What are the responsibilities and job description for the USDA-FS Full-stack Development in Wildland Fire and Smoke Science Software Applications position at Zintellect?
*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. Remote participation is preferred if the applicant is not local (Seattle Area).
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: This is an opportunity to participate in wildfire and smoke emissions research conducted by the Pacific Wildland Fire Sciences Laboratory, a collaboration between the University of Washington’s School of Environmental and Forest Sciences (SEFS) and the US Forest Services Pacific Northwest Research Station’s AirFire Program. The participant will interact with a multidisciplinary team of university faculty, research staff, graduate students, and scientists with expertise on fire weather, climatology, air quality, statistics, and computer engineering. Land managers, air quality and health agencies, and the public use our research products, tools, information and expertise to address issues concerning smoke, prescribed and wildland fire and air quality.
This is an exceptional opportunity for the participant to advance in a variety of programming skills while developing websites and User Interfaces (UI) that will be used to support wildfire incident command teams. It will also provide occasions to engage with a wide user community involved in wildland fire and smoke.
Learning Objectives: The participant will have the opportunity to practice and improve skills in:
- Developing and maintaining modern, performant websites that host an assortment of data.
- Creating User Interfaces based on mockups.
- Processing and incorporating data from a variety of sources and formats.
- Creating and debugging backend software processes.
- Python, Javascript, HTML, CSS, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, and other technologies.
- Using data processing systems and operational sites.
- Data management, including collecting, cleaning, organizing, and maintaining datasets.
Mentor: The mentor for this opportunity is Sim Larkin (sim.larkin@usda.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research, please contact the mentor.
Anticipated Appointment Start Date: June 2025. 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: The appointment is full time.
Participant Stipend: The participant will receive a monthly stipend commensurate with educational level and experience. The annual stipend range is $85k to $115k, depending on experience, with $4,500 for travel and supplies.
Citizenship Requirements: This opportunity is available to U.S. citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR) 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.
Salary : $85,000 - $115,000
