PhD Position in Forest Ecophysiology and Remote Sensing, EPFL
Job Description
EPFL is taking applications for a PhD position on how forests regulate canopy temperature under drought, combining ecophysiology with remote sensing. The advertisement describes a running deadline, so the post is open until filled.
At a glance
- Post: PhD Position in Forest Ecophysiology and Remote Sensing
- Where: Plant Ecology Research Laboratory (PERL), EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Pay: on the EPFL scale for this grade; the advert gives no figure
- Closing date: none given. EPFL reviews applications as they arrive, so the post is open until filled. We re-check these listings about every 30 days
Read the official EPFL advertisement before you apply.
The project
The project sits in the Plant Ecology Research Laboratory in EPFL’s School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering. It investigates how forest canopy temperature and spectral properties reflect the physiological responses of trees to increasing atmospheric drought and soil water limitation.
The overarching objective is to understand how forests regulate canopy temperature. That matters because canopy temperature is one of the few things we can measure from the air and from orbit at scale, and because a forest that can no longer cool itself is a forest in trouble. Connecting what a sensor sees to what a tree is doing physiologically is the hard part, and it is the point of the project.
What you need
- A master’s degree in environmental science, plant science, forestry, physics or a related field
- Interest in combining field ecophysiology with remote sensing data
- Read the official advertisement for the full requirements
Pay and conditions
EPFL pays doctoral assistants and postdoctoral researchers on published Swiss federal scales, which are among the higher ones in Europe. This advertisement states no figure, so check the scale for your grade and the cost of living in Lausanne before you decide.
How to apply
Apply through the EPFL careers page for this post. The advertisement gives no closing date. EPFL reviews applications as they come in, so apply early.
Browse more research jobs on ResearchJobs.in, or search our Find a supervisor page.
Hiring institution: École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)
Official advertisement: careers.epfl.ch
How to prepare for this application
- Two skill sets meet here. Plant physiology and remote sensing. Be honest about which is yours.
- Expect fieldwork. Canopy measurements mean towers, drones or both.
- EPFL works in English. Research and teaching at this level run in English, so French is useful but rarely required.
- Doctoral candidates apply twice. A lab offer at EPFL is normally followed by admission to a doctoral programme, so check the programme's own requirements too.
About EPFL
The École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne is one of Switzerland's two federal institutes of technology. It has more than 6,500 staff and over 18,500 people on campus, including more than 14,000 students and 4,000 researchers from over 120 countries, with sites at Lausanne, Neuchâtel, Fribourg, Sion, Geneva and Villigen.
