Postdoctoral Researcher/Senior Scientist in Hyperspectral Remote Sensing for Forest Management

Your Project:

You will lead a new line of inquiry within FORM: the use of hyperspectral data to advance terrestrial - particularly forest - resources management. Your pioneering work will blend innovative research with practical applications. You will have the opportunity to develop new methodologies while building your own scientific profile.

Potential research topics include:

• Use of hyperspectral reflectance for evaluating leaf functional traits.
• Integration of hyperspectral imaging with genome-wide association studies (GWAS).
• Detection of genetic variation among tree populations via hyperspectral data.
• Forest species mapping and biodiversity assessment.
• Data fusion approaches combining SAR data (e.g., from ESA's BIOMASS mission) with hyperspectral imagery.

Your work will be conducted in close collaboration with project partners across the ETH Domain (including ETH Space, WSL (Swiss Federal Research Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research) and others), the University of Zurich (EcoVision Lab), and others.

Key Responsibilities:

• Identify and lead research projects in the described domain, including proposal development, partner coordination, and budget oversight.
• Design and implement field campaigns and conduct data collection and analysis.
• Publish findings in high-impact, peer-reviewed journals.
• Supervise and mentor junior researchers (PhD, MSc, BSc) and oversee student theses.
• Develop operational data processing workflows for hyperspectral data and contribute to the design of a software framework for processing multispectral and hyperspectral data.
• Present research results to academic audiences, collaborators, and stakeholders.

• PhD in Geomatics or a related field (e.g., Environmental Sciences, Civil Engineering), with demonstrable expertise in remote sensing and geospatial analysis.
• Prior postdoctoral experience in a thematically related area is a strong advantage.
• Experience supervising student research projects or theses.
• Solid track record in Earth observation data processing and analysis, supported by scientific publications and/or completed projects.

Technical Expertise:

• Proficiency in acquiring and processing Earth observation data, including drone-based data (RGB, LiDAR, hyperspectral).
• Strong skills in geospatial and statistical analysis (e.g., GIS, remote sensing software, R/Python).
• Experience in data preprocessing, modeling, and visualization.
• Strong publication record in relevant scientific journals.

Language Requirements:

• Proficiency in English (spoken and written).
• Knowledge of a Swiss national language is an asset.

Desirable Skills and Attributes

• Ability to work effectively in interdisciplinary and collaborative research teams.
• Experience in project management, including funding acquisition and stakeholder coordination.
• Flexibility and adaptability to evolving research challenges and technological developments.
• Creative, solution-oriented mindset with a commitment to sustainability and environmental impact.