Entry Level Research Associate Remote Jobs in Belmar, NJ

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The Center for Remote Sensing and Earth System Sciences (ReSESS)- City Tech, in collaboration with the Research Foundation of the City University of New York (RFCUNY), seeks a highly motivated Postdoctoral Research Associate to join an interdisciplinary research team focused on aquatic remote sensing and machine learning. The successful candidate will develop and apply advanced computational and remote-sensing approaches to study water-quality parameters and physical properties of inland aquatic systems using both satellite and drone-based imagery.

This position supports a collaborative research effort involving City Tech and external partner institutions. The project integrates multi-sensor data from satellites (e.g., Landsat, Sentinel-2) and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to improve understanding of how surface-water characteristics vary in response to climatic, geomorphological, and ecological factors. Research activities include the development and validation of methods for extracting and analyzing surface temperature, optical water-quality indicators, and other physical parameters, as well as the application of machine-learning tools for spatiotemporal analysis.

The Postdoctoral Research Associate will also contribute to data integration, quality assurance procedures (QAPP/DUAR standards), and scholarly dissemination through peer-reviewed publications, technical reports, and conference presentations.

• Conduct research applying remote sensing, drone image analysis, and machine learning to assess water quality parameters and physical properties of lakes and reservoirs.

• Develop, refine, and test computational workflows for processing and integrating multi-sensor datasets from satellite and UAV platforms.

• Implement and document quality-assurance procedures and validation protocols for environmental datasets.

• Prepare and submit manuscripts, progress reports, and conference presentations.

• Collaborate with faculty, students, and partner institutions on data synthesis and dissemination.

• Mentor undergraduate or graduate student researchers and contribute to proposal development for future research initiatives.

Additional Information

• Start Date: March, 1, 2026

• Appointment Duration: One year, renewable contingent upon performance and funding availability.

• Worksite: New York City College of Technology, Brooklyn, NY

• Expected Travel: Occasional travel (12 times per year) to research meetings or scientific conferences.

Other Duties

• Engage with the CUNY research community to support interdisciplinary collaboration.

• Assist with data curation, management, and documentation for consortium use.

• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Ph.D. in Environmental Science, Remote Sensing, or a closely related field (awarded by start date).

• Demonstrated experience with satellite or drone remote sensing for environmental or aquatic systems.

• Proficiency in scientific programming (Python, R, or equivalent).

• Knowledge of machine-learning methods applied to environmental or geospatial data.

• Excellent writing, analytical, and communication skills, with a record of scholarly publications.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with Python-based cloud computing or high-performance computing environments.

• Background in hydrology, limnology, or biogeochemistry.

• Experience mentoring students and working within interdisciplinary research teams.

• Ability to travel and present research at professional conferences.

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