Project Description

PhD Subject: Environmental Engineering, specializing in Hydraulics and Technical Hydrology

The Department of Sustainable Development, Environmental Science and Engineering (https://www.kth.se/en/seed (https://www.kth.se/en/seed)) invites applications for a fully funded PhD position within a research project focused on the development of global indicators based on Earth observations, machine learning-based prediction systems, and data assimilation methods to improve forecasts of transitions from drought to flooding.

The PhD candidate will work at the intersection of hydrology, remote sensing, machine learning, and seasonal forecasting, contributing to high-impact scientific publications.

The project's three main innovative elements are:

• Harmonization and integration of multiple Earth observation sources for climate-driving factors to design comprehensive indicators for transitions from drought to flooding;
• Development of predictive machine learning models for consecutive hydrological events (from drought to flooding), considering the spatial and temporal interactions between different hydro-climatic drivers;
• Combining data assimilation methods with predictive machine learning models to enhance seasonal forecasts for successive hydrological extreme events (from drought to flooding) by integrating near real-time data from Earth observations of hydro-climatic variables globally.

Supervision: Luigia Brandimarte (KTH) is proposed as the main supervisor for the PhD candidate, along with Andrea Nascetti (KTH) and Maurizio Mazzoleni (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam) proposed to supervise the candidate. Decisions will be made upon admission.

Eligibility for Admission

To be admitted to doctoral studies (Chapter 7, Section 39 of the Higher Education Ordinance), the applicant must have basic eligibility:

• completed a master's degree, or
• completed course requirements of at least 240 higher education credits, of which at least 60 higher education credits at an advanced level, or
• acquired equivalent knowledge in some other way, within or outside the country.

To be admitted to the doctoral program in environmental engineering, the applicant must have completed courses totaling at least 60 higher education credits at an advanced level (second cycle) in environmental engineering or other subjects deemed directly relevant to the chosen specialization. These eligibility requirements may also be considered fulfilled by an applicant who has acquired equivalent knowledge in some other way.

In addition to the above, there is also a mandatory requirement for English corresponding to English B/6.

Selection

To succeed in your doctoral studies at KTH, you need to be goal-oriented and persistent in your work. In the selection of applicants, the ability to:

• independently drive their work forward,
• collaborate with others,
• maintain a professional approach, and
• analyze and work with complex issues will be assessed.

Great emphasis will be placed on academic results and completed courses; previous specialization in hydrology/hydraulics is particularly relevant. The candidate is expected to have a strong quantitative background, and documented experience in statistics and time series analysis is considered meritorious. Knowledge of machine learning/deep learning methods is desirable, as well as experience working with large datasets.

After the eligibility requirements, great importance will be placed on personal qualities.

Target Degree: Doctorate

Information on Admission and Employment

Only those who have been admitted to doctoral studies may be employed as PhD candidates. The total employment period may not exceed what corresponds to full-time doctoral education for four years. An employed PhD candidate may, to a limited extent (maximum 20%), perform certain tasks within e.g., education and administration. A new employment as a PhD candidate is valid for a maximum of one year, after which the employment may be renewed for a maximum of two years at a time. For studies concluding with a licentiate degree, the total employment period may not exceed what corresponds to full-time doctoral education for two years.

As a PhD candidate, you will benefit from KTH's employment benefits and receive a monthly salary according to KTH's agreement for doctoral salaries. Read more about Doctoral Studies at KTH | KTH | Sweden.

Union Representatives

Contact information for union representatives.

The Doctoral Section (Student Union of the Royal Institute of Technology)

Contact information for the doctoral section.

Application

You apply via KTH's recruitment system. As an applicant, you have the primary responsibility for ensuring that your application is complete when submitted.

The application must be received by KTH no later than the last application day at midnight, CET/CEST (Central European Time/Central European Summer Time).

The application should include the following content:

• CV with relevant professional experiences and skills.
• Cover letter with a brief account of why you want to pursue doctoral studies, your academic interests, and how they relate to your previous studies and future goals. (Max 2 pages)
• Copies of diplomas and transcripts from previous university studies and certificates of fulfilled language requirements (see above). Translations into English or Swedish if the original document is not issued in one of these languages. Copies of originals must be certified.
• Representative publications or technical reports. For longer documents, please attach a summary (abstract) and a web link to the full text.

Other

For information on the processing of personal data in connection with recruitment.

It may occur that an employment at KTH is placed in a security class. If this is the case for this employment, a security review of the applicant will be conducted in accordance with the Security Protection Act (2018:585) after consent. In these cases, a prerequisite for employment is that the applicant is approved after the security review.

We kindly ask for no direct contact with staffing and recruitment companies or sellers of job advertisements.

Become a part of KTH

KTH shapes the future through education, research, and innovation. As a leading international technical university, we play an active role in driving and participating in the transition to a sustainable society. Here, you are offered the opportunity to grow and develop in a creative and dynamic workplace with good working conditions and benefits. Equality, diversity, and equal opportunities are quality issues and an obvious part of KTH's values as a university and government authority.

https://www.kth.se/om/jobba-pa-kth (https://www.kth.se/om/jobba-pa-kth)