Postdoc - Digitally-enabled forest operations

SmartForest is a center for research-driven innovation established in collaboration between leading research organizations and industrial partners (www.smartforest.no ). The primary objective of SmartForest is to improve the efficiency of the Norwegian forest sector by enabling a digital revolution transforming forest information, silviculture, forest operations, wood supply and the overall digital information flow in the sector. 

Forest operations efficiency and avoidance of environmental damage can be improved through application of emerging technologies such as sensors, machine data, improved forest information, advanced analytics, and decision support. In this context, we are expanding our team with a post-doctoral fellow that will focus on development digital tools for improved forest operations.

The position is a 3 year contract and is located in Ås, 30 km south of Oslo.

• Participate in the development of a nationally weather-dependent forest trafficability map
• Develop and implement machine learning approaches for forest operations
• Participate in writing of scientific publications
• Support the development of new projects and develop new ideas
• Design and implement field work and data collection campaigns 

• PhD in forestry, forest operations or related field
• Documented knowledge of forestry and forest management in Europe or North-America
• Strong command of R for statistical analysis
• Experience with machine learning techniques
• Documented ability to publish high-quality scientific papers with the field of the position
• A strong command of oral and written English

• Experience with soil trafficability modelling
• Experience with forest operations
• Experience with use of remotely sensed data
• Programming skills in Python or similar
• Skills in Norwegian or other Scandinavian language

• Good interpersonal and communication skills
• Good analytical and problem-solving skills
• Ability to work under pressure and interact with demanding users
• Dedication and enthusiasm to work as part of an ambitious research team
• Ability to collaborate with both internal and external experts with diverse academic backgrounds and skill sets 

The position is remunerated according to the Norwegian State Salary Scale as Postdoctor code 1352, salary grade 59 - 67 (NOK 534.400 - 615.800 per year), commensurate with qualifications and experience.

Membership in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund, which includes a good occupational pension scheme, occupational injury and group life insurance, and low-interest home loans.

Contact Dr. Rasmus Astrup +47 941 51 660 see website nibio.no/en

Please send your application with CV electronically via the link on this page.

Take diplomas and letters of recommendation with you if invited to an interview, or submit them as an attachment along with the electronic application/CV.

We would like to point out that information about applicants may be subject to public disclosure, in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act (Offentlighetsloven), Section 25. An applicant can request to be exempted from inclusion on a public list of applicants. If the request for confidentiality is denied, the applicant will be notified thereof.

About diversity and inclusion - for applicants living in Norway:

In accordance with the Norwegian Civil Service equal opportunities policy, qualified candidates are encouraged to apply - regardless of age, gender, functional disabilities, gaps in CV or national or ethnic background. As a government agency, we have the opportunity to provide positive special treatment for applicants who have a disability, gaps in their CV or immigrant background. Positive special treatment means, among other things, that you will more easily come to the interview. Read more about this here  (in norwegian).

NIBIO’s activities lie within agriculture, food, climate and the environment. The Institute conducts research and management support, and provides knowledge for use in national preparedness, governmental and district management, industry, and the society at large.

The Forest Management and Technology department  t is part of the Division of Forest and Forest Resources . The department carries out applied research on forest and natural-resource based value chains and aims is to contribute to increased profitability for forest products and services, within a sustainable framework.