Postdoc in radar remote sensing of ground motion

Motion of the ground can cause damage to buildings, bridges, dams, roads and other infrastructure. Ground motion therefore needs to be monitored and considered in spatial planning. Ground motion can e.g. be caused by changing climate or human activities like construction work, mining or pumping of water or gas. Chalmers now look for a postdoc that want to work with Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) for monitoring of ground motion.

Information about the project
The aim of the project is to introduce a nationwide motion service for Sweden that is based on InSAR data and has the potential to be used in a number of areas such as climate adaptation, spatial planning and infrastructure monitoring. The project will be carried out in collaboration with Norway's geological survey and will validate data and evaluate public benefit to provide a recommendation for whether a corresponding service should be introduced permanently or not. The project will make a scientific analysis of data together with expertise at Chalmers and a broad analysis of the public benefit together with the Governmental board for Copernicus (18 agencies).

As a postdoc in this project you will be part of the Division of Microwave and Optical Remote Sensing at the Department of Space, Earth and Environment.

Major responsibilities
The post-doctoral researcher will, in close collaboration with members of the project team, be responsible for
- validation and quality assessment of ground motion data from InSAR through comparisons with data from GNSS stations in the SWEPOS network.
- analysis of possible causes for deviations, e.g. delay due to water vapor in the atmosphere
- proposing and evaluating potential improvements in the data processing

The post-doctoral researcher will also
- Write project reports and scientific papers related to the tasks above.
- Present project results at project meetings and external conferences.

Up to 20% of teaching responsibilities may be included in the position.

Position summary
Full-time temporary employment. The position is limited to a maximum of two years (1+1).

Qualifications
You must have a PhD degree, i.e. at the time when the employment starts, in radar remote sensing, electrical engineering, geophysics, physics, space geodesy or related disciplines and you must have a solid background in mathematics, physics and programming; the degree should generally not be older than three years. To qualify for the position, you must have working experience of processing and analysis of interferometric synthetic aperture radar data and of work with data of ground motion (e.g. caused by Earth quakes, subsidence or glacier flow). The position requires verbal and writing skills in English.

Experience with high precision GNSS observations, validation campaigns for SAR or GNSS or measurements of atmospheric water vapor is a merit, as well as verbal and writing skills in Swedish. A genuine interest and curiosity in the research field is needed for the position.

Chalmers continuously strives to be an attractive employer. Equality and diversity are substantial foundations in all activities at Chalmers.

Our offer to you
Chalmers offers a cultivating and inspiring working environment in the dynamic city of Gothenburg. 
Read more about working at Chalmers and our benefits for employees.

Application procedure
The application should be marked with Ref 20200495 and written in English. The application should be sent electronically and be attached as pdf-files, as below:

CV: (Please name the document as: CV, Surname, Ref. number) including:
• CV, include complete list of publications
• Previous teaching and pedagogical experiences
• Two references that we can contact.

Personal letter: (Please name the document as: Personal letter, Family name, Ref. number)
1-3 pages where you:
• Introduce yourself
• Describe your previous research fields and main research results
• Describe your future goals and future research focus

Other documents:
• Attested copies of completed education, grades and other certificates.

Please use the button at the foot of the page to reach the application form. The files may be compressed (zipped).

Application deadline: 29 November, 2020

For questions, please contact:
Associate Professor Leif Eriksson, Microwave and Optical Remote Sensing, Department of Space, Earth and Environment
E-mail: leif.eriksson@chalmers.se
Phone: +46 31 7724856

*** Chalmers declines to consider all offers of further announcement publishing or other types of support for the recruiting process in connection with this position. *** 
   



Chalmers University of Technology conducts research and education in engineering sciences, architecture, technology-related mathematical sciences, natural and nautical sciences, working in close collaboration with industry and society. The strategy for scientific excellence focuses on our six Areas of Advance; Energy, Health Engineering, Information and Communication Technology, Materials Science, Production and Transport. The aim is to make an active contribution to a sustainable future using the basic sciences as a foundation and innovation and entrepreneurship as the central driving forces. Chalmers has around 11,000 students and 3,000 employees. New knowledge and improved technology have characterised Chalmers since its foundation in 1829, completely in accordance with the will of William Chalmers and his motto: Avancez!