Quick Facts:
More than
Full-time employees
Rated among the top
High-tech companies in Hawai‘i
Over
%
PDC staff recruited through internships
Careers and Culture
Fuel your passion for innovation and public service by working with a leading tech organization that routinely pushes the limits of lifesaving possibility. For 30 years, Pacific Disaster Center (PDC) has been a pioneer in the innovation of early warning technologies, exercise scenario design, advanced analytics, and risk reduction science and research. Headquartered in Hawai‘i, PDC is regarded as a global leader in risk reduction and resilience-enhancing tools—a reputation built on the dedication and expertise of our team from across disaster management, technology, academic, and scientific disciplines. The Center’s products and services support the most demanding government customers, international, regional, and nongovernmental organizations worldwide in reducing risk and building safer, more resilient communities. As an applied science and research center managed by the University of Hawai‘i, we are always experimenting with new technologies, including applications for artificial intelligence in hazard alerting, monitoring, and predictive risk analytics. Our products benefit public users, government, humanitarian, and private sector decision makers. To learn about job opportunities with PDC, visit the Research Corporation of the University of Hawai‘i site at www.rcuh.com or through our LinkedIn postings.
Internships
PDC provides mentored internship opportunities to self-motivated students who take pride in their work, have a passion for learning, and a commitment to problem-solving. Our internships allow individuals to apply learned skills and theory to real-world problems.
If you are interested in applying for an internship with PDC, please review the programs below to see if there is a good match. You should also examine the criteria for a direct internship before submitting your resume with the link below.
Programs Available
Akamai Workforce Initiative
Offered to college students in Hawaii. Applications accepted in November. Please check the site for details.
https://akamaihawaii.org/interning/
University of Hawai‘i Student Employment & Cooperative Education (SECE)
Available only to college students within the UH system. PDC posts internship position descriptions to this site.
https://sece.its.hawaii.edu/sece/login
CareerLink – UH Maui College Cooperative (Co-Op) Education program
Available only to UH-MC students. Please check the site for details.
http://maui.hawaii.edu/careerlink/
Ke Alahele Program
Offered through Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB) internship program
http://www.medb.org/programs/education-to-workforce/ke-alahele-education-fund/
Direct Internships
Direct internships with PDC are also available on an as-needed basis. Please inquire per the guidelines below.
Internship Criteria
- All internships are based on the island of Maui in Hawaii. PDC does not support internships outside of Maui.
- All internship programs are paid internships. However, we do not offer relocation or housing support.
- Technical internships are for summer undergraduate and graduate students. Communications internships are offered year-round.
- U.S. Citizenship is not required, however:
- Candidates MUST have permission to work in the U.S. for the duration of internship; and
- PDC does NOT sponsor visas for international students.
- Long-term internships (for graduate students) may be as long as 6 months. Candidates must submit a resume as part of the submission. Areas of interest for internship may also be submitted.
- For PDC’s direct internship program, the applicant must submit a resume. Area(s) of interest for internship may also be submitted. Internship is contingent upon need and availability.
Skills We Need
Over the years, interns have made valuable contributions to PDC projects and activities with such skills as:
Computer or GIS skills and literacy
- Computer programming (C++, Java, Jscript, …)
- Scripting (PHP, Python, Shell, …)
- Web/App development (HTML, CSS, JSON, …)
- AI experience and/or interest
- GIS (data processing, visualization, …)
- Imagery and/or Image analysis
- Physical sciences and/or modeling
- Data analysis and/or statistics
Communications or design skills and literacy
- Public relations, communications, content development experience
- Web UX / UI design principles
- Graphic design using latest Adobe products
- Video editing
- Marketing copy development
- Social media content management
Follow Us
In the Atlantic, Gabrielle has intensified into a major hurricane southeast of Bermuda.
