Graduate Assistantships

Supervisor: Natalie Nelson

Please note this position is available to US Citizens only.

Data  from  satellite  remote  sensing  can  address  and  inform  communities  on  water  quality changes  that  impact  societal  uses,  such  as  consumption  and  recreation. We  explore  issues relevant  to  understanding  the  general  utility  of  remotely  sensed  data  for  monitoring changes in water quality using satellite remote sensing technologies and forecast modeling. This project is on the cutting edge of water quality monitoring and applied satellite operations transitioning to high performance and cloud computing resources. The research assistant will be involved in geospatial statistics, computer coding, and ecological/human health related research. 

The research assistant will have the opportunity to interact with multiple federal agencies and academic universities involved in a broader research effort addressing various issues related to satellite water quality research for inland waters and estuaries and to gain experience using data and tools developed by multiple federal agencies and academic institutions. The student will also have an opportunity to gain experience in problem formulation, data analysis and interpretation, statistical and mathematical programming, and technical communication. The student will be encouraged to participate in manuscripts and presentations based on their experience.

This training opportunity will involve the research participant in the following activities:

1. Assisting with the development and validation of a national Sentinel-2 chlorophyll data product in lakes and estuaries.
2. Demonstration of new satellite applications for water quality monitoring.
3. Opportunities to contribute to other research efforts related to water quality satellite remote sensing, such as seagrass or oil spill monitoring, field and laboratory efforts for satellite validation.

Applicants should have knowledge and experience in a computer coding language such as Python or R with a good working knowledge of GIS. Relevant ecology background or similar is beneficial. Daily commute and mentorship engagement at the EPA in Durham is required. The position with the EPA is planned to be part time during the academic year and full time during summer and winter breaks.

This position will be funded in partnership with the EPA Office of Research and Development ORISE program. Please note that this fellowship is dependent on funding and will require a separate application to the EPA in addition to the application to NC State. Applicants must be US citizens and able to pass a federal background check.

Supervisor: Zhen Qu

Dr. Zhen Qu’s research group is seeking a Ph.D. student to work on predicting greenhouse gas emissions using multi-scale observations. The successful candidate will leverage machine learning, statistical analysis, and data on atmospheric composition, land cover, precipitation, groundwater, and other environmental variables to estimate the sources and evolution of carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4). Opportunities to contribute to additional research areas, such as air pollution modeling and environmental justice studies, are also available.

With growing attention and funding for greenhouse gas mitigation, this project seeks to harness big data, along with advanced machine learning and statistical methods, to deepen our understanding of climate change and greenhouse gas behavior. The outcomes are expected to significantly contribute to the Global Stocktake under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Email Dr. Zhen Qu (zqu5@ncsu.edu) for more information.

Supervisors: Jennifer Richmond-Bryant and Rajan Parajuli

An incoming PhD student will work on a geospatial analysis of the local and aggregate contribution of wood pellet production plants to air pollution and its economic costs in the rural US South. The specific scope of work includes a) estimating the contribution of  emissions to ambient air pollutant concentrations and associated health impacts from wood pellet production and related transportation activities near the facilities; and b) estimating monetized costs and benefits related to environmental and health degradation borne by local communities due to emissions from the wood pellet manufacturing facilities. This project is expected to contribute to the scientific basis for effective programs, policies, and regulations to mitigate the negative externalities of the wood pellet industry on public health and environmental disparities in BIPOC and underserved communities residing near industrial wood pellet plants. The student will work closely with Drs. Richmond-Bryant and Parajuli.

Minimum Requirements/Qualifications:

• M.S. in forestry, environmental sciences, applied economics, social sciences, or related fields.
• Highly motivated to work in an interdisciplinary setting and have strong analytical and communication skills. 
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to work in an interdisciplinary research group.
• Commitment to maintaining an inclusive work environment.

Please begin the application process by submitting an expression of interest to Dr. Richmond-Bryant (jrbryan3@ncsu.edu ) and Dr. Parajuli (rparaju@ncsu.edu). This should include a cover letter describing your research experience highlighting the relevance to this project, a resume including names of three references, and unofficial B.S. and M.S. transcripts.

