Department of Forest Resource Management
We are looking for someone who wants to work on mapping understorey vegetation (USV) in forests using advanced AI, satellite data, and field observations, with the goal of enhancing biodiversity monitoring, forest management, and ecosystem tracking across diverse conditions in Sweden.
About the position
Understorey vegetation (USV) plays a vital role in forest ecosystems, contributing to forest structure, nutrient cycling, and biodiversity while providing resources like berries and shelter for wildlife. Despite its importance, mapping USV accurately remains challenging due to canopy obstruction. The work is planned to enhance USV mapping by combining satellite data, including spectral and structural variables, with field observations from Sweden's National Forest Inventory and environmental data like soil moisture and terrain maps. Thus the Postdoc will work to develop or integrate advanced AI algorithms and traditional models to predict USV species and coverage, and validate using remote sensing data and tested across different site conditions. The work will also involve integrating optical and SAR data and conducting time-series analyses, with aim to improve accuracy and track changes in USV over time. The work is carried out in English language.

Your profile
The applicant must have:

• A doctoral degree in technology in the subject forest management or any relevant discipline.
• Documented experience in remote sensing using the following techniques:  TLS, ALS, SAR and image data from drones.
• Proficiency in English for communication and scientific writing. Candidates must demonstrate their ability to deliver quality written English by appending a past personal work (e.g. PhD thesis, published articles) to their application.
• Swedish driver’s license or international license valid in Sweden.
• A position as a postdoctor is intended for a researcher early in their career, we are therefore primarily looking for candidates who completed their doctoral degree no more than three years ago. 

Merits are:

• Documented experience in remote sensing using other technology’s than listed above.
• Competence in GIS, programming, computational software for modelling.
• Knowledge about - or experience of – Swedish forest or ecology are considered merits.
• Great emphasis is placed on personal qualities such as analytical and problem solving ability, ability to work independently and collaborative ability.

About us
The Department of Forest Resource Management conducts education and research in the areas of forest planning, forest remote sensing, forest inventory and sampling, forest mathematical statistics and landscape studies. The department is also responsible for the implementation of the ongoing environmental monitoring programs the National Forest Inventory, The National Inventories of the Landscapes in Sweden, Terrestrial Habitat Monitoring and the Butterfly and Bumblebee Inventory. In total, we are about 110 employees. More information can be found here. 

Read more about our benefits and working at SLU by visiting: https://www.slu.se/en/about-slu/work-at-slu/

Location
Umeå

Form of employment
Temporary employment 24 months, with the possibility of extension.

Scope
100%

Start date
As agreed.

Application
Please submit your application before deadline 15 January 2025. You can submit your application by clicking the button below.

Union representatives
https://internt.slu.se/en/my-employment/employee-associations/kontaktpersoner-vid-rekrytering/

 

The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) has a key role in the development for sustainable life, based on science and education. Through our focus on the interaction between humans, animals and ecosystems and the responsible use of natural resources, we contribute to sustainable societal development and good living conditions on our planet. Our main campuses are located in Alnarp, Umeå and Uppsala, however, the university also operates at research stations, experimental forests and teaching sites throughout Sweden.

SLU has around 3,000 employees, 5,000 students and doctoral students and a turnover of over SEK 3 billion. We are investing in attractive environments on all of our campuses. We strive to provide a work environment characterised by inclusivity and gender equality, where different experiences generate conversations between people and pave the way for science, creativity and development. Therefore, we welcome applications from people with diverse backgrounds and perspectives.