[Hiring] PhD Research Fellow in Remote Sensing and Modelling of Alpine Vegetation Change @Universitetet i Bergen

Role Description

There is a vacancy for a PhD Research Fellow in remote sensing and modelling of alpine vegetation change at the Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bergen. The position is for a fixed-term period of three years, with the possibility of a fourth year consisting of career-promoting work, including teaching and other departmental duties. Tentative starting date is February 1st 2027.

The position is affiliated with the Mountains-in-Motion Research Team led by Associate Professor Suzette Flantua.

About the project/work tasks:

• Alpine ecosystems are undergoing rapid environmental change.
• Shrubs are expanding into previously open vegetation due to climate warming, changing land use, and reduced grazing pressure.
• This expansion can alter habitat structure, biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, and the cultural value of open mountain landscapes.
• Willows (Salix spp.) are among the most widespread and ecologically important shrubs in Norwegian alpine environments.
• The PhD project will combine historical aerial photographs, satellite remote sensing, ecological field observations, and spatial modelling to assess willow expansion in different parts of Norway.
• The research will contribute to understanding how alpine landscapes respond to climatic and anthropogenic pressures.

Main tasks:

• Develop and evaluate image-classification workflows for identifying willow shrubs and other relevant vegetation classes from different remote sensing sensors.
• Design and conduct ecological and remote-sensing fieldwork in Norwegian mountain environments.
• Integrate remotely sensed information with field observations and environmental datasets.
• Quantify spatial and temporal changes in willow cover, density, and landscape configuration using advanced geospatial techniques.
• Investigate climatic, topographic, and land-use drivers of willow expansion.
• Develop spatially explicit projections of future vegetation change.
• Manage and document research data and code according to FAIR data principles.
• Communicate results through scientific publications, conference presentations, and outreach activities.
• Apply for grants for travel and outreach purposes.
• Participate actively in the Mountains-in-Motion Research Team, the Terrestrial Ecology Research Group, and the wider academic environment at the Department of Biological Sciences and the University of Bergen.

Qualifications

• Hold a master’s degree or equivalent education in Ecology, Geography, Earth Sciences, or another relevant discipline, or must have submitted his/her master's thesis for assessment prior to the application deadline.
• Solid experience from or competence in GIS and remote sensing, and/or geospatial analysis related to landscape dynamics in mountainous areas.
• Experience from or competence in processing and analysing remotely sensed or other spatially explicit environmental data.
• Knowledge of mountain environmental processes, alpine ecology, and/or vegetation change.
• Experience from or competence in using R, Python or comparable programming and analytical tools.
• Show evidence of being able to contribute constructively to teamwork and interdisciplinary collaboration.
• Must be able to work independently and in a structured manner and demonstrate good collaborative skills.
• Good written and oral English-language skills.

Requirements

• Experience from or competence in spatial modelling, landscape analysis or connectivity analysis.
• Machine-learning or deep-learning methods for geospatial analyses.
• Ecological or remote-sensing fieldwork, particularly in alpine environments.
• Google Earth Engine, geodatabases or cloud-based processing of geospatial data.
• Reproducible research workflows, scientific data management or FAIR data principles, e.g. Github.
• Science communication or visualisation of spatial and environmental data.
• Scientific publications, reports or other documented research outputs.

Benefits

• A positive, inclusive, cross-disciplinary, professionally stimulating working environment.
• Salary as PhD research fellow (code 1017) in the state salary scale, gross annual salary of NOK 593 700.
• Further increases in salary are made according to length of service in the position.
• Enrolment in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund.
• Good welfare benefits.