Research Associate in Multihazard Remote Sensing
Research Associate in Multihazard Remote Sensing
University of Cambridge - Department of Earth Sciences
Cambridge, United Kingdom
We invite applications for a Post-Doctoral Research Associate (PDRA) to join our team at the University of Cambridge. The post holder will join the recently established Cambridge Complex and Multihazard research group (CoMHaz) and be employed across the departments of Earth Sciences and Geography. There will be excellent opportunities for collaboration both within the university and with international partners.
Research Project: Landslides are one of the most damaging natural hazards, causing several thousand deaths each year, destroying critical infrastructure and inhibiting development. The multiplicity of triggers and vast areas susceptible to landsliding makes their forecasting a complex yet critical task. Satellite-based slope monitoring and landslide identification is one of the few plausible approaches to regional or national-scale landslide early warning.
Indeed, improving the detection rate of pre-collapse signals is one of the most effective short-term strategies to improving our understanding of landslide hazard and mitigating the associated risk. Recent advances in remote sensing, both from greater data availability and new processing techniques, have enabled the detection of pre-collapse signals with unprecedented sensitivity across large spatial scales. This project, building on prototype deployments across case-study areas in the Andes and Himalaya, will continue development of an operationalizable landslide detector using freely available optical and radar satellite imagery.
The post-holder will help develop a modular, open-source displacement tracking toolbox for natural systems building on pre-existing implementations. This development will be a collaborative exercise working with PI Max Van Wyk de Vries, and other CoMHaz group members including PhD students. The successful applicant will therefore require some knowledge of programming languages, and ideally specialized image analysis and optical feature tracking experience. The second aspect of this project will be applying the methods developed to map slow-moving landslides in a regional case study in the Himalaya. This will involve a visit to Kathmandu (Nepal) to meet local partners and possible fieldwork.
The successful candidate must have a Ph.D. in natural hazards, remote sensing, geomorphology or a related field. Applicants will have experience in at least one, and ideally several of the following: digital image analyses, landslide or other hazard mapping, data interpretation, and numerical programming. Excellent communication and collaboration skills are essential, alongside a strong publication record (commensurate with their career stage) and an ability to work effectively as part of an international team.
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