Lidar Intern

Title:

Lidar Intern

BELONG. CONNECT. GROW. with KBR.

Around here, we define the future. We are a company of innovators, thinkers, creators, explorers, volunteers, and dreamers. But we all share one goal: to improve the world responsibly and safely by supporting the science that informs decision‑makers and protects Earth.

KBR’s Science and Space division is seeking Lidar Interns to support our Technical Support Services Contract (TSSC) at the United States Geological Survey (USGS) Earth Resources Observation & Science (EROS) Center (http://eros.usgs.gov/) near Sioux Falls, SD (http://www.siouxfalls.org).

The primary focus of this internship is to support and contribute to a field data collection team that gathers and processes terrestrial lidar point cloud data to help develop new and improved surface and canopy fuels models for wildland fire modeling.

Successful candidates will build upon their lidar experience (airborne, spaceborne, or terrestrial) to assist in improving fuels maps, developing new algorithms, and producing forestry metrics or models. Interns must be able to take initiative, contribute creative solutions, and be eager to learn. This role requires quickly becoming familiar with terrestrial lidar scanners and sharing knowledge with the broader project team.

Responsibilities

• Serve as part of a field data collection team, including operation of terrestrial lidar scanners
• Process field‑collected datasets and additional lidar datasets from other platforms
• Troubleshoot issues related to lidar analysis using proprietary tools, open‑source software, or scripting
• Contribute to documentation, operating procedures, technical reports, presentations, and manuscripts

Required Education & Experience

Candidates must meet all requirements below to be considered. Please ensure these are clearly noted on your resume.

• Must have three years of continuous residency in the United States
• Ability to obtain and maintain a national agency check and background investigation after hire for facility access
• Progression toward a Bachelor’s degree in Earth Science, Natural Science, Physical Science, Computer Science, Geography, Landscape Ecology, Forestry, Land Use/Land Cover Science, Hydrology, or Remote Sensing
• Coursework in remote sensing, GIS, or related geospatial sciences

Preferred Education & Experience

• Background in fire science or fire ecology
• Familiarity with lidar datasets
• Experience with raster and vector data processing
• Education, experience, or strong interest in:
  • Fundamentals of remote sensing and geospatial data
  • Spatial analysis for research questions
  • Geospatial software (ERDAS, ArcGIS, QGIS)
  • R or Python for GIS or data processing
  • Writing technical documentation, reports, or research papers

Work Location & Internship Duration

This position directly supports a field data collection team using state‑of‑the‑art terrestrial lidar systems. On‑site work is strongly preferred. Some travel may be required for field campaigns.

• Flexible schedule between 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday–Friday (fieldwork may require deviations)
• Internship runs May–August (start/end dates flexible)
• Full‑time or part‑time options available
• Potential to continue part‑time during the school year

Note: Three years of continuous U.S. residency is required.
Equivalent education and experience may be considered.

KBR Benefits​

KBR offers a selection of competitive lifestyle benefits which could include 401K plan with company match, medical, dental, vision, life insurance, AD&D, flexible spending account, disability, paid time off, or flexible work schedule.  We support career advancement through professional training and development.​

Click here to learn more:  KBR Benefits

KBR partners with several other companies to fulfill its requirements as a government contractor. The selected subcontracting companies align their benefits as closely as possible to those above.

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Belong, Connect and Grow at KBR

At KBR, we are passionate about our people and our Zero Harm culture.  These inform all that we do and are at the heart of our commitment to, and ongoing journey toward being a People First company.  That commitment is central to our team of team’s philosophy and fosters an environment where everyone can Belong, Connect and Grow. We Deliver – Together. 

KBR is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, veteran status, genetic information, union status and/or beliefs, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.