Postdoctoral fellow in Forest Remote Sensing and Climate Risk Assessment at Mgeo

Lunds Universitet · Lund, Sweden

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Lund University was founded in 1666 and is repeatedly ranked among the world’s top universities. The University has around 46 000 students and 8 500 staff based in Lund, Helsingborg and Malmö. We are united in our efforts to understand, explain and improve our world and the human condition.

Research and education at the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences (MGeo) addresses fundamental and applied questions on the Earth’s past, present and future climate and environment, including people’s interactions with the natural world and consequences for human wellbeing. MGeo advances and deploys cutting-edge methods, models and technologies in environmental science, quaternary sciences, bedrock geology, paleontology, physical geography, biodiversity and ecosystem science, remote sensing, Geographic Information Science (GIS), and computational science for health and environment, to study processes spanning from the microscopic to the planetary, across all time scales.

Subject description

Forests in Sweden face growing climate-related pressures: intensifying droughts, more frequent and damaging storms, and cascading risks such as bark-beetle outbreaks. Forest owners and regional authorities need spatially detailed, timely information on where climate stress is emerging, and which stands are most exposed, but current monitoring relies largely on field inspections and coarse regional assessments that are often too slow or too limited for operational decision-making. The Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences announces a postdoctoral position within a project that addresses this gap. The project aims to develop an operational, web-based service that uses Landsat and Sentinel satellite observations, tree-species maps, canopy structure data, and climate indicators to provide continuous climate-risk assessments for Sweden's forests. The service will deliver drought-stress maps by species, a storm-exposure hazard index, and bark-beetle susceptibility signals, designed in collaboration with regional authorities and forest owners associations. As part of this work, the project will investigate the spatial and temporal mechanisms linking windthrow, drought, and bark beetle outbreaks, providing the scientific foundation for the service.

Work duties

The main duties involved in a postdoctoral position are to conduct research. Teaching may also be included depending on the progress of the postdoctoral project but must not take up more than 20% of working hours. In connection to this, the position includes the opportunity for three weeks of training in higher education teaching and learning. The postdoctoral fellow will:

Develop and maintain harmonized satellite time-series datasets (Landsat and Sentinel-2) and integrate them with ancillary data including airborne lidar, tree-species maps, and gridded climate fields.
Produce spatially explicit climate risk layers, including drought-stress maps by species, a storm-exposure hazard index, and bark-beetle susceptibility signals.
Contribute to the development of an operational web-based monitoring service, including automated update workflows and a user-facing web GIS dashboard.
Investigate the forest, landscape, and climate conditions that drive storm susceptibility, using major windstorms as natural experiments and interpretable machine-/deep-learning models.
Publish research results in high-quality international journals (at least two peer-reviewed papers are expected).

Eligibility

Appointment to a postdoctoral position at Lund University requires that the applicant has a PhD, or an international degree deemed equivalent to a PhD, within the subject of the position, completed no more than three years before the date of the employment decision. Under special circumstances, the doctoral degree can have been completed earlier.

Additional requirements:

PhD in physical geography, remote sensing, geoinformatics, forest ecology, environmental science, or a closely related field. Demonstrated experience with satellite remote sensing for large-scale vegetation or forest monitoring, including Landsat and/or Sentinel-1/2 time series. Strong proficiency in Python for geospatial data analysis and machine learning (e.g. XGBoost), including model interpretation techniques (e.g. SHAP). Very good oral and written proficiency in English. Excellent communication skills, ability to work both independently and in a team, and to complete deliverables on time. A publication record in peer-reviewed international journals.

Assessment criteria

This is a career-development position primarily focused on research. The position is intended as an initial step in a research career, and assessment will primarily be based on scientific merits and potential as an independent researcher. Particular emphasis will be placed on scientific ability within the subject area.

The following knowledge areas will form the basis for assessment:

Quantitative remote sensing, including optical and radar data.
Plant science/ecology, especially related to forest ecosystems.
Computer programming.
Data analysis (machine learning, statistics, numerical analysis, time-series analysis, etc.).
Quantitative methods in remote sensing of vegetation, e.g. spectral mixture analysis.

Other merits

We are particularly interested in candidates with:

Experience with web-GIS development or geospatial data visualization. Experience with high-performance computing clusters or cloud-based Earth observation platforms (e.g., GEE Python API). Experience with airborne lidar data processing and canopy height modelling.

We will place great emphasis on both technical ability and personal suitability. Consideration will also be given to good collaborative skills, drive and independence, ability to clearly communicate research, and how the applicant's experience and skills complement and strengthen ongoing research within the department and contribute to its future development.

Terms of employment

This is a full-time, fixed-term employment of 2 years, with the possibility of extension. The period of employment is determined in accordance with the agreement “Avtal om tidsbegränsad anställning som postdoktor” between Lund University, SACO-S and OFR/S, dated 1st February 2022.

Start date: As soon as possible or by agreement.

Contact: Abdulhakim Abdi, abdulhakim.abdi@mgeo.lu.se.

Instructions on how to apply

Applications shall be written in English and must include the following:
A cover letter (maximum 2 pages) describing (1) why you are interested in the position, (2) how you would contribute to the project, and (3) what makes you a suitable candidate.
A CV that includes a list of publications.
A copy of the doctoral degree certificate, and other certificates or grades you wish to be considered.
Contact information for two references.

Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Welcome to apply!

Within the Faculty of Science research and education is conducted within Astronomy, Biology, Physics, Geosciences, Chemistry, Mathematics, medical radiation physics, physical geography and Environmental Sciences. The Faculty of Science is organized into eight departments, gathered in the northern campus area in Lund. The Faculty of Science has approximately 1900 students, 330 PhD students and 730 employees.

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