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
Download PDC’s free Disaster Alert app today for alerts on floods and other hazards threatening your area!
- Available on Google Play and the iOS App Store (Search "Disaster Alert" in the app store.)
Are you an Emergency Management or Humanitarian Assistance professional? Request your free DisasterAWARE Pro account today!
>>> Learn more at: pdc.org/DisasterAWARE
>>> DisasterAWARE is the #1 award-winning early warning and risk intelligence technology trusted by disaster managers worldwide.
#EarlyWarningforAll #SaferWorld #DisasterAlert #hurricane #volcano #fire #flood #tsunami #earthquake #disaster #hazard #landslide #tornado #winterstorm #storm #wildfire #weather
A statewide emergency has been declared in the State of Washington as historic flooding prompts ongoing water rescues and evacuations. Attached are the latest Event Briefs from PDC’s DisasterAWARE early warning and risk intelligence platform—trusted by disaster managers worldwide—along with updated screenshots of Doppler Radar.
>>Emergency managers can stay up to date with the most comprehensive situational awareness and real-time warnings at disasteraware.pdc.org
>>The public can download PDC's Disaster Alert app for real-time updates and warnings on the App Store and Google Play
#EarlyWarningforAll #SaferWorld #Flood #Flooding #Washington
A powerful magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck northeastern Japan at around 1415 UTC today (11:15 PM local time), triggering a tsunami warning for parts of the country. Attached are the estimated tsunami travel times (in hours), earthquake shaking intensity and Event Brief showing potential exposure to Moderate to Very Strong shaking.
Tsunami waves reaching 0.3 to 1 meter above the tide level are possible for some coasts of Japan.
Tsunami waves are forecast to be less than 0.3 meters above the tide level for Chuuk, DPR of Korea, Guam, Johnston Atoll, Kosrae, Marshall Islands, Midway Island, Northern Marianas, Philippines, Pohnpei, Russia, Wake Island, and Yap.
NO tsunami threat to the State of Hawaii
Monitor our free Disaster Alert app for updates and alerts—available on Google Play and the iOS App Store. (Search “Disaster Alert” in the app store.)
Are you an Emergency Management or Humanitarian Assistance professional? Request your free DisasterAWARE Pro account today.
>>> Learn more at: pdc.org/DisasterAWARE
>>> DisasterAWARE is the #1 award-winning early warning and risk intelligence technology trusted by disaster managers worldwide.
#EarlyWarningforAll #SaferWorld #Tsunami #Earthquake #Japan U.S. Indo-Pacific Command U.S. Forces Japan (在日米軍司令部)
Don’t let hazards catch you off-guard—stay ahead and stay informed!
Download the free Disaster Alert app—available on Google Play and the iOS App Store. (Search “Disaster Alert” in the app store.)
Are you an Emergency Management or Humanitarian Assistance professional? Request your free DisasterAWARE Pro account today!
>>> Learn more at: pdc.org/DisasterAWARE
>>> DisasterAWARE is the #1 award-winning early warning and risk intelligence technology trusted by disaster managers worldwide.
#EarlyWarningforAll #SaferWorld #DisasterAlert #hurricane #volcano #fire #flood #tsunami #earthquake #disaster #hazard #landslide #tornado #winterstorm #storm #wildfire #weather
Sending aloha to our partners across the Pacific following an exciting and successful 2025 Pacific Islands GIS & Remote Sensing User Conference at the University of the South Pacific in Suva, Fiji—the largest geospatial gathering in the region. We value the continued opportunity to work with our government, academic, and private-sector partners to help strengthen geospatial networks and promote data-driven resilience across the Pacific.
#SaferWorld #EarlyWarningforAll #GIS #Pacific #Fiji #PGRSC2025 #PacificGISRS #PGRSC #GIS #RemoteSensing #PacificIslands
Pacific GIS and Remote Sensing Council
Sending our aloha and a big mahalo (thank you) to our Honduran partners following a successful Risk Reduction and Advanced Analytics (R2A2) capstone event on 13 November. The event was attended by 31 professionals representing 12 different partner organizations—COPECO, Health, Firefighters, Military (Navy, Army, Air Force), Merchant Marines, 911 Center, Forest Service, Transportation, and Energy—and included a review of the final R2A2 results, a DisasterAWARE Pro (pdc.org/DisasterAWARE) demo, and a brief exercise.
R2A2 (pdc.org/NDPBA) identifies capability enhancements aligned with current needs, helping national stakeholders better anticipate potential disasters, quickly mobilize resources, and promote risk-informed decision-making.
The Honduras R2A2 project concludes in January with the publication of the final report, marking the completion of the PDC's first R2A2 assessment. PDC and COPECO have a long-standing relationship through disaster response events, training, exercises, and the preceding national baseline assessment (NDPBA), and we look forward to further strengthening our partnership.
