[ES_JOBS_NET] Senior Scientist: Air Quality Modeling, Remote Position in the US

Thu May 28 17:37:32 MDT 2026

*Job Title:** Senior Scientist, I or II (Air Quality Modeling)* PSE Careers
page:
https://pse-healthy-energy.breezy.hr/p/6502b3cb6dfb-senior-scientist-i-or-ii-air-quality-modeling?state=published
*About PSE Healthy Energy*
PSE Healthy Energy is an independent science and policy research institute
dedicated to generating science-based energy and climate solutions that
protect public health and the environment. Our multidisciplinary team of
scientists, engineers, and public health professionals conducts research
and actionable work across five key practice areas: Clean Energy
Transition, Environmental Public Health, Climate, Energy Equity, and Oil
and Gas. We design our research around real-world challenges, proactively
connecting our audiences with actionable, evidence-based information they
can trust.

*Position Overview*
We are seeking a Senior Scientist I or II with deep expertise in chemical
and atmospheric air quality modeling who also excels at people leadership.
This is a distinctive dual-role position: you will serve as a Principal
Investigator leading complex research projects and take on a term Branch
Lead assignment (approximately 20% effort) within the Environmental
Modeling and Engineering (EM&E) Branch.

The Senior Scientist will lead complex research at the intersection of air
quality, environmental public health, and science-to-policy engagement,
overseeing the development of data pipelines, scientific tools, and
products that support data-to-action translation. The role carries
principal investigator accountability on grant-funded projects, supervisory
responsibility for staff across career levels, and active contribution to
fundraising and external engagement, working collaboratively across PSE’s
multidisciplinary staff.

Success in this role means leading impactful projects, building strong
partnerships, and supporting a collaborative, mission-driven team. The
ideal candidate can manage research, develop actionable products and tools,
present findings to communities and regulatory agencies, and help shape new
growth opportunities, while bringing the same intentionality and care to
developing people as they do to advancing science.

A significant dimension of this position is the term Branch Lead assignment
within the growing EM&E Branch. The Branch applies computational modeling,
atmospheric science, environmental engineering, and data-driven analysis to
understand how energy systems, emissions, and policy interventions impact
air quality, climate, and human health. While the Senior Scientist role is
permanent, the Branch Lead role is a renewable annual term assignment that
includes a small additional stipend.Key Responsibilities

Research

   -

   Contribute to developing and advancing a strategic research portfolio in
   air quality, identifying emerging opportunities and supporting high-impact
   workstreams.
   -

   Lead proposal development as technical lead and coordinate competitive
   grant and contract proposals.
   -

   Serve as PI on funded projects, holding accountability for scientific
   scope, budgets, deliverables, and funder reporting.
   -

   Oversee the design, development, and maintenance of scalable scientific
   tools, products, and cloud-based data pipelines on AWS to support research
   production and reproducibility.
   -

   Lead and contribute to peer-reviewed publications, technical reports,
   and rapid-response analyses; communicate findings to policymakers,
   community organizations, agencies, and the media.

People Management & Leadership

   -

   Directly supervise staff through regular check-ins, performance reviews,
   and active mentorship; support hiring and onboarding as the team grows.
   -

   Practice servant leadership by removing obstacles, advocating for staff
   needs, and creating conditions where people feel valued, challenged, and
   supported.
   -

   Hold staff to high standards with care and respect, recognizing that
   accountability and empathy are complementary rather than competing values.

Fundraising & External Engagement

   -

   Lead or co-lead proposals for major grants and contracts and participate
   in funder stewardship.
   -

   Represent PSE externally as a recognized air quality expert through
   publications, media engagement, conference presentations, expert testimony,
   and regulatory advisory processes.
   -

   Build and maintain relationships with state and federal air agencies,
   academic partners, and environmental justice organizations.

Project & Administrative Management

   -

   Manage day-to-day project operations, including budget and timeline
   tracking, deliverable coordination, timesheet approval, expense tracking,
   and funder reporting. Elevate risks and capacity constraints to leadership
   as needed.

