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PHD Research Fellow - Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Employer
Global Academy Jobs
Location
United Kingdom
Salary
£30,942 - £42,792
Closing date
Dec 9, 2019

Job Details

Position Details x 2 Posts

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £30,942 to £40,322. With potential progression once in post to £42,792 a year

Grade 7

Full time

Fixed term contract up to 30th March 2023

Closing Date: 9th December 2019

Job Purpose

The 2018 wildfire season was a glimpse of what to expect in the future: deadly mega-fires in Mediterranean regions and high fire activity in temperate and boreal areas outside the typical Spring fire season. We cannot solve this challenge with the old mono-disciplinary approach of fire suppression: there is a critical need to change fire management from fire resistance to landscape resilience: Living with Fire. This requires a new type of diverse experts, who not only understand fire, but who are also able to communicate risks, deal with uncertainty, and link scientific disciplines as well as science and practice.

The new Innovative Training Network PyroLife will train the new generation of interdisciplinary experts in integrated fire management, acknowledging that 1) knowledge transfer from southern Europe (and worldwide) to temperate Europe can support the new generation of experts; and 2) fire risk planning, communication and management can learn from cross-risk lessons including temperate European expertise in water management. In doing so, this project combines how the North solves community problems with the fire knowledge of the European South.

The PhD project aims to understand and model the economic contexts that lead to wildfires and their economic implications at the micro and macro level. This will involve using both localized economic data as well as high resolution remote sensing and climate data. The emphasis will be on the quantitative modelling of the relevant phenomena using advanced statistical techniques. Principally based within the University of Birmingham, the successful candidate will also have secondments both within the UK at Arup and at DEMETER, Greece.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• Develop research objectives and proposals for own or joint research, with assistance of a mentor if required

• Contribute to writing bids for research funding

• Analyse and interpret data

• Apply knowledge in a way which develops new intellectual understanding

• Disseminate research findings for publication, research seminars etc

• Contribute to developing new models, techniques and methods

• Undertake management/administration arising from research

• Contribute to Departmental/School research-related activities and research-related administration

• Contribute to enterprise, business development and/or public engagement activities of manifest benefit to the College and the University, often under supervision of a project leader

• Collect research data; this may be through a variety of research methods, such as scientific experimentation, literature reviews, and research interviews

• Present research outputs, including drafting academic publications or parts thereof, for example at seminars and as posters

• Provide guidance, as required, to support staff and any students who may be assisting with the research

• Deal with problems that may affect the achievement of research objectives and deadlines

Person Specification

• Experience in GIS, data management, statistical modelling, use of remote sensing and climate data and economic analysis or some combination of the above.A genuine interest in landscape fire and resilience. Experience with (the management of) fire, forests, water, storms or other risks is appreciated;

• Ambition to obtain a PhD degree, and become a scientific expert able to convert knowledge and ideas into products and services, for social and economic benefit;

• Good communication skills and good proficiency in English (both oral and written);

• Willingness to (learn how to) communicate risk, make inter- and transdisciplinary linkages;

• Willingness to travel including moving to another country for the PhD project, completing two 4-month secondments in Europe or abroad, and travel to international training courses and any fieldwork;

• Ability to function as a team member, work independently and take responsibility for own research goals.

• Meet the mobility and early stage researcher requirements defined for the MSCA-ITN projects.

For informal inquiries please contact Nicholas Kettridge, N.Kettridge@bham.ac.uk

Valuing excellence, sustaining investment

We value diversity at The University of Birmingham and welcome applications from all sections of the community'

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