1 PhD position by CIFOR - Center for International Forestry Research on Monitoring tropical Forests in Netherlands | Wageningen UR (University & Research centre)

The candidate is expected to work in component 3 and focus on studying terrestrial laser scanning for assessing tropical forest characteristics such as height, volume, foliage and biomass and related changes due to human activities. Terrestrial laser scanning has received increasing attention for its capacity to allow retrieving forest structural parameters and better linking ground and remote sensing data for quantitative forest monitoring. Although there are some experiences of exploring this technology in sub-tropical and tropical forest environments, systematic studies in tropical forests are largely missing. Research would involve evaluating different data acquisition strategies in terms of sampling and scanning density in different forest densities and understory characteristics, assessing the accuracy of t-LIDAR estimates to determine key forest parameters such as height, volume, and biomass, studying the role of the full-waveform t-LIDAR signals and different processing schemes and process and using the LIDAR data for collaborative research with the other project partners.

Requirements

Education, experience, technical skills and competencies:

• A motivated researcher with MSc degree
• Related experiences in Forestry, Remote Sensing, Terrestrial surveying, Ecology, Environmental Science, or Geography or a related field.
• A background in terrestrial laser scanning and related data analysis and processing is an asset.
• Knowledge about tropical forests and the REDD process is appreciated. Experiences and willingness to work with and in developing tropical countries, and organizing and conducting field work in tropical forests is important.
• Excellent written and spoken English

Personal attributes and competencies:

• Be self motivated, outgoing and welcome the opportunity to work with significant autonomy
• Be a team player and have excellent interpersonal communications skills

Conditions of employment

The PhD position is supported by CIFOR with a monthly stipend of €1700 for up to 4 years. The PhD research is conducted mainly at the Centre for Geo-Information at Wageningen University (NL) and the related Graduate School (www.pe-rc.nl) under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Martin Herold in close collaboration with CIFOR partners.

The successful candidate is expected to spend some time at CIFOR's headquarter in Bogor, Indonesia, and to spend a significant amount of time with field work in different locations. He/she is also required to engage in international exchange and meetings.

Application:

We will acknowledge all applications, but we will contact only short-listed candidates.

Contract type: Temporary, Onbekend

Organisation

Join CIFOR and make a difference!

The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) is a nonprofit, global facility dedicated to advancing human well-being, environmental conservation and equity by conducting research to help shape effective policy, improve the management of tropical forests and address the needs and perspectives of people who depend on forests for their livelihoods. CIFOR is a member of the CGIAR Consortium. Our headquarters are in Bogor, Indonesia, with offices in Asia, Africa and South America.

CIFOR is looking for PhD Internship in monitoring tropical forests for REDD+

Overview

The Centre for Geo-Information at Wageningen University (NL) is offering a PhD position in collaboration with the Center of International Forestry Research (CIFOR) in Indonesia to perform research for a four-year coordinated global comparative research project on REDD demonstration activities and national initiatives in selected countries across Asia, Africa and Latin America. The project consists of five components: (1) national REDD initiatives (policy processes and strategies), (2) demonstration activities, (3) monitoring and reference levels, (4) mitigation-adaptation synergies and landscape carbon modeling, and (5) knowledge sharing.