Atkinson Postdoctoral Science Fellow, Methane

Core responsibilities:

• Compile infrastructure data on methane emission sources from publicly available resources, including government reports, websites, peer-reviewed literature, and Earth observation imagery.
• Analyze, integrate, and visualize geospatial data using appropriate tools, and develop structured geospatial datasets.
• Conduct systematic reviews to identify and synthesize information on methane-emitting activities across multiple sectors.
• Apply data processing and analytical methods, including AI-based approaches where appropriate, to support the identification and mapping of methane-emitting infrastructure.

This role creates positive change by developing comprehensive geospatial datasets of methane emission sources that will advance scientific understanding of regional methane emissions and provide actionable evidence to inform effective methane mitigation policies and regulations, supporting EDF's goals to reduce methane emissions by 75% from oil/gas and 40% from livestock sectors by 2030.

Required qualifications:

• A recent PhD in Atmospheric Science, Computer Science, Geospatial Science, Environmental Science, Earth System Science, Engineering, or a related field.
• Strong experience in Remote Sensing including analyzing and interpreting satellite or aerial imagery, including Earth observation datasets.
• Experience with geospatial data processing and GIS tools (e.g., ArcGIS, QGIS, or equivalent).
• Demonstrated experience applying machine learning and/or computer vision techniques to image-based data, including object detection, image classification, or semantic segmentation.

We offer a strong total rewards package encompassing competitive salary, robust benefits, and professional development opportunities consistent with a modern global organization. The annual salary for this role is $72,000.

The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) ensures that the science that is the backbone for all EDF policy positions is based on the best available information, with the Global Methane Science Team at the forefront of global methane research and mitigation action for over a decade.