*Applications will be reviewed on a rolling-basis.

USDA Forest Service Office/Lab and Location: A fellowship opportunity is available with the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service (FS) within the Pacific Southwest Research Station (PSWRS) located in Hilo, Hawaii.

At the heart of the USDA Forest Service's mission is their purpose. Everything they do is intended to help sustain forests and grasslands for present and future generations. Why? Because their stewardship work supports nature in sustaining life. This is the purpose that drives the agency’s mission and motivates their work across the agency. It’s been there from the agency’s very beginning, and it still drives them. To advance the mission and serve their purpose, the USDA Forest Service balances the short and long-term needs of people and nature by: working in collaboration with communities and our partners; providing access to resources and experiences that promote economic, ecological, and social vitality; connecting people to the land and one another; and delivering world-class science, technology and land management.

Research Project: Joining a team of landscape and fire ecologists to learn about and support geospatial analysis of fire mitigation implementation in the highly fire prone lands of Kona and Kohala on Hawaii Island. This learning opportunity will include synthesizing information on various mitigation methods (e.g., shaded fuel breaks, fuel reduction treatments, post-fire restoration), developing cost scenarios based on the best available information, and configuring these mitigation approaches onto Kona and Kohala districts in ways that maximize benefits on assets (e.g., infrastructure including homes, hospitals, utilities, other public buildings; ecologically important areas; plant and animal species of concern) for various funding levels. These analyses will be integrated into a decision support tool that will also consider fire exposure risk, erosion, nearshore coral health, and health and human safety. This learning opportunity will involve mentorship into how to construct complex landscape scale analyses associated with mitigating fire danger in fire prone landscapes of Kona and Kohala. 

Learning Objectives: We anticipate that ORISE participant will learn how to conceptualize decision support systems, including agency focused fire management systems. 

• Learn geospatial analysis of fire mitigation in the fire-prone landscapes of Kona and Kohala.
• Learn to synthesize information on fire mitigation methods and develop cost scenarios.
• Learn to design mitigation strategies to maximize benefits to infrastructure, ecosystems, and species of concern under different funding levels.
• Learn to integrate analyses into a decision support tool addressing fire risk, erosion, coral health, and human safety.

Mentor: The mentor for this opportunity is Christian Giardina (christian.p.giardina@usda.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research, please contact the mentor.

Anticipated Appointment Start Date: March 2026.  Start date is flexible and will depend on a variety of factors.

Appointment Length: The appointment will initially be for six months but may be extended upon recommendation of USDA Forest Service and is contingent on the availability of funds.

Level of Participation: The appointment is part time.

Participant Stipend: The participant will receive a monthly stipend commensurate with educational level and experience. The anticipated stipend range is $953 - $996 monthly.

Citizenship Requirements: This opportunity is available to U.S. citizens, Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR), and foreign nationals. Non-U.S. citizen applicants should refer to the Guidelines for Non-U.S. Citizens Details page of the program website for information about the valid immigration statuses that are acceptable for program participation. Foreign national candidates may have a mandatory in-person requirement depending on visa status.

ORISE Information: This program, administered by ORAU through its contract with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to manage the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), was established through an interagency agreement between DOE and USDA Forest Service. Participants do not become employees of USDA, USDA Forest Service, DOE or the program administrator, and there are no employment-related benefits. Proof of health insurance is required for participation in this program. Health insurance can be obtained through ORISE.

Questions: Please visit our Program Website. After reading, if you have additional questions about the application process please email ORISE.USFS.PSWRS@orau.org and include the reference code for this opportunity.

Qualifications

The qualified candidate should be currently pursuing a bachelor's degree in the one of the relevant fields anticipated to be received by May 31, 2027.

Preferred skills: 

• Experience with fire management, landscape ecology, programming (e.g., R or Python)
• Experience being in Hawaii.