Post-Doctoral Associate

Job Description Summary

POSITION SUMMARY

The Department of Geographical Sciences at the University of Maryland, College Park, in partnership with NASA Harvest, is seeking a Postdoctoral Associate to contribute to research at The intersection of satellite remote sensing, crop modeling, machine learning, and food security. The position is housed within the yield modeling group at NASA Harvest and will support projects focused on agricultural monitoring, crop yield forecasting, and the development of scalable, AI-enabled geospatial data systems for Sub-Saharan Africa and other food-insecure regions.

POSITION OVERVIEW

The successful candidate will work under the supervision of Dr. Ritvik Sahajpal and collaborate with an international network of partners, including FAO, Microsoft AI for Good, GEOGLAM, and other NASA Harvest Consortium members. The role offers an opportunity to contribute to high-impact, operational systems that directly support national governments, international organizations, and development partners in making evidence-based agricultural and food security decisions.

• Develop and improve machine learning and deep learning models for crop yield forecasting and agricultural monitoring at subnational to national scales.
• Integrate process-based crop simulation models (e.g., EPIC, DSSAT, APSIM) with data-driven approaches, including knowledge-guided machine learning (KGML) frameworks.
• Process, analyze, and extract features from multi-source satellite remote sensing data (optical, SAR, thermal) using cloud computing platforms such as Google Earth Engine.
• Contribute to the design and implementation of scalable, operational geospatial data pipelines for agricultural information systems.
• Collaborate with international partners to validate models against ground truth and official agricultural statistics across multiple countries.
• Publish findings in peer-reviewed journals and present results at scientific conferences and to stakeholders in government and international organizations.
• Mentor and support graduate and undergraduate research assistants as needed.
• Support and deliver training at workshops for partners, stakeholders, and capacity-building events.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Ph.D. in remote sensing, geospatial science, agricultural engineering, computer science, environmental science, or a closely related field.
• Strong programming skills in Python, with demonstrated experience building scientific computing workflows and data pipelines.
• Demonstrated expertise in machine learning or deep learning applied to geospatial or agricultural problems (e.

g., crop classification, yield prediction, anomaly detection).

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience with or strong interest in process-based crop simulation models and their integration with ML/AI approaches.
• Ability to work with large geospatial datasets and cloud computing platforms (Google Earth Engine, or similar).
• Strong written and oral communication skills, including experience with scientific publications.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively within a multidisciplinary, international research team.
• Experience with satellite remote sensing data processing and analysis (e.

g. Sentinel-2, Landsat, MODIS/VIIRS, SAR).

LICENSES/ CERTIFICATIONS

N/A

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

N/A Additional Job Details Required Application Materials:

1. A cover letter describing research interests, relevant experience, and how your skills complement the position requirements. 2. A current curriculum vitae (CV) including a list of publications. 3. Contact information for three professional references (references will only be contacted if you are shortlisted for an interview). Applications should be submitted via the University of Maryland eTerp system. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. For questions, please contact Dr. Ritvik Sahajpal at ritvik@umd.edu.

Best Consideration Date:

May 22, 2026

Open Until Filled:

Yes Salary Range:

$85,000 - $95,000

• Commensurate with experience Financial Disclosure Required No For more information on Financial Disclosure, please visit Maryland's State Ethics Commission website.

Department BSOS-Geography Worker Sub-Type Faculty Regular Salary Range $85,000 - $95,000 Benefits Summary For more information on Regular Faculty benefits, select this link. Background Checks Offers of employment are contingent on completion of a background check. Information reported by the background check will not automatically disqualify anyone from employment. Before any adverse decision, the finalist will have an opportunity to provide information to the University regarding disclosable background check information. The University reserves the right to rescind the offer of employment or otherwise decline or terminate employment if the information reported by the background check is deemed incompatible with the position, regardless of when the background check is completed. Employment Eligibility The successful candidate must complete employment eligibility verification (on Form I-9) by presenting documents that establish identity and work authorization within the timeframe required by federal immigration law, and where applicable, to demonstrate renewed employment authorization. Failure to complete employment eligibility verification or reverification within the timeframe set forth by law may result in suspension or termination of employment. EEO Statement The University of Maryland, College Park is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment. Please read the University's Equal Employment Opportunity Statement of Policy. Title IX Non-Discrimination Notice Resources Learn how military skills translate to civilian opportunities with O

• Net Online Search Firm Managed Recruitment There are some positions that are not advertised on this career site as the search is being managed by a Search Firm.

Please visit the link below to see these available opportunities: Search Firm Managed Vacancies The University of Maryland, College Park is the state's flagship university and one of the nation's preeminent public research universities. A global leader in research, entrepreneurship and innovation, the university is home to more than 40,700 students, 14,000 faculty and staff, and 388,000 alumni all dedicated to the pursuit of Fearless Ideas. Located just outside Washington, D.C., we discover and share new knowledge every day through our renowned research enterprise and programs in academics, the arts and athletics. And we are committed to social entrepreneurship as the nation's first "Do Good" campus. EEO Statement The University of Maryland, College Park is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment. Please read the University's Equal Employment Opportunity Statement of Policy. Title IX Non-Discrimination Notice Resources Learn how military skills translate to civilian opportunities with O

• Net Online The University works hard to make its websites accessible to any and all users.

If you need assistance completing the application process, please contact us at one of the below options:

Email:

jobs@umd.edu

Phone:

301.405.7575

Maryland Relay:

Dial 711 This contact information cannot be used to inquire about application status. There are some positions that are not advertised on this career site as the search is being managed by a Search Firm. Please visit the link below to see these available opportunities: Search Firm Managed Opportunities