Branch Lead

   -

   Serve as primary supervisor for EM&E Branch staff, including lower-level
   supervisors. Lead performance management, goal-setting, feedback,
   evaluation, and professional development with consistency and equity.
   -

   Support staff well-being and retention, ensuring supervisory practices
   reflect PSE’s organizational values.
   -

   Maintain a holistic view of staff capacity across projects, assess
   workload distribution, and advise PIs on feasibility and staffing needs.
   -

   Proactively identify staffing risks (single points of failure, skill
   gaps, over-reliance on individuals) and recommend mitigation strategies.
   -

   Facilitate cross-domain collaboration and remove structural barriers to
   joint work while supporting staff development.
   -

   Apply supervisory judgment independently of project interests and model
   clear role clarity between Branch Lead and PI responsibilities.

Required Qualifications and Skills

Education & Scientific Experience

   -

   Ph.D. in atmospheric science, chemistry, engineering, or a related field
   (or Master’s degree with substantial equivalent experience) and a
   recognized record in air quality science.
   -

      Senior Scientist I: Minimum 3+ years post-doctoral (or equivalent)
      experience.
      -

      Senior Scientist II: Minimum 5+ years post-doctoral (or equivalent)
      experience with demonstrated strategic leadership and independence.
      -

   Record of leading funded research as PI or co-PI, including
   peer-reviewed publications and/or expert testimony.
   -

   Proven experience at the science-policy interface with regulators,
   policymakers, and/or community stakeholders.

Technical Expertise

   -

   Deep expertise in air quality modeling (e.g., CMAQ, CAMx, WRF-Chem,
   GEOS-Chem, InMAP, AERMOD).
   -

   Experience with emissions inventory tools (e.g., SMOKE) and processing
   large environmental datasets.
   -

   Experience building and managing high-performance computing workloads on
   AWS (EC2, S3, ParallelCluster, AMIs).
   -

   Proficiency in Python and/or R for data analysis and workflow
   automation; comfort with Git/GitHub and AI-assisted coding tools.

Leadership, Management & Communication

   -

   Experience supervising staff with a demonstrated ability to support
   performance, development, and well-being.
   -

      Senior Scientist II candidates must have a track record of
      supervising staff across multiple career levels.
      -

   Excellent communication skills and the ability to thrive in a
   collaborative, distributed, remote-first environment.

*Desired Qualifications and Skills*

   - Experience securing competitive research funding from foundations or
   federal agencies (EPA, NIH, DOE).
   - Experience with environmental justice frameworks and community-engaged
   research.
   - Familiarity with health impact assessment methods (e.g., BenMAP) or
   meteorological modeling (WRF).
   - A sense of humor and enthusiasm for impactful, collaborative work.

Don't meet every requirement? Apply anyway.

We do not expect any single candidate to possess all of the qualifications
listed. Research shows that women and candidates from underrepresented
groups are less likely to apply when they don't meet every listed
requirement. If you're excited about this work and believe you could thrive
in this role, please apply even if you can't check every box.
*Location and Work Conditions*
Remote within the United States. Extended or irregular work hours will be
required during project sprints or rollouts. Position requires computer
usage and sitting for extended periods of time, good hand-eye coordination,
arm, hand, and finger dexterity, including ability to grasp, and visual
acuity to use a keyboard, operate equipment and read technical information.
Overall mobility is essential.

*Compensation and Benefits*

   -

   Senior Scientist I: $116,000 – $130,000
   Senior Scientist II: $124,000 – $138,000
   -

   Health Benefits: Comprehensive health, dental,and vision insurance.
   -

   Retirement Plan: 401(k) with employer match
   -

   Flexible spending accounts
   -

   Flexible time off and 15 Paid holidays
   -

   Professional Development: Opportunities for continued education and
   training
   -

   Work-Life Balance: Flexible working hours and remote work options

Because our team works remotely across the country, PSE uses national
market rates to ensure compensation is fair and consistent regardless of
where you live. Salaries are set within established bands that we apply
equitably across all staff.
*To Apply*
Please submit a resume or CV, a cover letter, and provide a response to the
question prompts. Applications received by June 19, 2026 will be given
priority review. Applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis until
the position is filled.

*Equal Opportunity Employer*
PSE Healthy Energy is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity
and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.
We do not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of race, color,
religion, national origin, gender identity and expression, marital status,
sexual orientation, age, disability, veteran status, or any other status
protected under federal, state, or local law.

*E-Verify Notice*
PSE Healthy Energy participates in E-Verify. We will provide the Social
Security Administration, and if necessary, the Department of Homeland
Security, with information from each new employee's Form I-9 to confirm
work authorization.

<https://www.psehealthyenergy.org/>

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