Postdoctoral fellow in earth observation

Wildfire frequency and severity is expected to increase in the future due to anthropogenic climate change. With the combined effects of climate change, an increasing human population and the associated land use changes, it is fundamental to understand the patterns, drivers and effects of vegetation fires in order to prevent fires and reduce harm to ecosystems and societies. Collecting data on fire, biodiversity and socio-economic variables is therefore imperative to better understand the feedbacks, tipping points and regime shifts related to the Anthropocene.

Land abandonment describes the discontinuing of agricultural activities, which often leads to subsequent recovery of natural vegetation and sometimes increased fire risk. The causes behind land abandonment are complex and include biophysical as well as political and socio-economic drivers, such as unsuitable climate conditions, drought, small field sizes, government policies, and migration. Understanding these drivers along with land abandonment effects on ecosystems and societies is important for sustainable land use.

This project aims to 1) classify and study patterns and trends in vegetation fires, 2) map landscape fires and burn scars at a detailed level and 3) study overall patterns in land abandonment and recultivation, to allow for both general and detailed studies of the spatiotemporal patterns of vegetation fires and land abandonment, their drivers and their impacts on the surrounding environment. The project is partly funded through to the Strategic Research Area Biodiversity and Ecosystems in a Changing Climate (BECC) at Lund University.

Work duties

 The main duties involved in a post-doctoral 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.

 These tasks will be performed:

• Analysis of time series of active fire and burned area data together with ancillary datasets (e.g. biomass, land cover, population)
• Classification of burned area and active fires using medium resolution data from the Landsat and Sentinel programs
• Spatiotemporal analyses of fire behaviour in different contexts
• Analysis of land cover time series
• Conceptualisation of land abandonment
• Detailed classification of medium- and high-resolution satellite images
• Publication of high-quality research papers in international journals
• Communication of research results at conferences and workshops
• Actively seeking external research funding
• Communication and outreach outside of academic circles
• Administration related to the work duties listed above

  Qualification requirements

Appointment to a post-doctoral position 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 employment decision. Under special circumstances, the doctoral degree can have been completed earlier.

Additional requirements:

• PhD in Physical Geography, Geoinformatics, Environmental Science or a closely related field
• Very good oral and written proficiency in English.
• A publication record relevant for the career stage
• Demonstrated proficiency in Geographical Information Systems/Spatial Analysis and Earth Observation
• Excellent communication skills, ability to work in a team and independently, and to complete activities on time

Assessment criteria and other qualifications

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 post-doctoral position, the following shall form the assessment criteria:

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

Additional assessment criteria:

• Demonstrated knowledge in remote sensing approaches focusing on different aspects relevant to the project, for example, vegetation fires, vegetation dynamics, land use and land cover change
• Experience in multivariate statistics and spatio-temporal analysis, e.g., time-series analysis, land use/land cover classification, machine learning methods
• Experience analysing and visualizing large remote sensing datasets in modern programming language (e.g. R, Python, JavaScript, etc.)
• Experience working with interdisciplinary research questions
• Experience communicating research results to non-academic audiences

Consideration will also be given to good collaborative skills, drive and independence, and 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.

Terms of employment
This is a full-time, fixed-term employment of a maximum of 3 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 post-doctoral fellow”) between Lund University, SACO-S and OFR/S, dated 1st February 2022.

The advertised position will be located to the newly formed Department of Environmental and Earth Sciences within the Faculty of Science .

By merging the Centre for Environmental and Climate Science, the Department of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science and the Department of Geology in a joint and co-located organisation, the new department will strengthen the link between different research fields, develop new educational programmes and promote collaboration with society.

Instructions on how to apply

Applications shall be written in English and be containing:

• résumé/CV, including a list of publications,
• A short cover letter that outlines past research and envisioned future research and career developments (max 2 pages)
• contact information of at least two references,
• copy of the doctoral degree certificate, and other certificates/grades that you wish to be considered.

Welcome to apply!