Senior Hydrologist (Evapotranspiration)
Technical Consulting
WELL Labs is seeking a Senior Hydrologist (Evapotranspiration) to lead the development and validation of evapotranspiration (ET) and soil moisture products tailored for India’s diverse agro-climatic and land-use contexts.
Position Overview
Job Location: Bengaluru (hybrid)
Type of Engagement: Consultant
About the Role: This role will involve synthesising global best practices in remote sensing-based ET modeling, maintaining ground-based flux tower data, coordinating collection of soil moisture data, generating and comparing ET estimates, and refining models to address India-specific conditions. The ideal candidate will have deep expertise in ET modeling, proven experience working with flux tower data, a strong command of geospatial analysis tools, and a track record of publishing on ET research. This is a high-ownership role where the candidate will contribute to product development, applied research, and proposal writing to support a new generation of hydrological monitoring tools.
Responsibilities
- Review and synthesise remote sensing approaches to estimate ET and soil moisture from global open-source literature and platforms like OpenET.
- Generate remote-sensing ET and soil moisture data for India using state-of-the art approaches and satellite imagery.
- Collect and manage ET and soil moisture data from WELL Labs’ eddy covariance station in Raichur and other publicly available flux tower data in India.
- Design and implement robust validation exercises for selected remote sensing-based ET models.
- Conduct inter-comparison studies of multiple ET products specific to Indian landscapes and cropping patterns.
- Perform technical analyses to evaluate model performance and understand issues like cloud cover, crop diversity, and small parcel heterogeneity.
- Develop workflows and scripts on Google Earth Engine and other remote sensing platforms for ET and soil moisture modeling.
- Design and execute a pilot study to validate and recommend the best-performing ET and soil moisture products for select agro-climatic zones.
- Author high-quality technical reports and scientific manuscripts detailing findings, methods, and recommendations.
- Collaborate with other hydrologists and external researchers to guide product development.
- Lead the writing of research proposals and grant applications for expanded work on ET monitoring and modeling.
Qualifications, Experience and Eligibility
- PhD in Hydrology, Remote Sensing, Environmental Science, or related field, ideally focussed on evapotranspiration modeling, soil moisture estimation, and flux tower data analysis.
- Minimum of 5 years of experience in the water sector, with a proven track record in project management and stakeholder engagement (PhD work would account for 3 years of work experience).
- Demonstrated experience working directly with ET and soil moisture data—both data collection and interpretation.
- Proficiency in Google Earth Engine (GEE) and associated remote sensing and GIS tools.
- Proven track record of publishing scientific work related to ET or remote sensing hydrology.
- Ability to synthesise complex information and communicate it clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences, including domestic and international partners.
- Strong project management skills, with the ability to work independently and in cross-functional teams.
- High level of ownership, accountability, and attention to detail in all phases of research and product development.
- Ability to thrive in a dynamic and fast-paced environment, with a passion for driving impactful change in water management practices.
What We Offer
The salary will be commensurate with the qualifications and experience.
We review applications on a rolling basis. The position will remain open till a suitable candidate is found.
Our recruitment and employment policies are inclusive. We respect both the spirit and letter of the laws of equal employment opportunity.