World Forestry

The Department of Geography and Geology, University of Copenhagen, is seeking two highly qualified scientists 1) a Post Doc researcher (2 years) and 2) a PhD-fellow (3 years) both starting June 1, 2010 or as soon as possible thereafter. These positions are part of a collaborative project, Earth Observation of long term changes in land surface moisture conditions (CaLM), with IRI, Columbia University focusing on land surface moisture and evapotranspiration mapping of continental Africa.

Based on satellite remote sensing CaLM will add to an improved understanding of land surface processes - in particular processes related to surface- and soil moisture in the unsaturated zone.

The research will contribute to selected topics within CaLM:

• Improve the understanding of the effect of vegetation cover on remotely sensed surface moisture
• Assess the response of vegetation to soil moisture variations in semi-arid environments
• Define new measures of surface moisture status by combining information from optical and infrared wavelengths (VIS; NIR; SWIR and IR)
• Develop data fusion techniques for data from polar orbiting and geostationary satellites in order to take advantage of the specific properties of the different data types.

The successful candidates will be affiliated to the Earth Observation group, part of the research group Environment and Society in Developing countries at DGG. We can offer an inspiring working environment in a dynamic and expanding group working on related subjects enabling the candidate to draw upon experiences from related research areas.

For both positions a strong background in geophysical remote sensing, hydrology or meteorology and strong programming skills (preferably IDL or C++) are necessary, as well as previous experience in handling large data sets and timeseries of remote sensing data. The positions include field work in West Africa, and some travel activities are expected. PhD fellowship: The applicant should have a Master's degree or a corresponding degree in physical geography, geophysics, engineering, mathematics, statistics, or a similar subject. The PhD candidate is expected to spend up to 18 months of the project period with IRI, New York, USA.

Post Doc position: Applicants should hold a PhD degree in a relevant discipline, or - alternatively - have submitted their thesis at the time of appointment. A preliminary aproval from supervisors and external reviewers is neccesary. If funding is available, a possibility of extension exists.

To apply, please submit a short description of qualifications, CV, diplomas and transcripts, list of publications, list of three referees and a one page project proposal by April 15 2010 at noon, to: Department of Geography and Geology, Øster Voldgade 10, 1350 Copenhagen K, Denmark, marked "LaMoC PhD" or "LaMoC Post Doc", or by e-mail to job@geo.ku.dk, subject "LaMoC PhD" or "LaMoC Post Doc". Any potential applicant is invited to apply irrespective of gender, race, religion or ethnic background. Further information about the positions can be obtained fromAssociate Professor Inge Sandholt, is@geo.ku.dk