Research Fellow

Description:

This is a desk-based position with no fieldwork. You will work closely with the Leeds-based post-doctoral research fellows who know the relevant field data, one for the peatlands, and one for the terra firme forests, alongside the AfriTRON International Data Officer. The successful candidate is expected to lead on publishing the peatland maps, and to contribute to other high-impact papers, based on the CongoFor1.5 project and their interests.

The successful candidate will be expected to contribute to the Congo peatlands and CongoFor1.5 projects in other ways, including helping early career researchers in central Africa with analyses. You will be based in the UK, but will interact with colleagues in Central Africa, and will have the opportunity to travel to meetings in Central Africa. You will have excellent remote sensing skills, creativity, a self-starter with a willingness to collaborate, as well as a developing track-record of publishing high-quality papers from your previous research.

What does the role entail?

As a Research Fellow, your main duties will include:
 

• Producing a third-generation landcover maps of the central Congo peatlands (seasonally inundated swamp forest), using our standard definition of peat, and the now more extensive ground data, newly available space-borne remotely sensed data, and state-of-the-art mapping techniques;
• Producing a map of the central Congo peatlands to the legal specification of peat/peatlands, given by the governments of the Republic of the Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo for policy purposes;
• Assist the CongoFor1.5 team in producing maps of the carbon balance of structurally intact terra firme forest in the Congo Basin;
• Publish your work in internationally peer-reviewed journals;
• Contribute to producing regular project update reports for the funders;
• Participate in, and contribute to, project meetings;
• Contribute, as appropriate, to the successful implementation of Congo peatlands and CongoFor1.5 projects;
• Contribute to manuscripts led by other members of the research group.