Postdoctoral fellow within remote sensing of forests

About the position

Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management at Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) has a vacant three-year Postdoctoral position related to remote sensing of forests funded by NMBU. 

The postdoctoral researcher will join a team of biology, soil and remote sensing (RS) scientists on the project PREDICT (https://www.nmbu.no/en/research/projects/predict). We will fill critical knowledge gaps in our mechanistic understanding of the climate-driven limitations, tipping points and resilience of boreal forest ecosystems to the rapidly changing climate. Our main objective is to establish a state-of-the-art, long-term monitoring and research network for boreal forests in Norway, greatly expanding upon an already established pilot network of sites with dendrometer and RS-monitoring in southeast Norway. 

We will link tree growth, structure and health indices derived from RS data with ground-based monitoring of tree health and vitality (via dendrometers and health assessments). The postdoctoral fellow will apply high-spatial multispectral, hyperspectral and lidar data from drones, airplanes and satellites. Climate impacts will be monitored on individual trees and at landscape level during the growing season. The results will provide detailed insights into the impacts of climate change on boreal forests and improve our ability to predict, monitor and mitigate the impacts of climate change on boreal forests.

Main tasks

The main tasks will include:

• Investigating the applicability of RS-acquired spectral and structural properties of individual trees to describe responses to climatic variation. 
• Modelling growing season variation at individual tree and local scale using high-resolution multispectral and lidar data acquired from drones.
• Combining field measurements together with data from airborne and satellite borne sensors for landscape-level monitoring of ecosystem responses to climatic variation.

Publish scientific papers and interact with stakeholders.

Competence

Required Academic qualifications

• PhD within remote sensing, forest sciences, natural resource management, ecology or a related field
• Competence  in remote sensing
• Competence in statistics and advanced analytics

The following experiences and skills will be emphasized:

• Experience with use and processing of lidar, multi- and hyperspectral data of vegetation
• Experience using remotely sensed data acquired from different platforms (drones, airborne, satellites) 
• Experience from boreal forest ecosystems
• Experience in programming (R, Python, JavaScript)
• Fieldwork experience
• Driver's license

You need to have:

• Strong scientific capacity and analytical skills. 
• Curiosity and eagerness to explore new research ideas.
• Good social and collaboration skills. 
• Ability to work independently. 
• Strong English capabilities, both oral and written. 

Remuneration and further information

The position is placed in government pay scale position code 1352 Postdoctoral Fellow, salary grade 62 - 77 (NOK 604900 - 796600), depending on qualifications. The position follows ordinary meriting regulations.

For further information, please contact Associate Professor Hans Ole Ørka, E-mail: hans.ole.orka@nmbu.no; phone +47 95240197 or Professor Line Nybakken E-mail: line.nybakken@nmbu.no, +47 91886538.

Information to applicants (https://www.nmbu.no/om/adm/poa/rekruttering/viktig-informasjon-for-s-kere/information-for-jobseekers-at-nmbu)

Application

To apply online for this vacancy, please click on the 'Apply for this job' button above. This will route you to the University's Web Recruitment System, where you will need to register an account (if you have not already) and log in before completing the online application form.

Application deadline: November 19th, 2024

Your CV must be entered in JobbNorge's CV form and not just included as an attachment. This is to be able to comply with the regulations of §15 of the Public Administration Act.

Up to ten publications selected by the applicant as most relevant must be attached to the application. If it is difficult to identify the contribution of the applicant in multiple-author publications, a short explanation about the applicant's part of the work is suggested. 

Printed material which cannot be sent electronically should be sent by surface mail to Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, P.O. Box 5003, NO-1432 Ås, within 19.11.2024. Please quote reference number 24/05457. 

Applicants invited for an interview will be asked to present verified copies of diplomas and certificates.

Please note that the report from the expert committee will be sent to all applicants.

About The Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management

The Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management (MINA) works with nature and the environment, sustainable use of natural resources, biological and geological processes.

MINA's employees undertake teaching, research and dissemination within the fields of geology, hydrology and limnology, soil science, environmental chemistry, forestry, ecology, natural resource management, renewable energy, and nature-based tourism.

Our vision is to be a key actor in knowledge production and dissemination, and our goal is to deliver research of high, international quality, and varied and excellent teaching. The faculty's employees are significant participants within their respective fields of expertise, both nationally and internationally. The faculty is dominated by a vital research culture and high levels of scientific production.

The faculty has about 200 employees, 90 PhD students and 650 students.

Read more about MINA here (https://www.nmbu.no/en/faculty/mina).