Applied Scientist

Descartes Labs

Descartes Labs

Remote
Posted on Friday, May 12, 2023
The Company
Descartes Labs helps organizations whose success depends on the scientific analysis of observable, physical world events. We are the leading provider of geospatial analytics that create actionable intelligence by strengthening our customers’ proprietary data with models of the earth. Our solutions create new sources of environmental sustainability and operational advantage and foresight for agriculture, logistics, consumer packaged goods (CPG), mining, and government users by combining machine intelligence and domain expertise into a complete operational solution.
Descartes Labs is proud to be a remote-first, deliberately distributed organization that recognizes that people have different needs and motivations for building a life and career that matters and works for them. For this reason, we are open to our employees working from any location, in a way that enhances their well-being, productivity, and role. We focus on helping our employees produce positive outcomes and we recognize that the path to getting there will look different for different people.
The Role:
With streamlined access to petabytes of science-ready geospatial data and the computing power to go with it, the Applied Science team at Descartes Labs is building a digital twin of the earth. We model our planet by combining sensor data with a mix of physical, statistical, and machine learning modeling approaches.
We’re looking for applied scientists with skills in geospatial modeling in the areas of logistics, agriculture and/or computer vision to apply this data and computing power towards large scale applications targeted at solving the problems our CPG, Mining, and Trading clients face.

Your Impact

  • Assimilate multiple data sets (public and proprietary, geospatial and temporal) to analyze integrated and complex systems such as supply chains, trade flows, large-scale predictive crop production models and industrial operations refinery/mill processes. Use these to generate geospatial and temporal layers and test the use of these layers in predictive modeling.
  • Be proactive and clear in communicating complex models to peers, clients and the community. Help drive innovation within your subject matter expertise and maintain knowledge of recent/cutting-edge developments in the field
  • Strong problem solving skills, with the ability to identify, research, develop, and implement solutions to novel problems
  • This is not a GIS-centric position. Instead, we are seeking research scientists

What You Bring

  • Must be happy to help innovate and take leadership in advancing our portfolio of offerings
  • MS/PhD in a relevant scientific or quantitative field (e.g. physics, operations research, electrical engineering, soil science, geography, or other highly quantitative discipline )
  • Strong work ethic and ability to be accountable to your teammates by frequent, clear communication of progress
  • Demonstrated experience with remote sensing, signal processing, machine learning, graph theory and geospatial data.
  • Proficiency in Optimization techniques and machine learning algorithms and tools
  • Advanced skill with using SAR sensor data, Computer Vision and Image Analysis techniques
  • A strong background in remote sensing with a focus on SAR/InSAR
  • Demonstrated proficiency in using earth observation satellite data from multiple sources and spectral regions.
  • Familiarity with cloud-based and/or distributed computing
  • Proficiency in Python with the ability and willingness to quickly pick up new technical skills

Who You Are

  • Curious. You are always exploring and experimenting, interested in why and how, seeking not only to understand but to make work and the world better. You enthusiastically share your learning with others and actively seek information and knowledge.
  • Conscientious. You are determined, always keep your promises, and are forward thinking. Principled and integrous, you take your commitments seriously.
  • Humble. Unpretentious and self-aware, you cultivate compassion for others and take responsibility for your mistakes. Egoes are barriers to doing the best work and always learning.
  • Open and Inclusive. You are receptive and interested in new ideas and perspectives, even when those perspectives don’t agree with your views. You value and respect difference and create ways for all people to contribute to the organization.
  • Collaborative. You know it takes a team to get anything accomplished and you actively and inclusively work across the organization. You listen intently and openly and are always focused first on creating the best results.
  • Adaptable. You are able to navigate changing circumstances and environments with ease and approach uncertainty with enthusiasm, while inspiring others towards effective goal setting and accomplishment.

Top Reasons to Work at Descartes Labs

  • We pride collaboration over ownership, iteration over perfection, principles over rules, and discussion over directives.
  • We’re using the world’s top technology to solve the world’s largest problems with a strong focus on sustainability, environment, and impact science.
  • We look at Descartes Labs as a work environment where people are included, treat their colleagues with professional regard and respect, and thrive as a result.
  • We strongly encourage and responsibly enjoy a flexible work environment; Free Fridays, unlimited PTO, remote-first.
  • Descartes Labs offers a generous compensation package including a competitive salary; choice of medical plan; dental, life, and disability insurance; paid holidays, unlimited PTO; monthly WFH stipend.
  • We offer parental leave for any team member who becomes a parent through childbirth, adoption or foster care. We offer up to a maximum of 24 weeks paid leave for primary caregivers during a 12 month period or 8 weeks paid leave for secondary caregivers during a 12 month period. Employees will be eligible if they have worked for Descartes Labs for more than 6 months.
You belong here! If your experience and interests match with some of the above, we want you to apply.
We are dedicated to building a diverse community, where employees belong, even if they are different. Scientific discovery is in our DNA, and diversity fuels innovation.