PhD scholarship on assessing land use change on national and subnational scales using remote sensing time series CLOSED

The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) envisions a more equitable world where forestry and landscapes enhance the environment and well-being for all. CIFOR is a nonprofit, scientific institution that conducts research on the most pressing challenges of forest and landscape management around the world. Using a global, multidisciplinary approach, we aim to improve human well-being, protect the environment and increase equity. To do so, we conduct innovative research, develop partners’ capacity and actively engage in dialogue with all stakeholders to inform policies and practices that affect forests and people. CIFOR is a CGIAR Research Center, and leads the CGIAR Research Program on Forests, Trees and Agroforestry (FTA). Our headquarters are in Bogor, Indonesia, with offices in Nairobi, Kenya; Yaoundé, Cameroon; and Lima, Peru.
 

CIFOR is looking for
PhD scholarship on assessing land use change on national and subnational scales using remote sensing time series

 
Overview
The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), Bogor, Indonesia and the Laboratory of Geo-information Science and Remote Sensing (www.wageningenUR.nl/grs) at Wageningen University & Research (WUR) jointly offer a 4-year PhD scholarship on the topic of land use changes in the (sub)tropics in the context of climate change and forests (REDD+).

CIFOR advances human well-being, environmental conservation and equity by conducting research to inform policies and practices that affect forests in developing countries. CIFOR (https://www2.cifor.org/) is one of 15 centers within the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). The headquarters are in Bogor, Indonesia, with offices in Asia, Africa and South America.

WUR’s mission is to explore the potential of nature to improve people’s quality of life, while the mission of the Center of Geo-information is to improve spatial competencies for a sustainable world through research and education. At WUR (http://www.wur.nl/en.htm), people from over 80 countries work together. We enjoy an excellent reputation internationally when it comes to conducting research and providing education. WUR is listed within the top six of the important citation indexes within its domain.

The position

The scholarship is provided by CIFOR and WUR with a monthly stipend of €1700 for a maximum of 4 years. Additional funds for travel and fieldwork are available. The PhD research will be conducted mainly at the Centre for Geo-information at WUR and the related Graduate School (www.pe-rc.nl) under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Martin Herold (WUR) and Dr. Christopher Martius (CIFOR); work will be undertaken in collaboration with CIFOR and its partners. The candidate is also expected to spend time at CIFOR’s headquarters in Bogor, Indonesia, and to engage in fieldwork and international exchanges and meetings in REDD+ countries, according to a mutually agreed work plan that is to be established. The PhD degree at WUR requires course work of 32 European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) and the successful defense of the PhD theses. The expected start is in January 2019.

Thematic focus

The PhD scholar will be part of the research project ”Global Comparative Study on REDD+” (GCS), led by CIFOR; in particular, work will center around Module 3 on forest monitoring systems and reference levels. The assessment of land use activities related to forest change at the (sub)national scale is crucial for the design of national REDD+ monitoring and mitigation activities to reduce deforestation and forest degradation as well as to enhance forest sinks. The research will involve the use of time series of remote sensing data (i.e. from Landsat, Sentinels), in combination with existing regional and global remote sensing-based products, to provide country- and region-specific estimates of land use changes related to deforestation. The candidate should be familiar with advanced tools in satellite remote sensing to assess forest and land dynamics, to undertake time series analysis and machine learning, and to assess and estimate related land use changes. The PhD research will contribute to the development of methods and innovative approaches to estimate land use change processes leading to forest loss. This should lead to better information to assess the drivers of forest change for different countries to support their nationally determined contributions (NDCs), implementation strategies and subnational targeting of mitigation activities. In addition, it will increase transparency and engagement with stakeholders relevant for mitigation of forest- and agriculture-related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Requirements

• A motivated researcher with MSc degree and relevant experience in data science, remote sensing, machine learning, environmental science, geography, land change science or a related field is sought.
• Strong English skills are fundamental.
• Technical skills to handle spatial data and remote sensing time series are essential.

Experience of and willingness to work with and in developing tropical countries are expected.

Terms and conditions

• The scholarship is provided by CIFOR with a monthly stipend of €1700 for a maximum of 4 years.
• Additional funds for travel and fieldwork are available.
• The duty station will be in Wageningen, the Netherlands.
• The PhD research is conducted mainly at the Laboratory of Geo-information Science and Remote Sensing and the related Graduate School (www.pe-rc.nl) under the supervision of a Professor at WUR in close collaboration with and under the supervision of the Team Leader of CIFOR, with the involvement of CIFOR partners.
• The candidates are also expected to spend some time at CIFOR’s headquarters in Bogor, Indonesia, and to engage in fieldwork and international exchange and meetings in REDD+ countries, according to a mutually agreed work plan that is to be established.
• The PhD degree at Wageningen University requires course work of 32 ECTS and the successful defense of the PhD thesis.
• The work is expected to start early in 2019.
• We particularly encourage female researchers and researchers from developing countries to apply.

Application process

• The application deadline is 30 September 2018.
• We will acknowledge all applications, but will contact only short-listed candidate

The application should include:

• a letter about your motivation (max. 2 pages)
• CV, including list of publications
• transcript from your Master’s degree and a copy of the MSc thesis
• contact details of up to three referees (letters of recommendation may be requested at a later stage)

Please send your application to:

Human Resources Department, CIFOR

cifor-hr-jobs@cgiar.org

Please indicate the position and its reference number in the email subject line.

To learn more about CIFOR, please visit our website at https://www2.cifor.org

CIFOR is an equal opportunity employer. Staff diversity contributes to excellence.

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1826 PhD scholarship on assessing land use [English]