Supervisor: Daniela Jones

The IDEALS (Intelligent Data for Energy and Agriculture Logistics and Supply Chains) Lab at North Carolina State University seeks a creative, motivated Ph.D. student with an interest in collaborating with farmers and data analytics to join a team developing sustainable biomass supply systems.

The selected applicant will join a research group focused on applying several technologies in agriculture like intelligence frameworks, machine learning, hyperspectral satellite imagery, operations research, and geospatial analytics methods. The student will work with sweetpotato growers to create predictive models and tools that define post-harvest initial conditions based on field and growth information, incorporating both the insights of experienced employees and quantitative data.

Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. To apply, complete the application at grad.ncsu.edu/apply by February 1, 2025. Applicants should hold a degree in biological/agricultural engineering, industrial engineering, environmental science, agronomy, or a related discipline. Experience with GIS, remote sensing, and machine learning is desired.

For more information about the position, contact Dr. Daniela Jones (dsjones5@ncsu.edu) and include a copy of your CV.

Supervisor: Krishna Pacifici

Ph.D. student would develop a suite of integrated species distribution models (iSDMs) at multiple spatial scales for a range of federally listed aquatic species (fish, mussels, and amphibians) in the southeastern U.S. to inform recovery. This would include estimating environmental drivers of distribution and abundance and identifying areas of potential recovery actions. The student would work with a team of federal and state partners working in aquatic conservation and be expected to lead on modeling and decision support efforts. The student would have flexibility to explore a range of research questions related to hierarchical modeling, data integration, multi-species modeling, and decision support and be a part of the Quantitative Ecology Lab at NC State working with Dr. Krishna Pacifici.

Minimum Requirements/Qualifications:

• B.S. and M.S. in fisheries, wildlife, ecology, conservation biology, statistics, or related fields.
• Knowledge of GIS/geospatial analysis in R, statistics, and modeling with special emphasis on Bayesian hierarchical modeling and integrated modeling (IPMs/iSDMs/joint models preferred).
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to work in an interdisciplinary research group.
• Commitment to maintaining an inclusive work environment.

Highly Desirable:

• Record of peer-reviewed publications
• Proficiency with hierarchical modeling and data-integration either through existing software (JAGS/Nimble/Stan/TMB) or customizable methods
• Spatial modeling experience (e.g., Spatial statistics, Spatial Capture-Recapture, GIS/QGIS/GRASS)
• Experience working with and managing large heterogeneous data sets

Email a cover letter outlining interests and qualifications, CV, and names and contact information for three potential references as a single pdf document to Dr. Krishna Pacifici (jkpacifi@ncsu.edu) with the subject line “Aquatic SDMs PhD”. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until a qualified candidate is identified. Please address any questions to Dr. Krishna Pacifici (jkpacifi@ncsu.edu).

Supervisor: Bethany Cutts

We are seeking a PhD student to contribute to a project focused on Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP) implementation. The student will engage in spatial decision support tasks that address community resilience alongside ecological priorities related to water quality, submerged aquatic vegetation, wetlands, and oyster habitat, and with a particular emphasis on data democracy and justice in environmental management partnerships. A core goal of the funded work will be to deliver Spatial Targeting Strategy and Estuarine Spatial Planning Assessments.

Key Responsibilities:

• Systematically inventory human uses of estuarine space and assess their interactions with natural resources.
• Analyze ecological and human use overlaps to evaluate impacts on ecosystem integrity and service provisioning.
• Develop a qualitative assessment of human-nature interactions pertinent to the CCMP focus areas.
• Conduct GIS analysis and visualization to support decision-making.

This position offers a unique opportunity to engage in innovative research by developing cutting-edge spatial approaches for locating management interventions. You’ll have a meaningful impact on socially vulnerable communities while addressing critical environmental resources such as submerged aquatic vegetation, wetlands, water quality, and oyster habitats. Collaborating with the North Carolina Center for Coastal Algae, People and Environment and the Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuary Partnership’s Science & Technical Advisory Committee will enhance your professional network and provide valuable insights. You’ll also refine your project management skills through regular meetings and develop community engagement expertise by organizing workshops, ensuring your research is inclusive and representative.

