Postdoctoral fellowship stipend on quantifying forest albedo in a managed and natural forest chronosequence study system

Ref SLU.ua.2023.2.5.1-1548

Institutionen för skogens ekologi och skötsel

We are offering a two year post doc stipend sponsered by Kempe  foundation. After these two years we plan to advertise for a two year salaried post doc position within the same research field. The Post Doc will sit at the Department of Forest Ecology and Management at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) in Umeå. The department includes about 100 people, of which 11 are professors. Our mission is to advance the understanding of forest ecosystems and how these should be managed today and in the future. For more information http://www.slu.se/en/departments/forest-ecology-management/

Society is actively debating the role of forests and forestry as strategies for mitigating and adapting to climate change. Most of this discussion is focused on the role of forests in the global carbon cycle, whereas it is well known that boreal forest have a warming effect on the global climate via their low albedo. Despite this, very little research to date has evaluated how albedo varies as stands develop, and how this differs between managed and natural stands that are subjected to wildfire disturbance. We seek a post doc to investigate these questions. The Post doc will begin as a stipend for two years, after these two years the successful candidate can apply for the two year position that we plan to advertise for. The project will be led by Professor Michael Gundale, Drs. Maja Sundqvist and Zsofia Stangl (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SLU), Professor Dan Metcalf (Umeå University), and Research Professor Ryan Bright (Norwegian Institute for Bioeconomy Research).  The post-doc is expected to compile satellite images, in order to estimate annual albedo estimates for a well-defined study system in Northern Sweden.  

Qualifications:

Successful candidates will have a PhD in a discipline such as Forestry, Remote Sensing, Ecosystem Ecology, Earth System Science, or any relevant area of study resulting in relevant skills for the Post Doc project area.  The ideal candidate would already have experience working with satellite imagery to estimate albedo.  However, in absence of direct experience working with satellite imagery or albedo, the candidate should be willing and interested to self-learn.  The candidate should also have experience working with georeferenced data, and large datasets.  Very good command of the English language is also required, both written and spoken. We are primarily looking for candidates with a doctoral degree that is three years old at most.  

Place of work:

Umeå  

Extent:

100%

Starting date:

According to agreement. 

Application:

We welcome your application no later than August 31 2023, use the button below.

Your application should contain: (1) a cover letter summarizing your research accomplishments and how you could contribute to the research project, (2) Curriculum Vitae, (3) publication list, (4) transcripts of relevant degree certificates and publications, and (5) Contact details of 2-3 references.  

Academic union representatives:

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

Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet (SLU) har en nyckelroll i utvecklingen för hållbart liv, grundad i vetenskap och utbildning. Genom vårt fokus på samspelen mellan människa, djur och ekosystem och ett ansvarsfullt brukande av naturresurserna bidrar vi till en hållbar samhällsutveckling och goda livsvillkor på vår planet. Huvudorter är Alnarp, Umeå och Uppsala, men verksamhet bedrivs också på forskningsstationer, försöksparker och utbildningsorter i hela landet. SLU har drygt 3000 medarbetare, 5000 studenter och forskarstuderande och en omsättning på över tre miljarder kronor. Universitetet satsar på attraktiva miljöer på sina campusområden. Vi arbetar för en jämställd och inkluderande arbetsmiljö där öppna samtal mellan människor med olika erfarenheter lägger grunden för vetenskaplighet, kreativitet och utveckling. Vi välkomnar därför personer med olika bakgrunder och perspektiv att söka den aktuella anställningen.

Contact person

Michael Gundale

firstname.lastname@slu.se