Position at ZEF for a LUCC modeler


August 15, 2006.  

Position at ZEF: Junior Researcher/Senior Researcher

Contract: BAT IIa for 6 to 9 months, with a possibility of extension

Starting date: Soonest possible

 

The Department of Economic and Technological Change of the Center for Development Research

(ZEF) at the University of Bonn invites applications for a junior or senior researcher within the

Biota (BIOdiversity monitoring Transect Analysis) East Africa project. This is an interdisciplinary

project on biodiversity research in East Africa and involves several universities in Germany, with

partners in Kenya and Uganda, and is coordinated by the Alexander Koenig Research Institute and

Museum for Zoology (ZFMK), Bonn. The project is funded by the German Federal Ministry of

Education and Research (BMBF) and aims at analyzing biodiversity and ecosystem functions and

socio-economic drivers along gradients of degradation of forests.

 

Tasks

The focus of this research will be to predict where and to what extent future land conversion will

take place in Kakamega forest (Kenya) and surrounding areas. The researcher’s specific tasks will

include:

 

• To develop a spatio-temporally explicit LUCC model and use it to project future landuse/

cover changes resulting from different scenarios of key driving forces in Kakamega

forest and surrounding areas.

• To make scientific papers or publishable contributions on predicted land use/cover changes

in the study area.

The above tasks will draw on a recent study done using spatial econometrics to analyze the

determinants of land use/cover changes, which also helped to explain why deforestation has been

occurring in the research area.

 

The candidate will be provided with the following relevant datasets:

• Land-use/cover classification generated from satellite images of 1972, 1980, 1989 and 2001.

• Digital elevation model and other spatial data (road and river networks, administration

boundaries, land-management planning, etc.)

• A village survey data with spatially integrated locational, socio-economic, demographic and

agricultural history variables.

• Key driving forces of LUCC in the study area as proven by a previous spatial econometric

analysis

 

Requirements

Ph.D in agricultural and biological sciences, geography, economics or any other relevant discipline,

with practical experience in GIS analysis and the development of spatially/temporally explicit

LUCC models. Candidates holding an M.Sc/Diploma but demonstrating proven outstanding skills

on LUCC modeling will also be considered. Excellent speaking and writing English skills and

experience of working in developing countries will be an advantage.

 

Application:

Interested candidates are requested to submit application letters, explaining their interest and

suitability for the position, a CV, including a list of relevant publications and two academic

referees. Only electronic applications are invited. Please send them to jmburu@uni-bonn.de.

 

Deadline: 30th August 2006. Only short-listed applicants will be notified.

 

Please forward this position to anybody interested.



Contact

Günther Manske

Dr. Günther Manske

Phone.:
+49-228-73-1864

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