Qualifications:

• Previous experience in Coastal Management, Justice Studies, Political Science, Environmental Science, Geography, Data Science, or a related field.
• Strong background in spatial analysis, GIS, and data visualization.
• Demonstrated interest in data democracy, environmental justice, and community engagement.
• Excellent communication skills for collaborative work with diverse stakeholders.

Skills and Competencies:

• Proficiency in GIS software and spatial analysis tools.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Previous experience in community engagement and participatory research methods is a plus.

Interested candidates should submit an application to the Geospatial Analytics PhD Program.

Supervisor: Josh Gray

The Spatial Ecosystem Analytics Lab is seeking a graduate research assistant interested in environmental remote sensing. The PhD student will join a multi-institution and international team of NASA-funded scientists seeking to understand the role of trees outside of forests in South Asia. It is expected that the student will have remote sensing, statistics, and computational experience. Interested students should send their CV to Dr. Josh Gray (josh_gray@ncsu.edu).

Supervisor: Mirela Tulbure

Floods are the most impactful climate-change-driven hazards. So far, 2024 has been the warmest year on record, with extreme flooding events on four continents, ranging from floods in Vietnam, Brazil, Nigeria, and central Europe to hurricanes in the southeastern USA.  This PhD opportunity will focus on (1) mapping compound flooding using time series of optical (e.g., Sentinel-2) and synthetic aperture radar (Sentinel-1, L-band data) and/or (2) quantifying flood damage using satellite and ancillary data.

Supervisor: Peter Ojiambo

More info TBA

• Estimating Greenhouse Gas Emissions Using Satellite Observations — This project aims to combine big data with new machine learning and statistical techniques to advance our understanding of climate change and greenhouse gases. The successful candidate will apply machine learning, statistical analysis, supercomputer simulations, satellite data, and atmospheric simulations to estimate the sources and evolution of carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4).
• Nutrient and Water Resources Modeling — The position will focus on modeling of nutrient flows and downstream water quality impacts. This position is associated with STEPS, a convergence research center focused on phosphorus sustainability.
• Pest Spread Modeling — This position will focus on using the Pest or Pathogen Spread (PoPS) model to document dispersal patterns of corn earworm, a major pest of crops in the eastern United States. To do this, the candidate will leverage several decades of corn earworm trap data already collected to calibrate and validate a spread model for this pest. This model will simulate the reproduction, dispersal, and establishment of corn earworm over time to explore changes in population cycles due to both abiotic and biotic factors.
• Geospatial Computation and A.I. — Developing novel and scalable AI, computer vision, and deep learning techniques for monitoring and mapping natural resources using multi-sensor global earth observations.

• Land Change Modeling –– Join the Urban Systems Lab to model urban growth, future flood hazard and human adaptive response to flooding, with a focus on scenario-based land change modeling that considers human-flood interactions.
• Ecological Impact of Oyster Restoration –– Students who have been historically underrepresented in the sciences (must be U.S. citizens/permanent residents) are invited to participate in research related to a large oyster restoration program. Potential projects include population modeling, benthic habitat studies and the use of active and passive underwater acoustic data to monitor marine species.
• Atmospheric Chemistry Modeling –– Join the Qu Lab to develop a research project applying satellite remote sensing observations, atmospheric chemistry models and data assimilation and machine learning methods to estimate the sources and evolution of air pollutants and greenhouse gasses. The student can also be involved with analyzing environmental justice and regulation implications using the results.
• Spatial Social Network Analysis for Disaster Recovery –– Join the Location Matters Lab as part of a research group focused on understanding environmental and disaster recovery policy implementation through social science frameworks. The student will be actively involved in collaborations with communities recovering from disaster and nonprofit and government organizations supporting social and ecological resilience.
• Invasive Species Modeling –– Join the Biological Invasions Lab to mode invasive species spread and early detection using remote sensing and machine learning, with a focus on invasive pest and pathogen modeling using process-based models with machine learning or remote sensing with deep learning for early detection of pest and disease symptoms using high-resolution remote and aerial imagery.
• Geospatial Analytics for Natural Resource Challenges –– Join the Land Change Lab as part of a research group to study conservation and natural resource management in parks and protected areas, including modeling fire and ecosystem processes at landscape levels, studying the impacts of development along park boundaries and building GIS support systems for the National Park Service.
• Global Change and Forest Hydroecology –– Join the Watershed Ecology Lab as part of a research group focused on the dynamics of forest hydrologic cycling, from the stem to space, including field research, remote sensing and forest dynamics modeling. The student will be actively involved in collaborations with the US Forest Service.
• Urban Conservation Biology –– Join the Youngsteadt Urban Ecology Lab to examine effects of urbanization and climate change on the crystal skipper butterfly. Field work is an important component of this position.

