Forest fires throughout Canada have been increasing in both their area burned and severity and as a result the forestry and wildfire communities in Canada require up-to-date, accurate and consistent information about forest fuels in order to better manage for these fires into the future.
This research project, a collaboration between UBC and the Canadian Forest Service will focus on the use of air and space-based laser scanning data to model a suite of critical forest fuel attributes and then link them to long time series satellite optical observations and extrapolate them wall-to-wall across Canada's forest ecosystems.
We anticipate using a combination of empirical, geometrical optical models and machine learning approaches to derive and extrapolate these estimates from the field, to laser scanning plots and ultimately across Canada.
The PDF will lead the project, compile datasets, develop and optimise code and test and validate the scaling approaches and where needed work in a cloud computing environment. The PDF is expected to produce publications, and presentations in national and international workshops/conferences.
Successful applicants should:
Hold a Relevant PhD (e.g., remote sensing, forest inventory, forest biometrics, data science, or forestry with a strong technical and statistical background).
Strong programming skills in R or Python
Experience with a range of remote sensing datasets including passive and optical data
Documented track-record in publishing high-quality scientific papers within the field of the position.
Have excellent oral and written communication skills with a strong publication record.
Details
The candidate will be based at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver, Canada under the supervision of Professor Nicholas Coops. The project is in collaboration with researchers from the Pacific Forestry Centre, Canadian Forest Service. Applicants should send a letter explaining their motivation and relevant skill set, a CV and the names of three references to nicholas.coops@ubc.ca
The deadline for sending in applications is October 31th 2024 but we will consider applications until the position is filled. The expected start date would be in Jan 1st 2025. The position is for a fixed length of 24 months.
Equity and diversity are essential to academic excellence. An open and diverse community fosters the inclusion of voices that have been underrepresented or discouraged. We encourage applications from members of groups that have been marginalized on any grounds enumerated under the B.C. Human Rights Code, including sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, racialization, disability, political belief, religion, marital or family status, age, and/or status as a First Nation, Metis, Inuit, or Indigenous person.