USGS is looking for help with their National Seismic Hazard Model (NSHM) and they’re willing to offer pay starting at $109,107/year to those that can join their team. USGS is currently working on their updated hazard model for the Continental U.S. which was last done in 2018; they plan to have the update ready sometime later this year.
The 2023 NSHM will include recently updated ground motion models for subduction-zone faults (present in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska) as part of its updated national hazard assessment. The Hawaii portion of the NSHM has already been updated to reflect, in part, a swath of new earthquakes related to volcanic eruptions that have changed the way scientists understand ground shaking on the Island of Hawai‘i. The 2023 update for the Lower 48 states will also focus on better characterizing shaking within sedimentary basins, large geological depressions generally filled with soft sediments down to deep bedrock, where major urban areas are often centered. New studies in southern and central California, Seattle, Portland, Reno, and Las Vegas will be performed to determine if these basin regions need special treatment within the NSHM.
Currently, USGS has job postings for three key roles for this endeavor: Research Geophysicist in Golden, Colorado, Research Civil Engineer in Golden, Colorado, and a Research Geophysicist role in various other locations. The pay range for all of these roles is $109,107 – $141,836, although slightly higher salaries are possible in some areas where cost of living increases are needed.
The Research Geophysicist within the Geologic Hazards Science Center have several responsibilities. Responsibilities for the role include working on the lead earthquake rupture forecast (ERF) research and model integration for use in various Earthquake Hazards Program flagship products, conducting research in the general field of earthquake forecasting with principal emphasis on improving seismic hazard and risk assessments, focus on the design, construction, and testing of system-level ERF models, and planning and organizing community workshops where consensus on the best available science is defined.
The Civil Engineer job opening has similar job duties. The Civil Engineer will conduct research in the general field of earthquake engineering with principal emphasis on strategies to reduce the seismic risks to the built environment (i.e. via building codes), conduct research aimed toward structural and/or geotechnical responses to earthquakes in order to improve the behavior of structures and reduce induced losses, conduct research that advances seismic hazard and risk assessment methods;, and actively engage with external earthquakes engineers and represent the USGS on questions of seismic hazard and risk.
The job openings, posted here, are open through May 5.
