Three Postdoctoral research positions in radar remote sensing

The Department of Space, Earth and Environment contains five divisions, with research and education spanning from global challenges related to sustainability and energy supply to astronomy and space sciences. The department is host to two major infrastructures, Onsala Space Observatory and Chalmers Power Central, and consists of about 250 employees.

The Division of Microwave and Optical Remote Sensing is involved in research based on measurement infrastructures which acquire remote sensing data (ground-based, aircraft and satellite). The goal of the division is to perform environmental-related research using microwave and optical remote sensing. The research is conducted by combining measurement data and mathematical models to estimate relevant variables. The research area is international and spans a variety of disciplines and applications.

A) Postdoctoral researcher in radar remote sensing of sea ice dynamics
The drift of sea ice influences the distribution of heat and salinity in ice-covered ocean regions and is important for modelling and monitoring of the polar regions. Information about drift and deformation of sea ice is also important for ship navigation as well as coastal and offshore activities. Satellite radar is used for observations of sea ice and algorithms for determination of drift and deformation are being developed. These algorithms will be further developed, tested and applied.

A major part of the research is funded by the European Space Agency and will be conducted in the project “Synergistic Use of L- and C-band SAR Satellites for Sea Ice Monitoring”. One goal of this project is to use information about sea ice drift and deformation to align images from different satellites, which in turn will allow comparison of sensor capabilities and assessment of enhanced sea ice classification and monitoring.

B) Postdoctoral researcher in radar remote sensing of forest dynamics
Climate change is affecting the Earth's forests and new research is needed in observational techniques that will increase the knowledge of how forest ecosystems are developing. Ground-based and satellite measurements in combination with statistical retrieval algorithms are needed to address this challenge. Chalmers offers a unique research environment which focuses on using advanced microwave instruments to measure relevant variables using equipment installed on different platforms (tower, aircraft and satellites).

The research project is centred around the BorealScat tower radar, which acquires time series of electromagnetic reflectivity at a boreal forest site in southern Sweden. The objective of the research is to study the influence of weather and moisture on the radar measurements. BorealScat is a multi-frequency, multi-polarization radar based on a 20-port vector network analyzer which operates in tomographic and Doppler modes. The main aim of the research project is to develop new observational methods using radar for quantifying the forest-atmosphere water exchange. To fulfil the aims, the project will relocate BorealScat to an ICOS (Integrated Carbon Observation System) eddy covariance flux tower site in order to make use of existing infrastructures and exploit scientific synergies. The project is funded by Vetenskapsrådet (Swedish Research Council).

C) Postdoctoral researcher in radar remote sensing of ocean surface dynamics
Accurate information about sea surface currents is important for a number of applications, including ocean modelling, ship navigation and monitoring of oil spill, plastic, algae bloom and plankton. Despite the clear need, there are few operational observations of sea surface currents. Satellite observations of sea surface currents are therefore highly desirable.

The objective of the research is to assess alternative methods for satellite observations of submesoscale ocean surface dynamics with a focus on coastal areas and marginal seas. The main sensor, used to retrieve the ocean parameters, is Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR). The project is funded by the Swedish National Space Agency.

Major responsibilities
Your main responsibility as post-doctoral researcher will be to perform your own research within the aims and tasks mentioned in the project information above.

The responsibilities include documentation or your work and dissemination of results in scientific papers and project reports. Project results should be presented at project meetings and external conferences.

Up to 20% of teaching responsibilities on undergraduate or master's levels or supervising master's and/or PhD students may be included in the position.

Qualifications
You must have a PhD degree, i.e. at the time when the employment starts, in radar remote sensing, electrical engineering, physics, physical oceanography or related disciplines and you must have a solid background in mathematics, physics and programming.

The position requires verbal and writing skills in English. Teaching experience from Bachelor- or Master-level courses in electrical engineering or physics 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.

Specific qualifications for positions on sea ice dynamics and on ocean surface dynamics: You must have working experience of processing and analysis of synthetic aperture radar data and of work with oceanographic or meteorological data and models.

Specific qualifications for position on forest dynamics: You must have working experience of developing radio-frequency measurement systems including relevant programming skills.

Application deadline: 7 August, 2020

To read more and apply, please click here.

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