Postdoctoral Scholar, Coastal Resilience

Greater Farallones Association
Greater Farallones Association

Full-time

San Francisco, CA, USA

USD 75k-80k / year

Posted on Aug 18, 2026

Application Deadline: September 4, 2026 | Desired start date: September 2026

Greater Farallones Association (GFA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the primary nonprofit partner to NOAA’s Greater Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries. GFA conducts joint research, conservation, and education to support healthy, resilient ecosystems along 210 miles of California’s north-central coast. GFA has 30 staff members and an annual operating budget of approximately $5 million, and is co-located with Sanctuary staff in a historic building on Crissy Field in the Presidio.

Position Overview

GFA seeks a Postdoctoral Scholar in Coastal Resilience to lead the quantitative analysis and modeling of Shifting Shores: Unlocking 30 Years of Long-Term Coastal Data, a new 18-month project funded by the California Ocean Protection Council (OPC) Proposition 68 Advancing 30×30 in Coastal Waters program. The Scholar will work with a large archive of community science-collected imagery and multi-decadal shoreline dataset to quantify past shoreline and dune change and project future coastal behavior under sea-level rise.

This is a hands-on, technically demanding role at the center of an applied research project. The Scholar will analyze a 30-year photographic shoreline archive and apply the CoSMoS-DUNE model (a newly developed extension of the United States Geological Survey’s CoSMoS-COAST shoreline modeling framework that incorporates dune dynamics) to generate site-specific forecasts of beach and dune change. The work involves integrating multiple data sources and translating results into management- relevant insights that directly inform California’s coastal conservation and restoration priorities.

The Scholar will be supervised by Dr. Wendy Kordesch, with technical input and modeling guidance from Dr. Sean Vitousek (USGS), a principal developer of CoSMoS-DUNE. 

The ideal candidate is comfortable working with quantitative datasets and numerical models, and able to clearly explain results to agency partners and interdisciplinary collaborators. The Scholar must take ownership of their work, communicate progress and challenges early, and be comfortable operating in an applied research environment where priorities may shift based on partner needs and timelines.

The position has defined deliverables on an 18-month timeline and requires balancing methodological development and timely, management-relevant outputs.

Project Context

Beach Watch is a 30-year community science shoreline monitoring program co-managed by GFA and Greater Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries. It has produced biweekly photographic and ecological records at 60+ beaches from Mendocino to San Mateo Counties, creating a uniquely long and detailed record of coastal change in California. Approximately 100,000 photographic slides from 1993-2006 remain undigitized. None of the Beach Watch shoreline imagery, including material already digitized, has been systematically analyzed for shoreline or dune change. This type of dataset is rarely available for applied analysis at this scale.

This project will unlock that archive and combine it with existing datasets to quantify shoreline and dune change over time and project future coastal behavior using the CoSMoS-DUNE model. The work involves integrating historical imagery and field observations into a consistent and analysis-ready dataset.

The Scholar will work closely with Point Blue Conservation Science on ecological data integration and will engage with agency and Tribal partners through a multi-stakeholder Technical Advisory Council.

Job Duties

  • Analyze a multi-decadal shoreline image archive to quantify shoreline and dune change across 60+ sites

  • Develop and apply image analysis approaches (including AI-assisted or computer vision approaches) to extract coastal features from historical imagery

  • Run and interpret the CoSMoS-DUNE model to project future beach and dune behavior under sea-level rise scenarios

  • Build and maintain a structured, analysis-ready dataset from digitized imagery and survey records, in coordination with Beach Watch program staff

  • Produce GIS-ready datasets, maps, and technical figures for management and scientific use

  • Present findings to interdisciplinary audiences, including agency partners and stakeholders

Minimum Qualifications

  • PhD in oceanography, coastal or civil engineering, geology, earth science, applied mathematics, computer science, or a related quantitative field (degree must be completed by start date)

  • Background in coastal processes, shoreline dynamics, or climate-related hazards

  • Strong programming skills in Python, including experience working with geospatial and/or image-based datasets

  • Experience with image analysis, computer vision, or machine learning applied to environmental data

  • Demonstrated experience applying and interpreting numerical or process-based models for real-world problems

  • Ability to clearly communicate technical results to non-specialist audiences

  • Proven ability to manage tasks independently and meet project deadlines

Preferred Qualifications 

  • Experience developing or adapting analytical workflows for large, multi-source, or imperfect datasets, including data integration and processing

  • Experience with shoreline analysis tools (e.g., CoastSat) or coastal modeling frameworks (e.g., CoSMoS)

  • Familiarity with historical imagery, photogrammetry, or structure-from-motion methods

Administrative Requirements

  • Pass a mandatory federal background check and defensive driving course 

  • Have a valid driver’s license, proof of automobile insurance, a clean driving record, and access to reliable transportation to and from the office in the Presidio, San Francisco

  • Candidates must hold legal valid authorization to work in the United States without organizational sponsorship now or in the future. GFA is unable to offer work visa sponsorship

Employee Status and Benefits 

This is a full-time, time-delimited, fixed-term position for 18 months, with an estimated start date of September 2026 and thus ending in approximately March 2028. The role is hybrid in schedule with an estimated 4 day per month requirement onsite at 991 Marine Drive on Crissy Field in San Francisco, CA. The majority of the working schedule can be completed remotely. The role also requires an estimated 2 day per month requirement at the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center located in Santa Cruz, CA. For these reasons, the position must be locally based in the Bay Area, or the ability to travel to the Bay Area for these scheduled meetings. The organization will not reimburse out of the area employees to commute to these two locations. Crissy Field headquarters will be considered the primary place of work for all reimbursable travel to other locations.  

The starting FTE salary is $75,000 – $80,000, depending on experience. This position is fully benefitted under GFA’s robust health and wellness benefit package. Greater Farallones Association offers excellent benefits including fully paid Health Insurance, Dental, Vision, Group Term Life Insurance, and the option to participate in a 403(b) retirement plan.

The position will be formally classified as a NOAA Affiliate working to support Greater Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries. Care will be taken to ensure clarity in internal and external communications in referencing the affiliation and in use of logos and email signatures. The position is eligible for holidays, vacation and sick time accruals, as well as many professional development resources provided by both GFA and NOAA.

Application Instructions 

To apply, please send your resume, cover letter, and three references – all in a single PDF – to postdocfellow@farallones.org. Professional references should include immediate supervisors familiar with your work performance and capacity to succeed. Your cover letter (2 pages max) should briefly address the following:

  • A project where you worked with large, multi-source, or imperfect datasets. What was your role, and how did you approach the analysis?

  • Your experience applying or adapting a numerical or process-based model. What decisions did you make, and how did you evaluate the results?

  • An example of how you communicated technical results to a non-technical or mixed audience

  • How you managed timelines or competing priorities in a project with defined deliverables

Please be specific and concise. If available, please include a link to figures or products you have developed. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and accepted through September 4, 2026. 

GFA is committed to providing opportunities to marine scientists from all backgrounds and is an equal-opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age (over 40), pregnancy or family status, protected veteran status, or any other protected status.

Greater Farallones Association is an equal opportunity employer.
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