About the role#
The Rainmaker Radar Science Fellowship is a paid, full-time research appointment for undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and recent graduates. Fellows join the radar-science group to work on scoped projects aligned with current research priorities. You will take responsibility for a concrete workstream and contribute to ongoing analysis, scientific review, and operational support while working alongside experienced researchers.
What you'll do#
- Build quality-controlled radar datasets aligned with aircraft, UAS, satellite, model, surface, and operational observations.
- Implement and validate methods for radar-processing, feature-extraction, and statistical-analysis.
- Develop honest baselines and quantify uncertainty, false detections, and failure modes in results.
- Create case visualizations and scientific analyses for inspection by domain experts.
- Produce clear, reusable code and documentation.
- Present findings to radar scientists, meteorologists, and technical leadership.
- Deliver a final artifact such as a validated dataset, case atlas, tracking system, or analysis protocol.
What you'll need#
- Current enrollment or recent graduation from an undergraduate, master's, or PhD program, or postdoctoral status.
- Strong quantitative and programming ability, with a preference for Python.
- Experience in radar meteorology, atmospheric science, signal processing, or remote sensing.
- Ability to formulate a scientific question, implement an analysis, and validate the result.
- Clear written and verbal communication skills.
- Relevant academic backgrounds include Physics, Environmental Engineering, Computer Science, Data Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Chemical Engineering, or Aerospace Engineering.
Location & details#
- This is a full-time, on-site role based in El Segundo, California.
- The appointment duration is typically four months, ranging from three to six months.
- Applications are accepted on a rolling basis with project-specific start dates.
- Compensation is $8,000 per month.
- Benefits include full health coverage (medical, dental, and vision), daily lunch in-office, and free EV charging at headquarters.
