Postdoc in the application of AI for wildlife conservation & management

Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies
The Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies (WFE), SLU, Umeå, is looking for a postdoc with strong interests in wildlife conservation technology. She/he will work within Viltbild, a collaborative project between SLU and the Swedish Association for Hunting and Wildlife Management (SAHWM) aimed at collecting, processing and analysing data on a wide range of wildlife species from camera traps. The vision is that Viltbild becomes an important citizen-science platform where images collected by hunters and other stakeholders contribute to monitoring, conservation and management of diverse wildlife species in Sweden. The successful applicant will lead the development of AI components of the Viltbild’s web portal and be part of a growing conservation technology hub at WFE. The ambition is that she/he will also perform cutting-edge science on AI and wildlife ecology.

The department offers a creative, stimulating, and highly international environment and performs internationally recognised research, education and environmental monitoring in the research areas: animal ecology, aquatic ecology, molecular ecology and restoration ecology (see https://www.slu.se/en/departments/wildlife-fish-environmental-studies/research/). The department has many international employees and well-established national and international collaborations, which gives opportunities for fruitful exchange.

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/

Duties:
The successful candidate will develop machine learning algorithms and analytical tools to analyse wildlife images from camera traps and closely work with Viltbild’s core project team consisting of Dr. Tim Hofmeester, Associate Prof. Joris Cromsigt and Associate Prof. Fredrik Widemo (SLU) and Filip Ånöstam (SAHWM). You will also closely collaborate with other project members as well as test users and students. You will develop machine learning algorithms that can automatically identify Scandinavian mammal species and/or separate adult and juvenile animals from camera trap images, as well as develop new analytical features to process this data into relevant outputs for wildlife conservation and management. You will also perform cutting-edge research and methods development, including the writing of scientific articles, in the field of conservation technology, and more specifically AI and wildlife ecology. There will be a lot of room to develop own research interests related to the application of AI to camera trapping images.

Qualifications:
Applicants should either hold i) a PhD in computer science, data science, machine learning or a similar subject, or ii) a PhD in ecology or similar with strong interest in technical solutions in wildlife monitoring and experience with complex quantitative models. We are looking for a highly motivated and team-oriented candidate with documented experience with AI and image recognition. An affinity with wildlife ecology and/or management and with the use of camera traps count as a merit. An understanding of the Swedish language, or strong willingness to learn basic Swedish within the first 6 months, will also be a merit.

As postdoctoral appointments are career-developing positions for junior researchers, we are primarily looking for candidates with a doctoral degree that is three years old at most.
Place of work:
Umeå

Form of employment:
Temporary employment, 24 months

Extent:
100%

Starting date:
1 December 2022 or according to agreement

Application:
We welcome your application no later than 2022-10-15, use the button below.

Specific documents attached: CV including list of publications, maximum five papers, a description of earlier research (maximum two pages), of current research interest and the research that you would like to conduct within the position (maximum two pages), name and address to at least two reference persons. We may ask you to send you PhD thesis at a later stage.

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



The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) is a world-class international university with research, education and environmental assessment within the sciences for sustainable life. Its principal sites are in Alnarp, Umeå and Uppsala, but activities are also conducted at research stations, experimental parks and educational establishments throughout Sweden. We bring together people who have different perspectives, but they all have one and the same goal: to create the best conditions for a sustainable, thriving and better world.

SLU has just over 3,000 employees, 5,000 students and a turnover of SEK 3 billion. The university has invested heavily in a modern, attractive environment on its campuses.

www.slu.se