Research Project Scientist/Engineer

Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety - IBHS • Full-time • Richburg, SC, US • 1m ago

Position Summary

The Research Project Scientist/Engineer is an early-career position responsible for supporting IBHS research into how wildfire exposures affect homes, businesses, and communities. Working with IBHS researchers and Research Center teams, this position helps plan and conduct laboratory and field research focused on structure ignition, fire spread, building materials, and practical wildfire mitigation strategies.

Primary Responsibilities

Support the planning and execution of laboratory, full-scale, and field research projects
Conduct experiments involving wildfire exposures such as wind-blown embers, radiant heat, and direct flame contact
Assist with developing research scopes, test plans, experimental procedures, schedules, and technical documentation
Coordinate with laboratory, instrumentation, construction, and safety teams to prepare and conduct testing
Collect, organize, analyze, and quality-check experimental and field data
Use programming, statistical, or data-visualization tools to analyze research findings
Participate in field studies and post-wildfire investigations
Prepare technical reports, presentations, figures, and research summaries
Support the translation of research findings into practical wildfire-resilience guidance
Follow all research, laboratory, and safety requirements

Requirements

Master's degree in fire protection engineering, mechanical engineering, civil engineering, structural engineering, materials science, forestry, atmospheric science, or a closely related field required
Graduate research and/or 1-2 years of hands-on experimental research required
Proficiency with at least one analytical tool, such as Python, MATLAB, R, LabVIEW, GIS, or C++, required
Eligible to work in the United States required
Graduate research involving wildfire, fire science, building performance, experimental testing, heat transfer, combustion, or data analysis preferred
Experience with instrumentation and sensor-based testing is a plus
Experience with experimental design, statistical analysis, data visualization, and QA/QC of research data is a plus

Benefits