The Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) invites proposals for innovative post-doctoral research with applications for the remote sensing of atmosphere-ocean systems. 

Topics of particular interest include, but are not limited to: radiative transfer in coupled atmosphere-ocean systems, light interaction with suspended particles, sensing of atmospheric aerosols/trace gases/turbulence, atmospheric correction, sea surface characterization, low-light sensing and calibration, event-based sensing approaches, and high solar zenith angle atmospheric modeling.  Proposals which exploit hyperspectral, polarimetric, and/or event-based information are encouraged.  

Applicants will have access to a wide variety of cutting edge sensing and computing resources, including hyperspectral imaging systems, spectrometers, polarimeters, in-water optical sensor packages, optics labs, and calibration facilities.

The selected applicant is expected to be proficient in the analysis of scientific data, have the ability to draw sound conclusions from remote sensing data, and be comfortable with computer programming in languages such as Julia (preferred) or Python/MATLAB, and version control tools like git.  Familiarity with Fortran and hardware development is a plus.

1. Foster, R., Gray, D., Bowles, J., Korwan, D., Slutsker, I., Sorokin, M., Roche, M., Smith, A., & Pezzaniti, L. (2020). Mantis: an all-sky visible-to-near-infrared hyper-angular spectropolarimeter. Applied Optics, 59(20), 5896–5909. https://doi.org/10.1364/AO.393822
2. Kyba, C. C. M., Ruhtz, T., Fischer, J., & Hölker, F. (2011). Lunar skylight polarization signal polluted by urban lighting. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 116(D24). https://doi.org/10.1029/2011JD016698
3. Foster, R., Grossman, S., Trubac, K., & Twarog, E. (2026). Ice surface roughness and polarized bidirectional reflectance distribution function determination from spectropolarimetry. SPIE Defense + Security, 14041.
4. Blain, C. A., Foster, R., Venkatesulu, E., & El-Habashi, A. (2026). The exploitation of sunglint: polarization and event-based sensing (Vol. 14051). SPIE.

hyperspectral;polarimetry;atmospheric correction;radiative transfer;ocean optics;sea surface;low light sensing;event-based sensing;suspended particles;aerosols;sensors

citizenship

Open to U.S. citizens and permanent residents

level

Open to Postdoctoral applicants

Additional Benefits

relocation

Awardees who reside more than 50 miles from their host laboratory and remain on tenure for at least six months are eligible for paid relocation to within the vicinity of their host laboratory.

health insurance

A group health insurance program is available to awardees and their qualifying dependents in the United States.