#EarlyWarningforAll #SaferWorld #honduras #copeco #disasterpreparedness #R2A2 #NDPBA
Secretaría de Gestión de Riesgos y Contingencias Nacionales
U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM)
Embajada de Estados Unidos en Tegucigalpa
Joint Task Force-Bravo
Don’t let hazards catch you off-guard—stay ahead and stay informed!
Download the free Disaster Alert app—available on Google Play and the iOS App Store. (Search “Disaster Alert” in the app store.)
Are you an Emergency Management or Humanitarian Assistance professional? Request your free DisasterAWARE Pro account today!
>>> Learn more at: pdc.org/DisasterAWARE
>>> DisasterAWARE is the #1 award-winning early warning and risk intelligence technology trusted by disaster managers worldwide.
#EarlyWarningforAll #SaferWorld #DisasterAlert #hurricane #volcano #fire #flood #tsunami #earthquake #disaster #hazard #landslide #tornado #winterstorm #storm #wildfire #weather
According to PDC’s latest Event Brief, an estimated 24.6 million people (6.15 million households) in Bangladesh were exposed to moderate to very strong shaking from a magnitude 5.5 earthquake that struck near the capital, Dhaka, on Friday around 10:38 AM local time.
Available through DisasterAWARE (pdc.org/DisasterAWARE), PDC Event Briefs deliver rapid, actionable insights—answering key questions like what happened, when and where it occurred, how bad is it, and what are the potential mass care needs—empowering emergency management professionals and decision-makers with the information they need, when they need it most.
Get alerts and receive updates on earthquakes and other hazards!
>>> Disaster managers and humanitarian assistance professionals can access the latest information and updates on impacts through DisasterAWARE (DisasterAWARE.pdc.org)
>>> The public can get alerts with PDC's FREE Disaster Alert app available on the Google Play and the iOS App Store.
#EarlyWarningforAll #SaferWorld #Earthquake #Bangladesh #DisasterAWARE #DisasterAlert
In ongoing support of our Jamaican partners and humanitarian relief organizations, the PDC team continues to provide critical and timely updates through DisasterAWARE Pro (DisasterAWARE.pdc.org).
Attached are the latest estimates of population affected by ongoing power and water outages, including current restoration status. Please continue to monitor DisasterAWARE for updated information.
#SaferWorld #EarlyWarningForAll #caribbean #storm#hurricaneMelissa #hurricane #weather #Alert #disasteraware#DisasterAlert #jamaica #hurricane
CDEMA - Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency
U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM)
ODPEM
United Nations OCHA
World Food Programme
An atmospheric river is bringing strong winds, heavy rain, and flooding risks to California through Saturday. Approximately 22.6 million people are under a Flood Watch in Southern California and the Eastern Sierra. Recent wildfire burn scars in parts of the state can heighten the risk of debris flows and mudslides during periods of intense rainfall.
The attached screenshot shows DisasterAWARE’s new “Brief” feature, which delivers rapid updates on potential hazard exposure—including population estimates, demographic details, and critical infrastructure.
Stay safe and stay alert!
>>> Download PDC’s FREE Disaster Alert app—available on Google Play and the iOS App Store. (Search “Disaster Alert” in the app store.)
Are you an Emergency Management or Humanitarian Assistance professional?
>>> Request your free DisasterAWARE Pro account today at DisasterAWARE.pdc.org!
DisasterAWARE is the #1 award-winning early warning and risk intelligence technology trusted by disaster managers worldwide. Learn more at: pdc.org/DisasterAWARE
#EarlyWarningforAll #SaferWorld #DisasterAlert #hurricane #volcano #fire #flood #tsunami #earthquake #disaster #hazard #landslide #tornado #winterstorm #storm #wildfire #weather #california
Snow, ice, freezing rain, and extreme cold can disrupt travel, knock out power, and threaten safety. Don’t let winter storms catch you off guard — stay ahead, stay informed, and stay safe all season long.
Download PDC’s FREE Disaster Alert app—available on Google Play and the iOS App Store. (Search “Disaster Alert” in the app store.)
Are you an Emergency Management or Humanitarian Assistance professional? Request your free DisasterAWARE Pro account today at DisasterAWARE.pdc.org!
DisasterAWARE is the #1 award-winning early warning and risk intelligence technology trusted by disaster managers worldwide. Learn more at: pdc.org/DisasterAWARE
#EarlyWarningforAll #SaferWorld #DisasterAlert #hurricane #volcano #fire #flood #tsunami #earthquake #disaster #hazard #landslide #tornado #winterstorm #storm #wildfire #weather