• Climate Change, Carbon, and Phenology –– Join the Spatial Ecosystem Analytics Lab as part of a multi-institutional team investigating changes in vegetation phenology, the impact of those changes on carbon fluxes, and the effect of drought on ecosystems.
• Aquatic Biogeochemistry and Geospatial Modeling –– Join the Osburn Lab as part of an interdisciplinary and multi-institutional team working to characterize natural and anthropogenic sources and distributions of dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) in coastal watersheds. The position will be a combination of laboratory and computation activities; limited opportunities for field work are possible.
• Engaging Stakeholders in Flood Resilience Planning through Landscape Forecasting and Interactive Decision Analytics –– Join the Landscape Dynamics Lab to collaborate with an interdisciplinary team to co-envision an open source web based platform for stakeholder engagement and development of flood adaptation strategies. This platform will integrate scientific models to facilitate multi-way communication among stakeholders, decision-makers, and the research team.
• Modeling Phosphorus Flows in Agricultural Landscapes –– Join the Biosystems Analytics Lab (Biological and Agricultural Engineering) and Obenour Lab (Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering) to join a project funded through the NSF STEPS Center at NC State.
• Human Exposure to Air Pollution –– Join the Richmond-Bryant Lab to perform research through the Louisiana State University Superfund Research Program on Environmentally Persistent Free Radicals. The student will be part of an interdisciplinary and multi-institutional team working to characterize human exposure to air pollution emitted by an open-burn-open detonation hazardous waste facility (the only commercially permitted one of its kind in the U.S.) in a community with intersecting vulnerabilities.

• Surface Water and Flooding Dynamics with Multi-sensor Time-series of Satellite imagery –– Join the Geospatial Analysis for Environmental Change Lab to answer questions pertaining to flooding and surface water dynamics through innovative use of remotely sensed imagery as part of interdisciplinary and multi-institutional team funded by NASA.
• Building Capacity for Improved Citizen Science by Understanding the Racial-Spatial Bias in Environmental Data –– Join the Cooper Public Science Lab to explore multiple dimensions in the design and implementation of citizen science programs to address environmental injustices and public health challenges.
• Large Scale Change Monitoring from Multisource Imagery –– Join the Spatial Ecosystem Analytics Lab to answer questions of broad significance through innovative use of remotely sensed imagery as part of an interdisciplinary and multi-institutional team building a system to monitor and characterize change over huge spatial scales using heterogeneous satellite imagery.
• Hydro-Ecology and Forest Management for Global Change (two positions) –– Be part of collaborative project led by four faculty from the Center for Geospatial Analytics and Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources to study climate adaptive management for forest ecosystem services.
• Analytics for Sustainable Agriculture –– Join the Biosystems Analytics Lab to leverage remotely sensed and in situ data to develop predictive and explanatory models for use in sustainable environmental and agricultural management.
• Landscape Transformations –– Join the Dynamic Ecosystems and Landscapes Lab to research anthropogenic change and landscape transformations to improve landscape policy and management decisions.
• Inequities in Built Environments & Active Living –– Join the C-WHERE lab to explore spatial energetics (space, place, human movement, physical activity) and how built environments influence active living, with a focus on righting inequities and bringing power to data.
• Modeling the Spread of Infectious Swine Disease –– Join the Machado Lab to develop forecast models of swine diseases, focusing on the epidemiology of transboundary animal diseases, integrating approaches such as traditional spatiotemporal statistics for mapping disease spread and forecasting disease emergence in animal and human populations.

