Postdoctoral Associate

University of Colorado Boulder
  • Boulder, CO
  • $85,000–$90,000 Per Year
15 days ago

Job Description

Postdoctoral Associate

Jobs UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO BOULDER

Jobs UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO BOULDER

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Postdoctoral Associate

Requisition Number:

75178

Location:

Boulder, Colorado

City

Boulder

State

Colorado

Employment Type:

Research Faculty

Schedule:

Full-Time

Posting Close Date:

13-Nov-2026

Date Posted:

30-Sep-2026

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Job Summary

Job Summary

The Geospatial and Environmental Machine Learning (GEM) Lab led by Professor Esther Rolf at the University of Colorado Boulder is hiring a postdoctoral researcher to join a multi-institution project on next-generation neural-field representations of Earth observation data-continuous, queryable representations of the planet that are formed from multiple modalities of Earth data, can be updated as new observations arrive and that report calibrated uncertainty over user-specified regions and time ranges. Integrating with recent work on implicit neural representations, the postdoc will help push these ideas toward spatiotemporal, multimodal GeoAI systems that can be queried, updated, and trusted at scale, with validation across environmental monitoring and integration with physical process-based models. In addition to building these new GeoAI systems, the postdoc will focus on fundamentals of model capabilities: measuring scaling laws to understand the importance of pretraining data decisions, and integrating implicit neural representations with physical models for more robust performance.

This position comes with 2 years of guaranteed funding; extensions will be considered in the second year if the candidate desires. The position could start as soon as Fall/Winter 2026, and as late as Spring 2027.

CU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. We are committed to creating a workplace where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity, and we encourage individuals from all backgrounds to apply, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.

Who We Are

Who We Are

Founded in 1970, the Department of Computer Science at CU Boulder is passionate about real-world, interdisciplinary experiences for our students. Our researchers are making advances in computer science today that will change the world tomorrow. Via the Partnership Program, the department is now helping CU to support higher education across the state of Colorado.

What Your Key Responsibilities Will Be

What Your Key Responsibilities Will Be

The postdoctoral researcher will be responsible for leading and implementing research projects on GeoAI, including a) the development of new GeoAI models such as geospatial Implicit Neural Representations (GeoINRs), b) development of scaling laws that capture the influence of the scale and sampling of spatiotemporal datasets on GeoAI model performance. The postdoctoral researcher will be expected to collaborate with and lead team projects, which can include mentoring of PhD students. This position does not have a teaching expectation.

What You Should Know

What You Should Know

The position is funded in part by Taylor Geospatial and is aligned with a larger research objective toward the creation of digital public goods. Over the next two years, this effort has three key elements: hybrid neural fields, detection of features (such as buildings, agricultural fields, and wind turbines), and the creation of benchmarks for the community. The postdoc will be based in Boulder Colorado and advised by Esther Rolf, with regular opportunities to interact and collaborate with a cross-institution team that includes Caleb Robinson (Microsoft AI for Good), Evan Shelhamer, Hamed Alemohammad, Hannah Kerner, Isaac Corley, Konstantin Klemmer, Nathan Jacobs, and Marc Rußwurm.

This is an in-person role on the University of Colorado Boulder campus. Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

What We Can Offer

What We Can Offer

The salary range for this position is $85,000 - $90,000 annually.

Benefits

Benefits

At the University of Colorado Boulder, we are committed to supporting the holistic health and well-being of our employees. Our comprehensive benefits package includes medical, dental, and retirement plans; generous paid time off; tuition assistance for you and your dependents; and an ECO Pass for local transit. As one of Boulder County's largest employers, CU Boulder offers an inspiring academic community and access to world-class outdoor recreation. In fact, CU Boulder has been named one of Forbes' America's Best Large Employers, ranking #4 among large employers in Colorado and #28 among universities nationwide. Explore additional perks and programs through the CU Advantage program.

Be Statements

Be Statements

Be authentic. Be impactful. Be Boulder.

What We Require

What We Require

  • PhD (already completed, or expected to be conferred by start date) in Computer Science or a closely related field.
  • Demonstrated track record of first-author publication(s) at top-tier computer-vision and machine-learning venues such as ICML, NeurIPS, ICLR, CVPR, ICCV, ECCV, and AISTATS.
  • Strong programming skills in Python and hands-on experience with PyTorch or a similar framework.
  • Mathematical maturity in linear algebra, probability, and optimization.
  • Clear written and verbal communication skills.

What You Will Need

What You Will Need

  • We are looking for someone who is able to stay on top of a quickly-evolving field of research, and who is excited to work as a part of a team while still owning their individual components of the research. A successful postdoctoral researcher will pursue questions driven by curiosity and a continuously updated command of related research.

What We Would Like You to Have

What We Would Like You to Have

  • Prior experience with one or more of: implicit/neural-field representations, geospatial or remote-sensing machine learning, large-scale training and inference pipelines, uncertainty quantification, scaling laws in machine learning.
  • Experience releasing research artifacts as open-source software.
  • Experience working in multi-institutional or multi-disciplinary teams.

Special Instructions

Special Instructions

To apply, please submit the following materials:

  • Academic resume/CV.
  • Cover letter which includes a description of your interest in this particular position.
  • Statement on Research Goals outlining research you have already conducted and possible research questions you would like to explore if you are selected for this position (1 page).
  • (Optional) Transcripts/Proof of Degree: If you are selected as the finalist, your degree will be verified by the CU Boulder Campus Human Resources Department using an approved online vendor. However, if your degree was obtained outside of the United States, please submit an English-translated version (if applicable) as an Optional document.

During the application process, you will be asked to provide the names and email addresses for three references who would be willing to provide letters of recommendation on your behalf. We may request these letters directly from your references later in the search process - you will not be asked to provide letters at the time of application.

Please apply by October 30, 2026 for full consideration.

Note: Application materials will not be accepted via email. For consideration, applications must be submitted through CU Boulder Jobs.

In compliance with the Colorado Job Application Fairness Act, in any materials you submit, you may redact or remove age-identifying information such as age, date of birth, or dates of school attendance or graduation. You will not be penalized for redacting or removing this information.

Posting Contact Information

Posting Contact Name: Boulder Campus Human Resources

Posting Contact Email: Recruiting@colorado.edu

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The University of Colorado does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, age, pregnancy, disability, creed, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, veteran status, marital status, political affiliation, or political philosophy. All qualified individuals are encouraged to apply. Click here for a list of ADA and Title IX coordinators. To view the Regent policy, please click here. This organization participates in E-Verify. We will provide the Social Security Administration and, if necessary, the Department of Homeland Security, with information from each employee's I-9 form to confirm work authorization.

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Numbers & Facts

LocationBoulder, CO
Salary$85,000–$90,000 Per Year

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