regular part of this position. Arizona Administrative Code Fleet Safety Policy requires all employees who drive on university business become authorized by submitting Driver’s license information for driving record monitoring, and completion of training appropriate to the level of driving performed. The law applies to all faculty, staff, and students who drive personal or university-owned motorized vehicles for any business purpose. More information on the NAU Authorized Driver Policy can be found on the NAU website.

About the Department/College

The Ecological Restoration Institute (ERI) at Northern Arizona University serves diverse audiences with objective science and implementation strategies that support ecological restoration and climate adaptation on Western forest landscapes. The ERI is nationally recognized as a leader in primary and secondary ecological and social science, scholarship, information exchange, collaborative efforts, and policy analysis supporting forest restoration and fire use. The ERI is one of three congressionally designated institutes, the Southwest Ecological Restoration Institutes (SWERI) located in Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico, focused on bridging science and management to restore western fire-adapted forests.

About the Position

The Research Associate supports a 12-month, grant-funded applied research effort within the Ecological Restoration Institute (ERI) focused on UAS-based monitoring of forest treatment effectiveness. The position leads development and implementation of repeatable, R- and Google Earth Engine (GEE)-based workflows operating on structure-from-motion (SfM)–derived UAS data to assess canopy openness, patch structure, aggregation, and connectivity metrics at the project and treatment-unit scale. This position will also coordinate and work with others on the research team to develop monitoring and change detection workflows for assessing treatment effects within the Four Forest Restoration Initiative (4FRI) landscape.

The role emphasizes feasibility, defensibility, and technology transfer rather than exploratory or hypothesis-driven research. The Research Associate produces case studies, cross-site synthesis, documentation, and training materials that enable Forest Service managers to independently apply UAS and remote sensing (e.g., Sentinel-2) workflows for monitoring and adaptive management.

This is a full-time, term appointment not to exceed 12 months, aligned with Task 3 of Agreement 25-CS-11030400-140.

Responsibilities Include

40% - Research and Analysis

• Compile, organize, and manage existing pre- and post-treatment UAS datasets, treatment unit polygons, prescriptions, and metadata.
• Develop and document repeatable, R- and GEE-based analysis workflows operating on SfM-derived dense point clouds.
• Conduct spatial and structural analyses focused on: o Canopy openness o Patch size, density, and distribution o Patch configuration and aggregation indices o Structural connectivity and permeability (pattern-based only)
• Perform pre/post change detection analyses framed around alignment with treatment prescriptions and objectives using remote sensing and field data
• Integrate existing airborne LiDAR data where available for contextual comparison to UAS and other remote sensing (e.g., Sentinel-2) approaches, documenting interoperability limits, assumption, and exploring way to scale up treatment effects outcomes. - (Essential)

25% - Case Studies, Synthesis, and Interpretation

• Develop site-level case studies documenting data availability, timing, treatment context, analytical outcomes, and limitations.
• Conduct cross-site synthesis to identify patterns, generalizable findings, and constraints across treatment units.
• Frame results for project-, treatment-unit-, and NEPA-scale monitoring, with explicit caveats regarding appropriate use.
• Contribute analytical content to the final Task 3 technical report and recommendations. - (Essential)

20% - Technology Transfer, Science Delivery, and Training

• Prepare clear documentation, tutorials, and example datasets that allow Forest Service staff to independently run workflows.
• Support and deliver 1–3 targeted workshops or webinars for Forest Service-identified audiences.
• Translate technical analyses into manager-focused products emphasizing feasibility, limitations, and decision relevance.
• Support development of materials that may later inform policy or manual discussions under related tasks. - (Essential)

10% - Coordination and Project Support

• Coordinate closely with ERI leadership and Forest Service partners to maintain alignment with Task 3 scope and timeline.
• Support optional light site visits or field-context discussions (time permitting).
• Maintain documentation required for progress tracking, invoicing, and reporting.
• Perform other related duties as assigned - (Essential)

5% - Other duties as assigned. - (Essential)

Minimum Qualifications

• Master's degree in forestry or closely related field.
• 4 years of research support experience.

*A combination of related education, experience, and training may be used as an equivalent to the above Minimum Qualifications.

Preferred Qualifications

• Proficiency using R and Google Earth Engine (GEE) for data analysis and visualization.
• Experience working with Lidar and forest point clouds.
• Experience working with UAS or SfM-derived point clouds.
• Familiarity with landscape metrics and patch analysis.
• Experience integrating UAS and airborne/terrestrial/mobile LiDAR datasets.
• Experience supporting forest management, fuels treatments, or adaptive management efforts.
• Demonstrated understanding of forest health and wildfire related issues in Southwestern forested ecosystems
• Demonstrated ability to develop clear documentation and training materials for practitioner audiences.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

• Applied knowledge of UAS- and Lidar-based remote sensing and spatial analysis.
• Strong quantitative and analytical skills applied to forestry datasets.
• Ability to design and implement repeatable, defensible analytical and coding workflows.
• Ability to communicate technical concepts effectively to non-technical management audiences.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to meet fixed deadlines.
• Ability to work independently within clearly defined scope and constraints.

Compensation

Salary range begins at $58,882.00. Annual salary commensurate with candidate's qualifications and related experience.

Pre-Employment Check

Northern Arizona University requires satisfactory results for the following: a criminal background investigation, an employment history verification and a degree verification (in some cases) prior to employment. You may also be required to complete a fingerprint background check. Also, as an employer in the state of Arizona, NAU is required to participate in the federal E-Verify program that assists employers with verifying new employees' right to work in the United States.

This position has been identified as a safety/security sensitive position. Therefore, per AZ Revised Statute, Northern Arizona University requires satisfactory results for the following: a criminal background investigation, employment history investigation, degree verification (in some cases) and fingerprinting. If you are applying for a job that requires a CDL, you will be required to register with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse and adhere to the clearinghouse requirements.

Notice of Availability of the Annual Fire and Security Report

Each year Northern Arizona University releases an Annual Security Report. The report is a result of a federal law known as the Clery Act. The report includes Clery reportable crime statistics for the three most recent completed calendar years and discloses procedures, practices and programs NAU uses to keep students and employees safe including how to report crimes or other emergencies occurring on campus. In addition, the Fire Safety Report is combined with the Annual Security Report for the NAU Flagstaff Mountain Campus as this campus has on-campus student housing. This report discloses fire safety policies and procedures related to on-campus student housing and statistics for fires that occurred in those facilities. If you would like a free paper copy of the report, please contact the NAUPD Records Department at (928) 523-8884 or by visiting the department at 525 E. Pine Knoll Drive in Flagstaff.

Immigration Support/Sponsorship

Northern Arizona University will not provide any U.S. immigration support or sponsorship for this position.

Submit your Application

To apply for this position, please click on the "Apply" button on this page. You must submit your application by midnight of the application deadline.

If you are an individual with a disability and need reasonable accommodation to participate in the hiring process, please contact the Disability Resources Office at 928-523-8773, DR@nau.edu, or PO Box 5633, Flagstaff AZ 86011.