University of Copenhagen 2020 PhD Fellowship in Assessing Trees in African Drylands

The Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management in Faculty of Science at the University of Copenhagen is inviting applications for a PhD position in assessing tree cover in African drylands using very high resolution satellite imagery and deep learning.

Project Description

Drylands cover large parts of the African land surface but their tree cover and carbon stocks are largely  unknown. This is because a large proportion of dryland trees grow isolated without canopy closure and most scientific and non-scientific interest is devoted to forests, while the density and size of trees outside of forests is not well documented. However, these non-forest trees play a crucial role for biodiversity and provide ecosystem services such as carbon storage, food resources, livelihoods and shelter for humans and animals. The limited attention devoted to the quantification of dryland trees leads to an underrepresentation of non-forest trees in development strategies and climate/vegetation models, and the economic and ecological importance of non-forest trees is largely unknown at large scale.

The project works towards a wall-to-wall identification of trees in African drylands, and study their carbon stocks and socio-environmental determinants. Trees are not only assessed as canopy fraction of an area, but as individuals, allowing to identify not only their coverage but also their density, crown size, and key ecological services. We will apply very high resolution satellite data in conjunction with fully convolutional neural networks and field surveys. Moreover, passive microwave data are used to develop dynamic canopy cover and carbon density products.

Job description

The position is available for a 3-year period and your key tasks as a PhD student at SCIENCE are:

• To manage and carry through your research project
• Attend PhD courses
• Write scientific articles and your PhD thesis
• Teach and disseminate your research
• To stay at an external research institution for a few months, preferably abroad
• Work for the department

Role of the PhD: The PhD candidate will be part of a team and involved in data preparation, processing and analyses. While the scope of the project aims at the entire African continent. The PhD topic will focus mainly on the Sahel, but the study area can be extended. More specifically, the candidate will:

• Use RapidEye, PlanetScope and DigitalGlobe satellite imagery to derive dynamic high resolution maps on tree cover, carbon density, and other related variables.
• Study tree characteristics in relation to growth patterns, environmental variables and human management.

• Table of Content
• About University of Copenhagen (UCPH)
• UCPH PhD Fellowship in Assessing Trees
• Aim and Benefits of UCPH PhD Fellowship in Assessing Trees
• Requirements for UCPH PhD Fellowship in Assessing Trees Qualification
• Application Deadline
• How to Apply

About University of Copenhagen (UCPH)

Driven by intellectual creativity and critical thinking since 1479, researchers and students at the University of Copenhagen have expanded horizons and contributed to moving the world forward. With its 5,000 researchers and 39,000 students, the University boasts an international research and study environment and is highly ranked on the leading ranking lists of the world's best universities. The University offers researchers and students the opportunity to develop their talent and launches ambitious interdisciplinary initiatives to support its strong academic communities. Through resear... continue reading

UCPH PhD Fellowship in Assessing Trees

Aim and Benefits of UCPH PhD Fellowship in Assessing Trees

• The position is covered by the Memorandum on Job Structure for Academic Staff.
• Terms of appointment and payment accord to the agreement between the Ministry of Finance and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations on Academics in the State.
• The starting salary is currently at a minimum DKK 331,125 (approx. €43,750) including annual supplement (+ pension at a minimum DKK 53,811). Negotiation for salary supplement is possible.

Requirements for UCPH PhD Fellowship in Assessing Trees Qualification

• The candidate should hold a Master of Science degree or finish latest in August 2020. A subject related to Geo- or Computerscienes is not a requirement but advantageous.
• The candidate should have good communication skills in both spoken and written English.
• Knowledge or the interest to learn machine learning applications, programming (preferably Python) remote sensing software (preferably open source) is expected.
• Knowledge on dryland vegetation (preferably Sahel) and experience in handling large remote sensing datasets is not a requirement but advantageous.
• The candidate should bring the willingness to conduct field work in West Africa (likely Senegal).

Application Deadline

How to Apply

For more details, visit UCPH website.