Senior Data Scientist (Geospatial AI)

Who is Nabat?

Nabat is a climate-tech startup based in the UAE using advanced technology to protect and restore natural ecosystems with precision and scale! We operate at the intersection of ecological & environmental sciences, GIS, AI, and robotics. Our mission is to enable data-driven, science-backed ecosystem management and restoration at the speed and scale necessary to address the critical challenges of climate change, deforestation, land erosion, and biodiversity loss. Our comprehensive solution - consisting of ecosystem management software, precision aerial seeding drones, AI & ecological models, and restoration services - is already being used to plant millions of mangroves in the UAE. But we’re just getting started, as we build our platform to serve the needs of coastal, marine and arid ecosystems around the world.

If this mission resonates with you, let’s talk.

🔹 What is the role?

We’re building our product development team from the ground up and are looking for highly talented, self-driven Senior Data Scientists with proven experience using cutting-edge data science techniques to extract science-backed insights from large, complex geospatial data sets .

📍 Relocation to the UAE is required – generous relocation benefits and visa sponsorship (for the employee and their family) will be provided.

🔹 Your responsibilities will include:

• Act as senior/staff-level individual contributor to own the development of analytical and predictive models for Nabat’s AI-powered ecosystem management platform, using a variety of AI/ML and statistical techniques.

• Research, develop, train, validate, refine and deploy models that use deep domain knowledge to extract user-friendly scientific and ecological insights from geospatial data.

Some of the problems you might be working on using satellite and drone imagery:

▫️ land use/cover classification

▫️ identification of plant native and invasive species

▫️ estimating carbon stock and biodiversity

▫️ modeling and predicting the outcome of different restoration scenarios

▫️ creating optimal flight paths for multi-drone seeding operations

▫️ detecting ecosystems at risk

▫️ measuring plant-level growth metrics

▫️ high-throughput phenotyping, and so on.

• In close collaboration with software and data engineers, design and implement well-architected, scalable, robust, high-performance, AI/ML-powered systems for ingestion, storage, processing, analysis, insight extraction, and visualization of large amounts of geospatial time-series data (geotagged, ultra-high-resolution RGB, multi- and hyper-spectral imagery, KML files, LIDAR point clouds, etc from satellites and drones).

• Communicate and collaborate cross-functionally with product managers, software, hardware and data engineers, ecologists, GIS data analysts, drone pilots, operations folks, and end users to deliver key initiatives.

• Knowledge transfer from and continuous engagement with researchers (from Technology Innovation Institute) and external partners to understand and take ownership of what has been built to date, become the subject matter expert for your product domain, and lead the research & development roadmap for your domain.

🔹 What are we looking for?

• A strong research/academic foundation with at least a Master's degree in engineering, data science, mathematics, ecological or environmental science, or similar fields, and ideally published research in peer-reviewed journals.

• Extensive, hands-on development experience with AI/ML model development in the geospatial, computer vision and/or remote sensing domain , including:

▫️ Familiarity with the latest machine learning techniques and models for image analysis, object detection, semantic segmentation, pattern recognition, predicting outcomes, anomaly detection, or similar using large geospatial datasets (RGB, multi- and hyper-spectral drone imagery, LIDAR point clouds, satellite imagery, etc)

▫️ Experience combining data from multiple sources (sensor fusion) such as drones, satellites, ground truth, in-field sensors or from multiple models (ensemble methods) to improve performance

▫️ Researching appropriate models and techniques given a problem space, scientific and business context, and validating different options before recommending a solution

▫️ Experience using supervised and unsupervised learning, deep learning, CNNs, RNNs, GANs, and the like in the geospatial domain

▫️ Determining quantifiable measures for the quality of data and performance of models, evaluating and communicating these metrics to stakeholders

▫️ Using geospatial data processing, analysis, and visualization tools (Python, R, PyTorch, Jupyter, QGIS, Grass GIS, ArcGIS, etc)

▫️ Experience performing self-directed exploratory data analysis using statistical and visualization tools to understand patterns, trends, and anomalies and present results

▫️ Experience working with and deploying production-ready models to cloud platforms: AWS, GCP, or Azure

▫️ Experience working with software engineers, data engineers and GIS data analysts to productize and launch models to production

• Builder/entrepreneur mindset : You've created something meaningful from the ground up - whether leading a project, founding a venture, or crafting an impressive side project that demonstrates your initiative.

• Communication excellence : You articulate ideas clearly and document thoroughly, understanding that transparent communication is fundamental to our collaborative approach.

• Bias for action and execution : You move with purpose and velocity, driving for impact rather than perfection. You're comfortable making decisions and failing fast when necessary to achieve results. You prioritize shipping and iterating over endless conceptualizing.

• Problem-solving aptitude : You approach challenges with creativity and pragmatism, finding elegant solutions that balance technical constraints with user needs.

• Nice to haves: Previous experience building products in the domain of geospatial AI, remote sensing, earth observation, environmental monitoring, precision agriculture, or drone robotics.

🔹Why join Nabat?

A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to

• Join a well-funded early-stage tech startup at the intersection of some of the most exciting, disruptive and innovative technologies in the world - geospatial AI, remote sensing, drone robotics, ecology & agricultural science.
• Design, build and shape a product from the ground up using your unique skills and expertise .
• Work with a truly international and world-class R&D team both within Nabat and in collaboration with 1200+ researchers, scientists and technologists in the larger Advanced Technology Research Council ( https://www.atrc.gov.ae/ ), Technology Innovation Institute ( https://www.tii.ae/ ), and VentureOne ( https://www.ventureone.ae/ ) ecosystem.
• Relocate to Abu Dhabi – one of the safest, most livable, expat-friendly cities in the world - with an “all inclusive” relocation package for you and your family, that includes work & residence visa sponsorship, business class flights, orientation tour, school and house search, and luxury hotel stay until you find your new home.
• Make a real and direct impact to solving the most critical challenges of our time – climate change and ecosystem loss!

🔹What is the hiring process like?

We believe in making your hiring and onboarding seamless and transparent. Here is what to expect from us:

• Initial screening call with a member of our Talent team to ensure expectations and experience aligns.
• First interview with hiring manager about the role and ask questions – Taha Ghaznavi , Chief Product Officer, Nabat.
• Second interview with technical team member(s) to assess your capabilities. Might include a coding test and/or small case study.
• Third interview with a senior leader to assess culture fit and give you opportunity to meet your future stakeholders.
• Hiring decision and conditional offer.
• Background check and final offer.
• Relocation to the UAE and onboarding!

Apply with your CV and tell us what makes you & your experience a great fit for Nabat.