Meanwhile, be sure to also keep a close eye on two areas of potential tropical cyclone development to the east of the Caribbean’s Leeward Islands:
>>> A disturbance located about 400 miles east of the Leeward Islands is anticipated to bring gusty winds and rain to parts of the islands starting later tonight. It has a medium (40%) chance of development over the next 7 days and could become a tropical depression later this week in the southwestern Atlantic or near The Bahamas.
>>> Farther east, between the Lesser Antilles and Cabo Verde, another system has a high (70%) chance of development over the next 7 days and could become a tropical depression midweek.
Continue to monitor DisasterAWARE for updates! (Learn more at pdc.org/DisasterAWARE)
>>> Download the FREE Disaster Alert app (Search "Disaster Alert" in Google Play and the iOS App Store)
>>> Are you a disaster manager or humanitarian assistance professional? Access DisasterAWARE Pro at DisasterAWARE.pdc.org
#DisasterAWARE #DisasterAlert #storm #hurricane #hazard #preparedness #weather #alert #caribbean #atlantic #Gabrielle #thebahamas #bahamas
Super Typhoon Ragasa (locally called “Nando”) is now impacting the Northern Philippines, with potentially catastrophic impacts to the Babuyan and Batanes Islands.
Based on the current advisory, Ragasa has maximum sustained winds of 140 knots (equivalent to Category 5 on the Saffir-Simpson scale), with gusts up to 170 knots. Additional impacts also include heavy rainfall, flooding and storm surge.
According to the Pacific Disaster Center’s latest Event Brief, approximately 657,000 people (159,000 households) are at risk from life-threatening and damaging winds.
The attached DisasterAWARE screenshots highlight:
• Latest PDC Event Brief showing potential exposure to damaging winds, impacts to lifelines, and key needs
• Potential wind impact areas
• Forecast tropical cyclone rainfall along the latest 5-day track
Continue to monitor DisasterAWARE for updates! Learn more at pdc.org/DisasterAWARE
#EarlyWarningforAll #SaferWorld #Philippines #typhoon #supertyphoon #storm #warning #hurricane #disaster #ragasa #nando #typhoonnando #typhoonragasa
@ndrrmc
@civildefensePH
@phredcross
@ahacentre
@PHIVOLCS
@WorldFoodProgramme
@UNOCHA
Don’t let hazards catch you off-guard—stay ahead and stay informed!
Download our free Disaster Alert app today for early warnings and near real-time information on hazards around the world.
>>> Available on Google Play and the iOS App Store (Search "Disaster Alert" in the app stores)
Are you a disaster manager or humanitarian assistance practitioner?
>>> Access DisasterAWARE Pro—our award-winning, multi-hazard early warning and risk intelligence platform, trusted by disaster managers worldwide!
>>> Learn more at www.pdc.org/disasteraware/
#EarlyWarningforAll #SaferWorld #DisasterAlert #hurricane #volcano #fire #flood #tsunami #earthquake #disaster #hazard #landslide #tornado #winterstorm #storm #wildfire #severestorm
Tropical Storm Gabrielle continues to struggle in the central Atlantic, far from land, but is expected to gradually strengthen and could reach hurricane status by early next week. The latest official forecast continues to keep Gabrielle well northeast of the Leeward Islands and away from the U.S. East Coast. However, interests in Bermuda should continue to keep a close eye on Gabrielle.
Here is the latest update from the animated 'Winds (Surface Velocity & Forecast)' layer in DisasterAWARE, showing Gabrielle’s potential movement over the next several days. Animation times are shown in UTC (Coordinated Universal Time).
Continue to monitor DisasterAWARE for updates with each new advisory, as well as for other hazards threatening your area!
