Postdoctoral position in Water Resources Engineering with a focus on Machine Learning in Hydrology - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

Description of the workplace

The current postdoctoral fellowship will be placed at the Division of Water Resources Engineering in the Department of Building and Environmental Technology. Here, research and teaching pursue the understanding of how water resides and is transported in nature and urban systems. This includes but is not limited to, comprehension and modeling of the components of the hydrological cycle as well as geospatial modeling of water quality and quantity using advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and remote sensing (RS) techniques. At the division, there are around 30 employees and, in total, 20 PhD students. The current position is within the RS and AI in the Hydrology Group. The position involves creative and varied work, and the Postdoc will join a dynamic and multifaceted research group.

Subject description

The Postdoc will be part of a team granted a Horizon Europe project entitled FARMWISE “Future Agricultural Resource Management and Water Innovations for a Sustainable Europe” funded by the European Commission under the call: HORIZON-CL6-2023-ZEROPOLLUTION-01-1 “Knowledge and innovative solutions in agriculture for water availability and quality”. The Postdoc will mainly work within the “Research-Based and AI-powered European Landscape Policy on Agriculture and Water Management” work package. 

FARMWISE project will transform the EU agricultural sector by empowering farmers and decision-makers with a state-of-the-art decision support system, combining precision agriculture, AI, and RS. FARMWISE provides new insights into water quality, quantity, soil health, and nutrient management. Its state-of-the-art framework fosters knowledge sharing between scientists, farmers, and policymakers in a co-creation environment (Systems Thinking). It consolidates existing collaborations and promotes new long-term cooperations between European organisations, including Water4All and Water Europe. The project will develop improved tools based on AI for more efficient European water policy and decision-making founded on research-based technologies to solve the most burning water pollution and climate change problems. For this purpose, the consortium brings together the best European water, agricultural, climate, and AI researchers to handle the sustainability of water resources, the natural environment, and efficient agriculture in the highly diverse European landscape in view of present and future climate change. FARMWISE evaluates, monitors, and implements gender and diversity balance in the consortium during the planned activities. 

Work duties

The main duty involved in a postdoctoral position is to conduct research. Teaching may also be included, but up to no more than 20% of working hours. The position includes the opportunity for three weeks of training in higher education teaching and learning. The purpose of the position is to develop independence as a researcher and to create the opportunity for further development.

A detailed description of the work duties:

• Conduct research within the subject area, mainly geospatial analysis and modeling of water quantity and quality at the European scale using advanced AI, geographic information systems (GIS), and RS techniques.
• Contribute to the publication of high-quality research papers in scientific journals.
• Spatiotemporal database creation and management and data quality assurance.
• Co-supervision of degree projects.
• Strictly follow the schedule and deadlines of the project.
• Contribute to writing comprehensive reports encompassing detailed analyses and conclusive results.
• Administration linked to the tasks above is included.
• Travel to attend the general assemblies of the project abroad.
• You must keep up to date on machine learning and strive to continuously develop new skills and learn new methods.

Qualification requirements 

Appointment to a postdoctoral position requires that the applicant has a PhD or an international degree deemed equivalent to a PhD within the subject of the position. The certificate proving the qualification requirement is met, must be received before the employment decision is made. Priority will be given to candidates who have graduated no more than three years before the last day for application. Under special circumstances, the doctoral degree can have been completed earlier.

Additional requirements

• Very good oral and written proficiency in English.
• Extensive publication track record in environmental assessment, e.g., water quality or quantity or other environmental variables using GIS, RS, and AI.
• Several years of documented experience with processing and modeling big geospatial databases using Python or R and working with large-scale clusters e.g., Linux environments.
• A PhD or an international degree deemed equivalent to a PhD in water resources engineering, forest science, environmental planning, physical geography, remote sensing, computer science, or a related field.

Assessment criteria 

This is a career development position primarily focused on research. The position is intended as an initial step in a career, and the assessment of the applicants will primarily be based on their research qualifications and potential as researchers. Particular emphasis will be placed on research skills within the subject.

For appointments to a postdoctoral position, the following shall form the assessment criteria:

• A good ability to develop and conduct high-quality research.
• Teaching skills.

Other qualifications:

• Documented experience with code sharing and version control systems, e.g., GitHub.
• Database creation and management using QGIS, SAGA-GIS, and SQL.
• Demonstrated ability to work efficiently independently and as a team member.
• Documented experience with machine learning libraries, e.g., TensorFlow, PyTorch, Keras, or machine learning libraries in R or ML data pipeline development and maintenance.
• High flexibility and collaboration skills.

Consideration will also be given to how the applicant’s experience and skills complement and strengthen ongoing research within the department, and how they stand to contribute to its future development.

We offer

Lund University is a public authority, which means that employees get particular benefits, generous annual leave and an advantageous occupational pension scheme. Read more on the University website about being a Lund University employee Work at Lund University. 

Further information

This is a full-time, fixed-term employment of 2 years. The period of employment is determined in accordance with the agreement “Avtal om tidsbegränsad anställning som postdoktor” (“Agreement on fixed-term employment as a postdoctoral fellow”).

How to apply

Applications are to be submitted via the University’s recruitment system. The application should include a CV including a list of publications and a personal letter justifying your interest in the position and how it matches your qualifications. The application should also include a degree certificate or equivalent and any other document to which you would like to draw attention (copies of grade transcripts, details of referees, letters of recommendation, etc.)”  

Welcome to apply!