PhD Research Fellow in Remote Sensing and modelling of alpine vegetation change

2nd October 2026
Languages
English

• English
• Norsk Nynorsk

English
PhD Research Fellow in Remote Sensing and modelling of alpine vegetation change
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PhD position

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 Mountains-in-Motion Research Team led by Associate Professor Suzette Flantua .

About the project/work tasks:

Alpine ecosystems are undergoing rapid environmental change. Across many mountain regions, shrubs are expanding into previously open vegetation as a consequence of climate warming, changing land use and reduced grazing pressure. This expansion can substantially 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. However, the rates, spatial patterns and underlying drivers of willow expansion remain insufficiently understood. Long-term observations are scarce, and the relative effects of climate, topography and land-use history have rarely been assessed across spatial and temporal scales.

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 from recent decades to the present. The project will subsequently investigate the environmental and land-use factors associated with these changes and develop projections of possible future vegetation dynamics. The research will contribute to a better understanding of how alpine landscapes respond to interacting climatic and anthropogenic pressures. It will also provide spatially explicit information relevant to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem management and the preservation of culturally valued mountain landscapes. 

The PhD project will be closely related to other inter-disciplinary projects of Mountains-in-Motion Research Team, and related national and international collaborators in the fields of biodiversity, biogeography, macroecology, remote sensing, landscape ecology, pollination, and landscape modelling, aimed at understanding the past, present and future of alpine and mountain environments worldwide. 

The precise research plan will be further developed by the successful candidate in collaboration with the supervisory team.

Main tasks
The successful candidate will:

• 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 and personal qualities:

Applicants must fulfil the following 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. It is a condition of employment that the master's degree has been awarded.
• 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;
• have 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.
• have good written and oral English-language skills.

Having one or more of the following qualifications will be considered an advantage:

• 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

Personal and relational qualities will be emphasized. Research experience, ambitions and potential will also count when evaluating the candidates.

Special requirements for the position
The University of Bergen is subjected to the regulation for export control system. The regulation will be applied in the processing of the applications.

About the PhD position:

The fellowship will be for a period of 3 years, with the possibility for a 4th year contingent on the qualifications of the candidate and the teaching needs of the department and will be decided by the head of department upon appointment. If a 4th year is granted, one year of career-promoting work associated with teaching, dissemination or research infrastructure/services, will be distributed over the full employment period and thus corresponding to 25 per cent of the time each year.

The employment period may be reduced if you have previously been employed in a qualifying post (e.g. research fellow, research assistant).

About the research training

As a PhD Research Fellow, you must participate in an approved educational programme for a PhD degree within a period of 3 years. The deadline for applying for admission to the PhD programme at The Faculty of Science and Technology is 2 months after you start your position or after the start of the research project that will lead to the PhD degree. It is a condition that you satisfy the enrolment requirements for the PhD programme at the University of Bergen.

We can offer:

• a positive, inclusive, cross-disciplinary, professionally stimulating working environment 
• salary as PhD research fellow (code 1017) in the state salary scale. This constitutes a 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

Your application must include:

The application must include:

• A motivation letter including:
  • A detailed justification of your qualifications in relation to the listed requirements, explaining how you meet each criterion. Additionally, you should address the "advantages" mentioned above, as these will be taken into account when ranking the candidates. 
  • How you think that you will contribute to the Mountains-in-Motion Research Team
• Short (max 1 page, excl references) summary of how you would envision the PhD project as a research plan
• Detailed CV
• The names and contact information for two referees. One of these should be the main advisor for the master's thesis or equivalent thesis 
• Transcripts and diplomas showing completion of the bachelor's and master's degrees. If you have not yet completed your master's degree, please submit a statement from your institution confirming that the master's thesis has been submitted
• Relevant certificates/references
• Approved documentation of proficiency in English (if required, cf. English language requirements for PhD admission)
• A list and copies of publications, incl. preprints, and other relevant academic outputs;
• A copy of the master’s thesis and a brief summary;

• if available: links to personal website and Github account 

  The application and appendices with certified translations into English or a Scandinavian language must be uploaded at Jobbnorge. 

General information:

For any questions or informal queries, please feel free to contact me: 

Associate Prof. Suzette Flantua, Dept. of Biological Sciences, [email protected] or

Head of Department Ståle Ellingsen, Dept. of Biological Sciences, [email protected]

For HR related questions, contact adviser Magnus Skogstad, [email protected] , Section for HR.

Diversity is a strength that enables us to solve our tasks even better. UiB therefore needs qualified employees regardless of gender, ethnicity, religion, worldview, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, and age.

We encourage men to apply. If multiple applicants have approximately equivalent qualifications, the rules pertaining to moderate gender quotas shall apply.

The University of Bergen applies the principle of public access to information when recruiting staff for academic positions.

Information about applicants may be made public even if the applicant has asked not to be named on the list of persons who have applied. The applicant must be notified if the request to be omitted is not met.

The successful applicant must comply with the guidelines that apply to the position at all times.

We encourage applicants with disabilities, immigrant backgrounds, or gaps in their CV to apply. By indicating such circumstances in your application, you may receive favourable consideration. We ensure that at least one qualified applicant from each of these groups is invited for an interview as part of our commitment to inclusivity and equal opportunity. For further information about the recruitment process, click here .

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Life as a PhD candidate at UiB

Marion Claireaux tells about life and work as a PhD candidate at UiB.

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About UiB

The University of Bergen is a renowned educational and research institution, organised into seven faculties and approximately 54 institutes and academic centres. Campus is located in the centre of Bergen with university areas at Nygårdshøyden, Haukeland, Marineholmen, Møllendalsveien and Årstad. 

There are seven departments and several centres at Faculty of Science and Technology. Read more about the faculty  and departments.  

Apply for this job
Deadline

2nd October 2026

Employer

University of Bergen

Municipality

Bergen

Scope

Fulltime (1 positions) Fulltime (%)

Duration

Fixed Term

Place of service
Christiesgt. 18, 5020 Bergen

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