>>> Download the free Disaster Alert app, available on Google Play and the iOS App Store (Search "Disaster Alert" in the app stores)
>>> Are you a Disaster Manager? Access DisasterAWARE Pro at DisasterAWARE.pdc.org
Learn more at pdc.org/DisasterAWARE
#DisasterAWARE #DisasterAlert #storm #hurricane #hazard #preparedness #weather #alert #caribbean #atlantic #Gabrielle
Photos from Center for Excellence in Disaster Management & Humanitarian Assistance's post
Tropical Depression Seven has formed in the central Atlantic, about midway between the Cabo Verde Islands and the Caribbean's Windward Islands, ending the Atlantic’s nearly three-week lull in tropical cyclone activity.
Monitor DisasterAWARE for updates with each advisory. Based on this initial forecast advisory, the depression is expected to become Tropical Storm Gabrielle today and pass well east of the Caribbean’s Windward and Leeward Islands.
Stay alert and stay safe! Continue monitoring DisasterAWARE for updates on this event, as well as other hazards that may threaten your area:
>>> Download the free Disaster Alert app, available on Google Play and the iOS App Store (Search "Disaster Alert" in the app stores)
>>> Are you a Disaster Manager? Access DisasterAWARE Pro at DisasterAWARE.pdc.org
Learn more at pdc.org/DisasterAWARE
#DisasterAWARE #DisasterAlert #storm #hurricane #hazard#preparedness #weather #alert #caribbean #atlantic
A low-pressure system off the Southeast U.S. coast is forecast to bring heavy rain, strong winds, shallow coastal flooding, dangerous rip currents, and large surf to the Mid-Atlantic over the next few days.
Shown here is an animation from DisasterAWARE’s ‘Precipitation Forecast (USA)’ layer, displaying potential rainfall in 6-hour increments from 0200 EST on 15 September to 2000 EST 16 September.
Stay alert and monitor DisasterAWARE for hazards threatening your area:
- Download the free Disaster Alert app, available on Google Play and the iOS App Store (Search "Disaster Alert" in the app stores)
- Are you a Disaster Manager? Access DisasterAWARE Pro!
Learn more at pdc.org/DisasterAWARE
#DisasterAWARE #DisasterAlert #flood #flooding #flashflood #rain #raining #storm #severestorm #hazard #weather #UnitedStates #America #surf #outerbanks #eastcoast #southcarolina #northcarolina #virginia #maryland #DC #Delaware
Congratulations—and a big Mahalo (thank you!)—to our friends and colleagues throughout Europe who participated in NATO's premier emergency management exercise, "Bulgaria 2025," held in Montana, Bulgaria from 7–11 September!
PDC supported regional partners, including 1,200 participants from three dozen countries, using DisasterAWARE Pro (pdc.org/DisasterAWARE). The Center provided visualizations and impact assessments to support both the design and real-time execution of the exercise simulating a complex, multi-impact earthquake.
Well done to everyone involved in making this a success!
#SaferWorld #EarlyWarningforAll #DisasterAWARE #Exercise #DisasterPreparedness #Bulgaria #NATO #Europe #Bulgaria2025 NATO
Sending Aloha to our partners in Argentina!
Last week, PDC trained 43 responders from Neuquén’s emergency, fire, and medical services on DisasterAWARE—boosting local capacity to manage crises and strengthen preparedness using advanced analytics, early warning, and insights from the National Disaster Preparedness Baseline Assessment (NDPBA) to enhance preparedness, planning, and decision-making. This effort, part of a broader SOUTHCOM initiative in Peru and Argentina, builds resilience beyond national capitals, advances operational emergency management capabilities and strengthens partner nations’ capacity to respond to humanitarian crises.
We also provided DisasterAWARE training to the Argentine military, including the Antarctic Command, in Buenos Aires. Training focused on operational planning and response using DisasterAWARE and NDPBA data, and supports SOUTHCOM's mission to provide contingency planning, operations, and security cooperation in South America—ensuring regional security and stability.
PDC’s partnership with Argentina began in 2018 through the NDPBA and continues to grow today (learn more at pdc.org/NDPBA).
