Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL
The Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL is part of the ETH Domain. Approximately 600 people work on the sustainable use and protection of the environment and on the handling of natural hazards.
The Forest Resources and Management research unit assesses conditions and changes in forests and works on solutions for the efficient provision of ecosystem services. For the research group "Sustainable Forestry" we are looking for the position starting September 2024 for a
PhD Student in optimizing single tree level management for increasing resilience and multifunctionality in precision forestry 100% (f/m/d)
The thesis will be written in the frame of the EU project SingleTree (Optimizing multifunctional forest-based value chains with single tree information and application of digital technologies). Your work will contribute to improved forest management by making use of high-resolution data being collected through a range of sensing technologies by project partners.
The data will be utilized to create a digital twin of the forest. Point clouds for individual trees include detailed information on species, health, wood quality/ assortments, and biodiversity. The aim is to identify specific trees for removal and which then could be handed over to intelligent harvesters that will process this data for efficient management and value-maximized bucking, ensuring optimal cascading use of wood. At the same time, trees for other purposes such as protection could be identified to assure proper treatment.
This individual tree-level information will allow addressing multiple management targets and constraints simultaneously and thereby contribute to optimizing forest planning and -ma-nagement. Analyses will consider various risks and uncertainties, which are expected to increase in forests and forestry under changing climate.
The work will be conducted in close collaboration with the state forest enterprise Berne (Staatsforstbetrieb Bern). Moreover, the project is international and beside the Swiss Living Lab in Bern there are two others located in Norway and Spain, which will give a lot of opportunities for collaboration and exchange.
This position requires independent and creative thinking. As the PhD candidate will communicate with forest practitioners and experts from the field, we are looking for a communicative person who is motivated to get into new areas. Programming will be expected and a good command of written and spoken German is of advantage; good written and oral English skills are mandatory.
You will benefit from a world-leading academic environment at WSL and the excellent quality of life in Switzerland.We offer the candidate to be part of a diverse group with complimentary expertise relevant for this project. The funding for this project is 4 years. Your working place will be at WSL in Birmensdorf (approx. 20 min outside of Zurich) and starting date will be according to individual agreement (the project will start in September 2024). You will be supervised by the group leaderJanine Schweier and a scientific collaborator of the group. You can collaborate with other group members and collaborators at WSL.
If you are interested, please send your complete application to Beatrice Lamprecht, Human Resources WSL, by uploading following documents to our application portal: Motivation letter (max. 1 page, with a statement of research interests), a CV, copies of academic qualifications and the names and e-mail addresses at least one referees. Applications via email will not be considered. The WSL strives to increase the proportion of women in its employment, which is why qualified women are particularly called upon to apply for this position.