PhD student in forest remote sensing for biodiversity assessment

Department of Forest Resource Management
The Department of Forest Resource Management conducts education and research in the areas of forest planning, forest remote sensing, forest inventory and sampling, forest mathematical statistics and landscape studies. The department is also responsible for the implementation of the ongoing environmental monitoring programs the National Forest Inventory, National Inventory of the Landscape in Sweden, Terrestrial Habitat Monitoring and the Butterfly and Bumblebee Inventory. In total, we are about 110 employees. More information can be found at www.slu.se/srh. 

Read more about our benefits and what it is like to work at SLU at https://www.slu.se/en/about-slu/work-at-slu/

WIFORCE Research School
Sweden is a country where forests have been and still are of great importance. The use and utilization of the forest is an issue where the balance between forest production and the environment is in focus. Growth in Swedish forests has declined over the past 15 years.  Biodiversity and the role of forests in climate change are now key social issues that require more knowledge. In order to both sustainably use and safeguard forest biodiversity, a coherent basic science research program is needed that addresses large and complex issues and develops new analytical tools. It is against this background and in line with SLU:s investment in Future Sustainable Forest Management that the WIFORCE Research School, within the Wallenberg Initiatives in Forest Research, is established with a focus on the future sustainable use of forests. During the programme, around 50 doctoral students will be admitted to the Research School. Would you like to make a difference for the future sustainable use of forests? Apply to join WIFORCE Research School!

Read more about WIFORCE here www.slu.se/en/wiforce

Biodiversity assessment and mapping using remote sensing
Research subject: Technology/Forest management/Biology

Description
The Department is looking for a PhD student within the area of Forest Remote Sensing. The PhD student will analyze patterns of biodiversity in boreal forests from remotely sensed data, including high-resolution airborne laser scanning data. The work includes development of automated methods for deriving information from the remotely sensed data, statistical analysis of the relation between the information derived from remote sensing and inventory data of key substrates and structures for biodiversity, and validation of the results including field visits. The project is multidisciplinary and the supervisors will be researchers in forest remote sensing and ecology. This means that the research subject can be technology, forest management or biology depending on the candidate's background.

Qualifications
We are looking for a motivated candidate with interest for remote sensing and ecology. The position requires a master degree (or equivalent) at the time of employment in a relevant topic, such as technology, forest sciences, biology, remote sensing/geosciences, or statistics. Good knowledge in written and spoken English is required, which can be proved by scientific work written in English (e.g. a MSc thesis or any other published or informal texts). Competence in remote sensing, programming, computational software such as Matlab/R, or GIS are merits just like knowledge about or experience of forest or ecology. Great emphasis is placed on personal qualities such as analytical and problem solving ability, ability to work independently and collaborative ability.

Place of work      
Umeå

Forms for funding or employment
Employment 4 years

Starting date
According to agreement. 

Application
Click the “Apply” button to submit your application. The deadline is 2024-01-21.

To qualify for third-cycle (Doctoral) courses and study programmes, you must have a second-cycle (Master’s) qualification. Alternatively, you must have conducted a minimum of four years of full-time study, of which a minimum of one year at second-cycle level.

Applicants will be selected based on their written application and CV, degree project, copies of their degree certificate and transcript of records from previous first and second-cycle studies at a university or higher education institution, two personal references, and knowledge of English. More information about the English language requirements can be found here: https://www.slu.se/en/education/programmes-courses/doctoral-studies/application-admission-doctoral-studies/

Please note that applicants invited to interview must submit attested copies of their degree certificate, or equivalent, a transcript of records from previous first and second-cycle studies at a university or higher education institution. Applicants who are not Swedish citizens need to submit an attested copy of their passport’s information page containing their photograph and personal details.

Read about the PhD education at SLU at www.slu.se/en/education/programmes-courses/doctoral-studies/

Academic union representatives
https://internt.slu.se/en/my-employment/employee-associations/kontaktpersoner-vid-rekrytering/


The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) has a key role in the development for sustainable life, based on science and education. Through our focus on the interaction between humans, animals and ecosystems and the responsible use of natural resources, we contribute to sustainable societal development and good living conditions on our planet. Our main campuses are located in Alnarp, Umeå and Uppsala, however, the university also operates at research stations, experimental forests and teaching sites throughout Sweden.

SLU has around 3,000 employees, 5,000 students and doctoral students and a turnover of over SEK 3 billion. We are investing in attractive environments on all of our campuses. We strive to provide a work environment characterised by inclusivity and gender equality, where different experiences generate conversations between people and pave the way for science, creativity and development. Therefore, we welcome applications from people with diverse backgrounds and perspectives.