PhD Research Fellow in Remote Sensing and Geospatial Intelligence

Organisation / Company University of Bergen Department Department of Earth Science Research Field Geosciences Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Positions PhD Positions Country Norway Application Deadline 1 Oct 2025 - 23 : 59 (Europe / Oslo) Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Hours Per Week 37,5 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

UiB - Knowledge that shapes society

Through robust and close interaction with the world around us – globally, nationally and locally – we shall be instrumental in building a society based on knowledge, skills and attitudes.

PhD Research Fellow in Remote Sensing and Geospatial Intelligence

CMT is dedicated to understanding and addressing the impacts of climate and environmental change in mountain regions. With a primary focus on the Scandinavian mountains, CMT brings together climate science, ecology, hydrology, geoscience, and social sciences to explore how mountain systems are changing—and how we can build resilience for the future. Mountains are sensitive to global change. Increasing temperatures, melting glaciers, shifting precipitation and snow patterns, changing biodiversity, and increasing human pressures are transforming these landscapes. CMT aims to generate cutting-edge knowledge and practical solutions to safeguard mountain ecosystems and the communities that depend on them. Through four interconnected research themes—Trends, Seasonality, Extremes, and Resilience—CMT investigates long-term environmental changes, seasonal dynamics, extreme events, and strategies for sustainable mountain management. The centre collaborates closely with stakeholders, including national parks, local communities, and industry partners, ensuring that research is relevant, actionable, and impactful. The University of Bergen hosts CMT in collaboration with NORCE, NMBU, and other national and international partners.

The PhD project will focus on integrating advanced photogrammetric techniques applied to historical aerial imagery with modern deep learning-based image classification approaches. The objective is to quantify landscape changes over decadal timescales, with a particular emphasis on Western Norway. Relevant transformations include the retreat or advance of glaciers and ice caps as part of a changing cryosphere, as well as shifts in vegetation cover and the evolving patterns of mountain ecosystems in response to climate change and shifting land-use practices in traditional cultural landscapes in the region. By leveraging both historical datasets and contemporary satellite data—optical and radar—the project aims to provide a comprehensive, time-resolved understanding of geomorphological and ecological dynamics. There will be opportunities for cross-disciplinary collaborations with other PhDs within CMT along a regional-scale gradient in Western Norway.

A key component of the research will be the integration of remote sensing outputs to assess and classify the activity levels of various catchments. This work will support and refine ongoing palaeoenvironmental reconstructions, particularly those based on lake sediment analyses conducted by other researchers within the CMT. The successful candidate will be integrated into a multidisciplinary supervisory team that draws on expertise from the University of Bergen’s Departments of Earth Science, Biological Sciences, and Geophysical Institute. The project also benefits from close collaboration with national public agencies, such as the Norwegian Mapping Authorities and the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE), which offers a rich and supportive research environment with access to high-quality data and applied knowledge.

Qualifications and personal qualities :

• Applicants must hold a master's degree or equivalent education in Earth Science, Geography, Geoscience, Computer Science, or a related field.Master’s students can apply provided they complete their final master’s exam before . It is a condition of employment that the master's degree has been awarded.
• Experienceworking with remote sensing or geospatial data is a requirement
• Strong programming skills applied to geospatial data, such as satellite data, is a requirement.
• Experience working with deep learning classification techniques applied to geospatial data is an advantage
• Applicants must be ableto work independently and in a structured manner and demonstrate good collaborative skills.
• Applicants must beproficient in both written and oral English.

Personal and relational qualities will be emphasized. Research experience, ambitions and potential will also count when evaluating the candidates.

Special requirements for the position

The University of Bergen is subject to the regulations for the export control system. The regulation will be applied in the processing of the applications.

About the PhD position :

About the PhD Research Fellow

The fellowship will be for a period of 3 years, with the possibility for a 4th year contingent on the qualifications of the candidate and the teaching needs of the department and will be decided by the Head of department upon appointment. If a 4th year is granted, one year of career-promoting work associated with teaching, dissemination or research infrastructure / services, will be distributed over the full employment period and thus corresponding to 25 per cent of the time each year.

The employment period may be reduced if you have previously been employed in a qualifying post (e.g., research fellow, research assistant).

About the research training

As a PhD Research Fellow, you must participate in an approved educational programme for a PhD degree within a period of 3 years. The deadline for applying for admission to the PhD programme at The Faculty of Science and Technology is 2 months after you start your position or after the start of the research project that will lead to the PhD degree. It is a condition that you satisfy the enrolment requirements for the PhD programme at the University of Bergen.

We can offer :

The application and appendices with certified translations into English or a Scandinavian language must be uploaded at Jobbnorge.

General information :

For further details about the position, please contactAssociate Professor Benjamin Aubrey Robson ( / ).

Diversity is a strength that enables us to tackle our tasks even more effectively. UiB therefore needs qualified employees regardless of gender, ethnicity, religion, worldview, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, and age.

The University of Bergen applies the principle of public access to information when recruiting staff for academic positions.

Information about applicants may be made public even if the applicant has asked not to be named on the list of persons who have applied. The applicant must be notified if the request to be omitted is not met.

We encourage applicants with disabilities, immigrant backgrounds, or gaps in their CV to apply. By indicating such circumstances in your application, you may receive favourable consideration. We ensure that at least one qualified applicant from each of these groups is invited for an interview as part of our commitment to inclusivity and equal opportunity. For further information about the recruitment process, click here .

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