#SaferWorld #Argentina #EarlyWarningforAll #NDPBA #DisasterPreparedness #Preparedeness #Training #DisasterAWARE
U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM)
Embajada de Estados Unidos en Argentina
Secretaría de Emergencias y Gestión del Riesgo
Kiko, now a Category 1 hurricane, is anticipated to pass north of the Hawaiian Islands on Tuesday and Wednesday. While the risk of direct impacts is decreasing, life-threatening surf and rip currents remain possible. PDC remains in close support and coordination with state and county partners.
Here is the latest update from the animated 'Winds (Surface Velocity & Forecast)' layer in DisasterAWARE, showing Kiko’s potential movement as it continues a weakening trend while passing north of the state. Animation times are shown in UTC (Coordinated Universal Time).
Continue to monitor DisasterAWARE for updates with each new advisory, as well as for other hazards threatening your area!
>>> Download the free Disaster Alert app, available on Google Play and the iOS App Store (Search "Disaster Alert" in the app stores)
>>> Are you a Disaster Manager? Access DisasterAWARE Pro at DisasterAWARE.pdc.org
Learn more at pdc.org/DisasterAWARE
#SaferWorld #EarlyWarningforAll #DisasterAWARE#DisasterAlert #HurricaneKiko #Hawaii #Hurricane #Pacific#Flood #Weather #Rain #Storm
Hawaii Emergency Management Agency
Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency
Maui County Emergency Management Agency
Honolulu Department of Emergency Management
County of Kaua'i
Hawaii Red Cross
Kiko has weakened to a Category 3 hurricane and is forecast to approach Hawaii in the early to middle part of next week. While it is still too early to determine the exact impacts to the state, impacts from wind and rain are possible. Swells could reach the islands toward the end of this week, producing life-threatening surf and rip currents.
Stay safe and stay informed — monitor DisasterAWARE for updates with each new advisory, as well as for other hazards threatening your area!
>>> Download the free Disaster Alert app, available on Google Play and the iOS App Store (Search "Disaster Alert" in the app stores)
>>> Are you a Disaster Manager? Access DisasterAWARE Pro at DisasterAWARE.pdc.org
Learn more at pdc.org/DisasterAWARE
#SaferWorld #EarlyWarningforAll #DisasterAWARE #DisasterAlert #HurricaneKiko #Hawaii #Hurricane #Pacific #Flood #Weather #Rain #Storm
Hawaii Emergency Management Agency
Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency
Maui County Emergency Management Agency
Honolulu Department of Emergency Management
County of Kaua'i
Hawaii Red Cross
Kiko, currently a Category 4 hurricane, is forecast to approach the Hawaiian Islands in the early to middle part of next week. While it is still too early to determine the exact impacts to the state, there is an increasing risk of wind and rain impacts. Continue to monitor DisasterAWARE for updates with each advisory, including potential impacts as Kiko nears the islands.
Further to the east, Tropical Storm Lorena continues to impact Baja California Sur and Sonora, Mexico, with heavy rainfall, increasing the risk of life-threatening flash floods and mudslides across northwestern Mexico.
We're also closely monitoring a tropical disturbance (AL91) in the eastern Atlantic that is gradually becoming better organized. It has a 60% (medium) chance of developing into a tropical cyclone within the next 2 days, and a 90% (high) chance over the next 7 days. The system could approach the Leeward Islands by the middle of next week.
Stay safe and stay informed — monitor DisasterAWARE for updates with each advisory, as well as for other hazards threatening your area!
>>> Download the free Disaster Alert app, available on Google Play and the iOS App Store (Search "Disaster Alert" in the app stores)
>>> Are you a Disaster Manager? Access DisasterAWARE Pro at DisasterAWARE.pdc.org
Learn more at pdc.org/DisasterAWARE
#SaferWorld #EarlyWarningforAll #DisasterAWARE #DisasterAlert #HurricaneKiko #Hawaii #Hurricane #Mexico #Atlantic #Pacific #Flood #Weather #Rain #Storm