Project aim:
Saplings of Prunus seronita, a non-native plant, in a mixed Oak-Beech forest stand in Compiègne (France)
This postdoctoral position is part of a BiodivERsA project entitled “Detection of invasive plant species and assessment of their impact on ecosystem properties through remote sensing (DIARS)”. By combining field data together with two aircraft remote sensing technologies (hyperspectral imaging and light detection-and-ranging), DIARS aims at monitoring and modelling spread and risk assessment of invasive plant species at fine spatial resolution. Both remote sensing and field data are already available within the DIARS consortium for three different study sites (Belgium, France and Germany). The postdoc will develop a toolbox in a Free and Open Source environment (cf. R or GRASS GIS) to help end-users to combine both remote sensing and field data in a modelling framework that will allow mapping the invasion dynamic of non-native plants. More specifically, the toolbox will handle hyperspectral data preprocessing and classification, LiDAR data processing, species distribution modeling based on spatial proxies as well as field occurrences, and spatial representation of the uncertainty related to statistical modeling procedures. There will be many opportunities for independent and collaborative research in related areas of ecoinformatics.
Canopy density derived from LiDAR data at 50-cm resolution across the entire Compiègne forest (144 km2) in northern France (Tarek Hattab)
The candidate is expected to have the following qualifications:
- A Ph.D. in environmental sciences, computer sciences, statistics or mathematics;
- Cutting-edge expertise in modeling and advanced statistical analyses;
- Coding skills in Free and Open Source environments (R or GRASS GIS);
- Basic knowledge and interest in plant ecology and biological invasions;
- Experience in remote sensing;
- Strong collaborative skills;
- Proven abilities to publish at a high International level;
- Good oral and written communication skills in English;
- Ability to self-manage European project under European Commission, e.g. FP7.
Supervisors and collaborators:
The main supervisors are Dr. Jonathan Lenoir and Dr. Duccio Rocchini who are Associate Professor in Biostatistics and Researcher in Geographical Modeling and Spatial Ecology, respectively. The postdoc will work in close collaboration with Tarek Hattab, who is a Post-Doctoral fellow involved in DIARS, and will benefit from interactions with researchers in remote sensing (Dr. Ben Somers, Dr. Feilhauer Hannes, Prof. Sebastian Schmidtlein and Prof. Gregory Asner), conservation ecology (Prof. Olivier Honnay) and biological invasions (Prof. Guillaume Decocq).
Where:
Ecologie et Dynamique des Systèmes Anthropisés (EDYSAN), Jules Vernes University of Picardie, Amiens, France. EDYSAN is a young, diverse, vibrant and international research community with strong collaborative interdisciplinary ties within and beyond Amiens. More information about the people and research activities of the group can be here.
When:
The postdoctoral position should start at the latest on January 1st 2016. For further information, please contact: Dr. Jonathan Lenoir (jonathan.lenoir@u-picardie.fr).
Duration:
One year
Net salary:
2 100 EUR/month
Application deadline:
Please send your CV, including a list of publications, together with a cover letter and the contact information of 3 references to Jonathan Lenoir (jonathan.lenoir@u-picardie.fr). The application deadline is November 23rd 2015.
DIARS is funded by the ERA-Net BiodivERsA, with the national funders BelSPO,
DFG and ANR, part of the 2012-2013 BiodivERsA call for research proposals.
Jonathan Lenoir 