PhD Research Fellow in Image Analysis of Glacier Flow, University of Oslo, Norway

Position as PhD Research fellow (Stipendiat SKO 1017) is available at Department of Geosciences, University of Oslo, Norway. The fellowship is for a period of 3 years.

The geosciences are the studies of planet Earth - the atmosphere, the hydrosphere (including oceans, freshwater and glaciers), the earth’s surface and its interior. The span of the work at the Department is well illustrated by the research sections: Meteorology and Oceanography, Environmental Geology and Hydrology, Physical Geography, Petroleum Geology and Geophysics Tectonics, Petrology and Geochemistry. The faculty consists of 40 professors and lecturers. In addition, there are Postdoctoral fellows, Ph.D. students, technical staff and administrative personnel.

Job/project description
We invite applications for a challenging PhD research fellowship for radar image analysis of glacier flow. The candidate will develop, evaluate and apply so-called offset-tracking methods for quantifying glacier flow based on satellite radar imagery.
The candidate will be part of a lively research environment in cold regions sciences, in particular in remote sensing, geoinformatics, glaciology and geomorphology. The position includes collaboration with a number of Norwegian and international partners, and the successful candidate will have opportunity to participate in research networks such as an Nordic excellence centre, or an ESA research initiative The project is funded by the Norwegian Research Council.

The position is affiliated with the Section for Physical Geography which has longterm experience in investigating the climate impact on the terrestrial cryosphere (snow, glaciers, permafrost) and is involved in various high-level research projects and centers.

Qualifications
The candidate should have a strong background and interest in the following fields:

Geometric and numeric aspects of remote sensing (photogrammetry, remote sensing, geomatics, computer vision, etc.), and in programming of related algorithms e.g. using MATLAB, IDL or similar languages.
Radar remote sensing, in particular synthetic aperture radar (SAR), and microwave response to snow and ice.
Glaciology, in particular glacier dynamics, not least in polar environments.

Requirements
The purpose of the fellowship is research training leading to the successful completion of a PhD degree. The fellowship requires admission to the research training programme at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. Firstly, the applicants must have obtained undergraduate (Cand.mag., i.e. B.Sc. level) and postgraduate (Cand.Scient., M.Sc., or Siv.ing., i.e. M.Sc. level) qualifications. This represents approximately five years of full time studies after completion of European Upper Secondary School/International Baccalaureate. Appointment to a research fellowship is conditional upon admission to the Faculty’s research training programme. An approved plan for the research training must be submitted no later than two months after taking up the position, and the admission approved within three months.

A good command of English is required of all students attending the University of Oslo. International students; PhD research fellows and post doctoral research fellows who are not native speakers of English, must document their proficiency in English by taking one of the following internationally recognised tests:

TOEFL - Test of English as a Foreign Language
IELTS - International English Language Testing Service

Applicants to the programme for the PhD degree in Science must obtain a minimum score of 550 (paper-based) or 213 (computer-based) or 80 (internet-based) on the TOEFL test, or a minimum score of 6.0 from the IELTS (academic) test. The same applies to applicants for post doctoral research fellow positions.

The University of Oslo is an equal opportunity employer and seeks in particular to increase its number of female scientists. Women are therefore particularly encouraged to apply.

Salary
PhD Research fellow (SKO 1017), pay grade: 48 – 56 (NOK 391 100 – 448 100 per year, depending on granted seniority)

The application must include:

Application letter
Statement of research interest
CV (summarizing education, positions and academic work , and other qualifying activity)
Copies of transcripts of records, and educational certificates
List of publications and academic work that the applicant wishes to be considered by the evaluation committee
Names and contact details of 2-3 referees (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and telephone number)
Documentation of proficiency in English as required.

Foreign applicants are advised to attach an explanation of their university’s grading system. Please remember that all documents should be in English or a Scandinavian language.

UiO has an agreement for all employees, aiming to secure rights to research results a.o.

In accordance with the University of Oslo’s equal opportunities policy, we invite applications from all interested individuals regardless of gender or ethnicity.

Application deadline: 20 August, 2011

For more information, please visit official website: uio.easycruit.com.