Postdoc in ecological visualization of river restoration

The Ecosystem Management group at ETH Zurich is seeking to fill a 3-year postdoctoral position to work on the project “Visualizing daylight management in river restoration” as part of the Ecosystem Management group at ETH Zurich, in collaboration with WSL, OST Rapperswil, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and implementation partners in Switzerland and Scotland.

Many European rivers have suboptimal light and temperature regimes causing negative impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem services. Streams in intensive agricultural landscapes have too much daylight, while urban streams are often built over and have no daylight. In both cases, restoration is needed to recover optimal daylight regimes with positive outcomes for aquatic vegetation and riverine woodlands. Strong implementation barriers include conflicting land interests and differing perceptions of restoration goals. Conflicts might be resolved using AI-derived visualization tools to convey alternative daylight restoration strategies and ecological outcomes. Working with partners in Scotland and Switzerland, the aim of this project is to map restoration potential, identify obstacles, devise ecological scenarios for different daylight regimes, and eventually develop and test an adaptive tool to visualize daylight changes in restored streams combining drone imagery and AI-based image processing. This tool aims to facilitate negotiated restoration strategies across conflicted interest groups.

The postdoc will develop and test ecologically-based visualization tools for river restoration outcomes using methods from computer vision (ML techniques e.g., stable diffusion), urban and landscape design, and ecological engineering. The tools should be designed to guide and inform stakeholder engagement processes around river restoration interventions and expected outcomes. The project will therefore include interdisciplinary scientific input across domains of hydrology, ecology, and spatial planning, as well as engagement with NGOs, governmental agencies and local stakeholders. The position will also require co-supervision of BSc and MSc student research within the frame of the project.

It is important to note that the position is based in Switzerland, but will also require extended periods of time in Scotland for field work.

We are seeking candidates with the following interests, skills, and expertise:

• PhD and experience in relevant fields of computational design, landscape architecture, ecological informatics, and/or visualisation processes and technologies
• Expertise in machine learning (programming in Python or C++)
• Interest and experience in AI and computer vision, especially for landscape visualizations
• Interest in landscape and habitat management
• Experience with participatory approaches/ stakeholder involvement, ability to interact with stakeholders in German and English
• Willingness to work inter- and transdisciplinarily.

The Ecosystem Management group undertakes inter- and transdisciplinary research across a range of geographical locations and research topics. Disciplinary research is set in the context of complex socio-ecological landscapes, which allows researchers to ensure that their research is grounded in policy and land management realities. You will therefore be working alongside several other researchers from whom there will be opportunities to learn and exchange ideas across a wide range of environmental issues.

The group also provides opportunities for personal and professional development, through training courses, chances to contribute to teaching and field courses, and seminar programmes. The project also includes potential to collaborate across the project consortium and the broader research community at ETH Zurich.