Doctoral Candidate in Geoinformatics/ Ecohydrology (100 %)

The four year position will be part of the HistoRiCH project («Historical river change - Planning for the future by exploring the mapped past»), funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF). The project aims at extracting, analyzing and utilizing hydrological geodata from historical maps in the context of practical freshwater management. This interdisciplinary effort will be carried out by the Institute of Cartography and Geoinformation (IKG) of ETH Zurich, the Geoinformatics and Ecohydrology groups of the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) and the River Restoration group of EAWAG.

The Doctoral research will develop and apply geospatial analysis and modelling workflows in the context of digital map processing and ecomorphology, thereby bridging environmental sciences with geoinformatics. Specifically, the candidate will have to develop, extract and apply information and metrics from historical map series to characterize and quantify changes in ecosystem structure and function. This includes mastering the spatio-temporal depth of the historical map sources and addressing issues of quality and uncertainties of the produced geodata.

The research will be carried out in close collaboration with a PostDoc and a PhD Student at EAWAG and IKG ETH in order to build up a spatio-temporal database for deriving guidelines for practical management (e.g., river conservation, wetland restoration).

Applicants should have earned a Masters degree in a relevant field of environmental science, Geoinformatics/GIScience, environmental engineering, landscape architecture or related disciplines. The candidate should have experience in geodata-based ecological research combining scientific computing/engineering solutions with ecology/environmental sciences. Experience in spatio-temporal and multi-scale analysis and handling uncertainty are a plus. You should also have a strong interest in research application and interdisciplinary, practice-oriented research. Excellent communication skills in English and experience in teamwork are essential. Working knowledge in German is an advantage.

The doctorate is awarded at the Science Faculty of the University of Zurich. The research will mainly be carried out at the ZHAW in Wädenswil (?url=www.zhaw.ch%2Fiunr&module=jobs&id=47079" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">?url=www.zhaw.ch%2Fiunr&module=jobs&id=47079" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.zhaw.ch/iunr). Remuneration is based on the SNSF doctoral student rate. The starting date for the position is anticipated to be in May 2020.