Jobs:Job-01391
Apply before: 3 November 2023
|
Posting:
Position: PhD student
Apply before: 3 November 2023
|
Project description
This project deciphers the hydrological regime of Baltic coastal wetlands from space. We will combine deep learning, earth observations and hydrogeodesy to quantify changes in water surface extent, water levels and hydrological connectivity in these wetlands. Our guidelines will provide researchers on coastal Baltic ecosystems, marine geoscientists and hydrologists with the knowledge required to understand the hydrology of the coastal interface, quantify its carbon balance and protect and restore its ecosystems.
Coastal wetlands are ecosystems that provide multiple ecosystem services and promote sustainable development. They protect coasts, support biodiversity, regulate groundwater and soil moisture, mitigate floods and sequester carbon. Understanding the coastal hydrological regime is crucial to quantify these services. The hydrological regime relates to the interannual and seasonal variability in the water surface extent, water levels and hydrologic connectivity of a wetland. For example, road infrastructure decreases wetland water connectivity, while wetland drainage decreases water levels and the extent of water surfaces. The hydrological regime should be quantified to guarantee optimal water depths for aquatic fauna and vegetation and to target climate change mitigation by avoiding critical inundation levels that maximise methane emissions.
Understanding the hydrological regime would solve three critical research questions. First, some wetland water surfaces are hidden below vegetation, hindering their detection from space, so we ignore how water extent changes over time. Second, water levels are seldom monitored on-site due to logistic and cost constraints, so we do not know how water levels change at short and long spatial scales. Third, we ignore how water level and hydrological connectivity regulate methane emissions in these coastal areas. Current advances in deep learning applications for earth observations, availability of state-of-the-art earth observations and new hydrogeodesy techniques to detect water levels are finally aligned to address these limitations.
The project’s objectives are:
(1) Quantify comprehensive coastal wetland water surfaces (open water and below vegetation) and their changes, (2) Quantify the spatial and temporal variability of water levels, and (3) Define the hydrological controls of ecosystems and carbon fluxes in these coastal wetlands.
We will focus on the coastal wetlands of the mid-Baltic, both in Sweden and Finland, and comprising the regions where multidisciplinary studies on the coast are ongoing. The long-term aim is to combine this hydrological information with that of other disciplines for a holistic understanding of the role and functions of coastal Baltic Systems.
This position is part of the interdisciplinary graduate school “Perspectives on climate change in coastal seas”. It is directed to students interested in pursuing a doctoral degree in marine and environmental sciences addressing the role of the coastal zone in climate feedbacks. You will join a network of students and scientists in natural and social sciences at Stockholm University who explore coastal zones in the Baltic Sea. Read more at su.se/balticseacentre/graduateschool.
Qualification requirements
In order to meet the general entry requirements, the applicant must have completed a second-cycle degree, completed courses equivalent to at least 240 higher education credits, of which 60 credits must be in the second cycle, or have otherwise acquired equivalent knowledge in Sweden or elsewhere.
In order to meet the specific entry requirements, and to fulfil the general syllabus for doctoral studies in the field of physical geography, the candidate for this position should have acquired a total of 240 higher education credits (of which at least 60 at advanced level), or acquired in some alternative fashion, the equivalent knowledge in geoscience, environmental science or other relevant natural or engineering science. The qualification requirements must be met by the deadline for applications.
The qualification requirements must be met by the deadline for applications.
Selection
The selection of the eligible candidates will be based on their capacity to benefit from the training. The following criteria will be used to assess this capacity:
- Master Education completed with Hydrology/remote sensing background
- Programming skills
- Written and oral proficiency in English
- The candidate’s written motivation for seeking the position
- Performance in the Interview for shortlisted candidates
- Previous experience in any of the following is an asset: google engine, hydrological modelling, altimetry, remote sensing and machine learning.
Experience in hydrology, remote sensing and machine learning are an asset to the position.
Admission Regulations for Doctoral Studies at Stockholm University are available at: www.su.se/rules and regulations.
Terms of employment
Only a person who will be or has already been admitted to a third-cycle programme may be appointed to a doctoral studentship.
The term of the initial contract may not exceed one year. The employment may be extended for a maximum of two years at a time. However, the total period of employment may not exceed the equivalent of four years of full-time study.
Doctoral students should primarily devote themselves to their own education but may engage in teaching, research, and administration, corresponding to a maximum of 20 % of a full-time position.
Please note that admission decisions cannot be appealed.
Stockholm University strives to be a workplace free from discrimination and with equal opportunities for all.
Contact
For more information, please contact Docent Fernando Jaramillo, telephone, fernando.jaramillo@natego.su.se.
Union representatives
Ingrid Lander (Saco-S), telephone: +46 708 16 26 64, saco@saco.su.se, Alejandra Pizarro Carrasco (Fackförbundet ST/OFR), telephone: +46 8 16 34 89, alejandra@st.su.se, seko@seko.su.se (SEKO), and PhD student representative, doktorandombud@sus.su.se.
Application
Apply for the PhD student position at Stockholm University's recruitment system. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that the application is complete in accordance with the instructions in the advertisement and that it is submitted before the deadline.
Please include the following information with your application
- Your contact details and personal data
- Your highest degree
- Your language skills
- Contact details for 2–3 references
and, in addition, please include the following documents
- Cover letter
- CV – degrees and other completed courses, work experience and a list of degree projects/theses
- Project proposal/Research proposal describing:
- why you are interested in the field/project described in the advertisement
- why and how you wish to complete the project
- what makes you suitable for the project in question
- Degree certificates and grades confirming that you meet the general and specific entry requirements (no more than 6 files)
- Letters of recommendation (no more than 6 files)
- Degree projects/theses (no more than 6 files).
The instructions for applicants are available at: How to apply for a position (https://www.su.se/english/about-the-university/work-at-su/how-to-apply-for-a-position).
You are welcome to apply!
Stockholm University contributes to the development of sustainable democratic society through knowledge, enlightenment and the pursuit of truth.
