NCEO Research Associate in Wetland Monitoring

The Carbon-Climate Science Team in the Earth Observation Science (EOS) group at University of Leicester is seeking to appoint a Research Associate based in the School of Physics and Astronomy. The successful candidate will work under the supervision of Dr Robert Parker and will contribute fully to the large portfolio of research conducted by the team.

This role is fully supported by Dr Parker’s recently successful UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship, where you will join his team in developing “The First Environmental Digital Twin Dedicated to Understanding Tropical Wetland Methane Emissions for Improved Predictions of Climate Change”. In particular, the successful candidate will bring together a range of Earth Observation data (including very high-resolution satellite imagery) and apply state-of-the-art machine learning methods in order to develop new wetland extent datasets. These data will be used to complement and test state-of-the-art hydrological modelling capabilities to better understand these complex tropical wetland areas.

The post holder will also be a member of the National Centre for Earth Observation. The National Centre for Earth Observation (NCEO) is a distributed centre with over 100 scientists from UK institutions, led by Professor John Remedios at the University of Leicester. With an annual income of over £8 million per year, half derived from Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), it provides a national capability in Earth observation science and incorporates world-class capabilities in interpretive Earth observation to meet the needs of society through long-term core science and translation of knowledge and environmental data for government and business.

Thanks to support from the Future Leaders Fellowship and a substantial training budget, this position offers exceptional opportunities for enhanced career development. This is expected to include dedicated time as a Visiting Researcher at Project Partners (including UK Met Office, UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology and European Space Agency) alongside opportunities to present results at local and international conferences and science meetings, write high-impact scientific publications as lead or co-author, contribute to the science of other studies being carried out in the Earth Observation Science Group and throughout NCEO, and supervise undergraduate project students.

With a PhD in a relevant subject (or soon to obtain one), such as environmental science with a physics, maths or geography background, you will have experience working with Earth Observation data, with ideally research experience in land surface and/or hydrological modelling. You will have experience with using machine-learning algorithms, with good Python knowledge and familiarity working with large environmental data sets. You will have experience communicating research results at conferences, alongside a good or emerging publication record with significant contributions to peer-reviewed papers and early evidence of working towards driving your own research. You will be a self-starter with a flexible approach to work, as well as experience of collaborative, interdisciplinary or cross-disciplinary research.

This position is expected to be a full-time, fixed term contract for 2 years with strong prospect to extend post if appropriate.

Informal enquiries are welcomed and should be directed to Dr Robert Parker on [email protected] .
We anticipate that interview will be held during the week commencing 18th March 2024.

The University of Leicester has been changing the world, and changing people’s lives, for 100 years. When you join us, you’ll become part of a community of Citizens of Change , which includes not only our staff and our current students but also thousands of Leicester graduates around the world.
 
As a diverse and forward-thinking employer, we embed the principles of equity, diversity and inclusion into everything we do. That includes not just our core missions of teaching and research, but also our support for staff, students and our local community through our values of Inspiring, Impactful and Inclusive through our values of Inspiring, Impactful and Inclusive.
 
We’re committed to the wellbeing of all our staff and to the sustainability of our environment, on our campus and beyond. We offer a competitive salary package, excellent pension scheme and a generous annual leave allowance, along with opportunities to develop your career in a supportive and collaborative environment.