Senior Applied Scientist, Geospatial
South Park Commons is a community and early-stage venture firm that helps talented founders and technologists move from an idea (-1) to a company (0). It runs a no-cost, no-equity residency program for ideation and exploration, and provides $1M to $10M in funding for founders ready to build venture-scale companies.
About South Park Commons
South Park Commons operates a talent-dense community of technical founders, researchers, and domain experts who test ideas, find collaborators, and build conviction on what to build and how to build it. Its offering spans two stages: a six-month Residency with no cost or equity focused on ideation and exploration, and Funding of $1M to $10M for members ready to build venture-scale companies. Beyond capital, SPC provides learning forums on frontier topics (embodied AI, reinforcement learning, energy-efficient computing, AI in biotech), live programming with industry leaders, partner collaboration from a team of former founders and operators, social scaffolding to counter the isolation of early company building, and up to $1M in credits and perks from partners like Anthropic, OpenAI, Microsoft, GCP, and AWS. SPC has spaces in San Francisco, New York, and Bengaluru, and its community has produced companies such as Render, Luma Labs, Pilot, Comun, Anthropic, Unit21, and Profound.
Skills
About the Role
You will bridge the gap between scientific first principles and market-ready data products in this high-impact zero-to-one role. You'll act as the scientific engine and creative force exploring new applications of electro-optical and infrared geospatial imagery data, developing prototype products, and engaging directly with customers to discover the missions of tomorrow. You will hypothesize and validate how unique EO/IR geospatial imagery datasets can solve critical challenges for defense, intelligence, and commercial end-users.
Requirements
- B.S., M.S., or Ph.D. in Physics, Remote Sensing, Earth Science, Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical/scientific field
- 5+ years of experience in geospatial research, analysis, and imagery data product development
- Strong foundation in scientific first principles, including geospatial imagery analysis, spectral science, optical systems, and physics-based remote sensing
- Background in infrared, multispectral, hyperspectral, or similar remote sensing phenomenologies
- Demonstrated proficiency in programming (e.g., Python, MATLAB, Julia) for advanced image processing and geospatial analysis
- Proven experience working directly with geospatial tools and manipulating raw, pixel-level data
- Strategic and creative mindset with the ability to reason through novel, ambiguous problems without established cookbooks
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to distill complex scientific concepts for diverse audiences
- Strong collaborative skills for working across disciplines like data engineering, satellite operations, and mission architecture
- Active security clearance or a willingness to obtain one for national security mission support
Responsibilities
- Conduct first-principles scientific and technical analysis to formulate hypotheses for remote sensing electro-optical and infrared imagery data applications and novel use cases
- Perform feasibility studies, literature reviews, and trade studies to support development of early-stage mission and data concepts
- Analyze and manipulate pixel-level geospatial and spectral datasets to extract unique insights and validate new mission concepts
- Develop and generate prototype electro-optical and infrared imagery products and sample intelligence products that demonstrate unique capabilities of Muon's systems
- Support customer discovery and engagement efforts, translating operational pain points and needs into technical requirements and derived data solutions
- Collaborate cross-functionally with product management, business development, and engineering teams to identify and develop new markets, products, and technologies
- Support creation of technical proposals and white papers that articulate the differentiation and mission utility of Muon's offerings
Benefits
- Equity compensation
- Medical insurance
- Dental insurance
- Vision insurance
- 401k retirement plan
- Short & long term disability insurance
- Life insurance
- Three weeks paid vacation for new employees
- 12 paid holidays
- Unlimited sick time
- Paid parental leave