• Carbon Cycles and Environmental Justice Policy –– Join the Ecohydrology and Watershed Science Laboratory to assess impacts of climate change and land use change on terrestrial water and carbon cycles and/or evaluating datasets and methodologies used for environmental justice policy.
• Modeling the Spread of Invasive Species –– Join the Biological Invasions Lab join a research group focused on interactive near-term forecasting of landscape and environmental change, with emphasis on collaborating with stakeholders to explore what may happen in the future under different scenarios.
• Remote Sensing of Geologic Hazards –– Join the Earth Surface Processes Lab to join a team of geoscientists combining field-based studies with geospatial analysis and modeling.

• Landscape Connectivity Dynamics in Surface Water Networks — Join the Geospatial Analysis for Environmental Change Lab to investigate climate and land-use change effects on landscape connectivity dynamics.
• Seasonality from Space — Join the Spatial Ecosystem Analytics Lab on a NASA-funded project investigating satellite data fusion and time series analysis.
• Winter Weather — Join the Environment Analytics group to study the complex interactions within snow storms and wintery mix storms.
• Modeling Forest and Water Resources under Changing Conditions — Join the Watershed Ecology lab group and combine various data sources to create projections of future landscape conditions.
• Modeling Agricultural and Water Resource Dynamics — Join the Biosystems Analytics Lab to study the effects of global and local change on fresh and estuarine water quality, land-sea connectivity and agroecosystem productivity.
• Surface Water Dynamics from Space — Join the Geospatial Analysis for Environmental Change Lab to investigate hydroclimatic drivers of surface water extent dynamics and advance quantification of water extent and volume.
• Remote Sensing Forest Gap Dynamics — Join the Applied Remote Sensing and Analysis lab group to examine the role and influence of forest gaps in relation to localized large-scale disturbances.

• Exploring Urban Planning Scenarios — Join a geovisualization research group focused on developing interactive online 3D visualization systems for innovative public engagement and urban planning in the Research Triangle Region of NC.
• Natural Resource Management and Ecosystem Services — Focus on geospatial analytics for fire and natural resource management in national parks and protected areas, including modeling fire and ecosystem processes at landscape levels, forecasting development along park boundaries, and building decision support systems.
• Sustainability Solutions with Land Change Science — Join an interdisciplinary team investigating the dynamics of urbanization and landscape change in the Southeast US through land-change modeling in collaboration with the US Geological Survey.
• Outdoor Recreation Decision Support Systems — Join a research group focused on built environments and active living, and contribute to developing new decision support analytics for the Conservation and Outdoor Recreation Branch of the National Park Service.
• Smart and Connected Communities — Join a team designing a publicly available, multi-user, online serious game called TomorrowNow to engage citizens and decision makers in developing collaborative scenarios of urbanization and stormwater management, as part of a new grant from the NSF Smart and Connected Communities program.
• Biological Invasions and Plant Health — Join the Spatial Analytic Framework for Advanced Information Systems (SAFARIS) team to develop spatial models and techniques to forecast movement of invasive pests and pathogens affecting food security and natural ecosystems.
• Participatory Video and Engaged Environmental Justice — Use participatory mapping and video methods to understand how communities address resource inequities in disaster recovery plans, as part of a larger research project focused on long-term recovery from Hurricane Matthew in NC.
• Geospatial Social Networks of Environmental Governance — Examine changes in watershed governance following disasters with spatially-explicit social networks in order to understand how and why environmental governance transitions occur.
• Seasonality from Space — Join a NASA-funded research project to generate moderate resolution land surface phenology from Landsat and Sentinel data fusion. Learn more.
• Innovation in Local Government — Join a team developing solutions through geospatial visualizations and analytics for internal and external stakeholders of local government in partnership with Wake County, North Carolina.