FA26-047: Research Faculty Fellow at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville – Edwardsville, Illinois

The Geospatial Mapping, Applications, and Research Center (GeoMARC) seeks a Research Faculty Fellow to contribute specialized expertise in environmental research, geospatial analysis, and emerging technologies. This position supports ongoing externally funded projects with the United States Department of Agriculture and the Electric Power Research Institute. The successful candidate will integrate fieldwork, remote sensing, and advanced analytical methods to support ecological research and geospatial innovation.

Description of Duties

This position applies advanced geospatial and remote sensing techniques to analyze ecological systems, with a focus on extracting meaningful patterns from complex spatial data. Responsibilities include detailed image interpretation of herbaceous plant species using UAS-derived imagery, as well as clustering and classification of high-resolution, multi-temporal satellite data to support zonal stratification and sampling efforts. The role also involves analyzing ecological datasets using established biodiversity indices, such as the Shannon-Wiener and Bray-Curtis indices, to better understand species distribution and variability.

In addition, the position requires a strong foundation in ecological research, particularly in understanding abiotic and biotic factors influencing herbaceous plant communities, including species such as common milkweed, warm-season grasses, and invasive species like bush honeysuckle and sericea lespedeza. This expertise supports the interpretation of habitat function and plant community dynamics across varied landscapes. The role also contributes to technology development and innovation by designing and implementing geospatial, machine learning, and AI-driven tools—leveraging platforms such as Python and Google Earth Engine—and deploying AI-assisted workflows to improve efficiency and scalability in geospatial data processing and project execution.

Supporting these efforts, the position is responsible for coordinating field data collection and ensuring effective data management practices. This includes conducting and supporting unmanned aircraft data acquisition, overseeing post-processing workflows, and leading field teams engaged in both UAS and ground-based data collection. The role also ensures that project data sets are well-organized, maintained, and accessible, preserving data integrity to support analysis, reporting, and long-term project use.

Terms of Appointment
June 1, 2026-June 30, 2027. Appointment is renewable, continguent upon funding.

Source of Funds
Non-State, external grant funds

• Master’s degree in Geography or a closely related field
• Current FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certification
• At least one (1) year of experience working with USDA Farm Bill/Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) data
• Minimum of three (3) years of ecological field survey experience, including strong knowledge of herbaceous plant species and their environmental interactions
• At least one (1) year of experience identifying plant species using ultra high-resolution imagery (sub-millimeter level)
• Minimum of one (1) year of experience with geospatial and remote sensing tools, including:

1. ArcGIS Pro
2. ERDAS Imagine
3. Google Earth Engine
4. Python scripting

• At least one (1) year of experience developing and applying AI-assisted workflows in geospatial project management and analysis

Interested candidates should submit a letter of application, resume, academic transcripts (unofficial are permissible for application review purposes), and current contact information for three professional references.

Application Deadline

The deadline for applications is May 15, 2026.

SIUE is a state university - benefits under state sponsored plans may not be available to holders of F1 or J1 visas. Applicants will be subject to a background check prior to an offer of employment.

In compliance with the ADA Amendments Acts (ADAAA), if you have a disability and would like to request an accommodation in order to apply for a position with Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, please call 618-650-2190 or email CareerInfo@siue.edu.

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