Post-doctoral fellow in geoinformatics (GIS)

Geographic Information Science is the interdisciplinary study of theories, methods, and technologies for acquiring, managing, analyzing, modelling, and visualizing geographic information to understand spatial patterns, processes, and relationships. Lund University GIS Centre at the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences is going to expand its research activities in GIS applied to transportation. A postdoctoral is going to be employed to help with the ongoing research.

The position focuses on GIS and transportation resilience in the context of extreme weather events, with particular emphasis on synthesising and assessing existing scientific knowledge. The postdoctoral researcher will contribute to a knowledge overview of how extreme weather events affect transportation infrastructure, mobility, accessibility, and transport-related vulnerability, as well as the approaches and strategies available to strengthen transportation resilience.

The work will have an interdisciplinary character, combining perspectives from geoinformatics, transportation research, climate science, spatial planning, and disaster and resilience research. Particular attention will be given to the spatial and temporal dimensions of transportation impacts, differences between transport modes and geographical contexts, and the implications for vulnerable populations and regions.

The postdoctoral researcher will systematically identify, assess, integrate, and synthesise findings from existing scientific literature and other relevant sources. GIS and spatial data science perspectives will be used to organise and interpret the evidence, identify geographical and methodological gaps in existing research, and develop a coherent knowledge base to support climate adaptation and resilient transportation planning. Empirical studies will also be implemented to evaluate and analyse transportation resilience with GeoAI and relevant data-driven approaches.

Work duties

The main duties involved in a postdoctoral posistion is to conduct research. Teaching may also be included, but up to 20% of working time. The purpose of the position is to develop independence as a researcher and to create opportunities for future development.

The specific work duties include

Review, assess, and synthesise existing research on the impacts of extreme weather events on transportation infrastructure, networks, travel behaviour, mobility, and accessibility.

• Develop a publicly accessible WebGIS platform for exploring evidence by geography, hazard, infrastructure, population, and adaptation.
• Conduct transportation resilience assessment and enhancement studies based on GIS, complex network analysis, and machine learning.
• Simulate human mobility in response to extreme weather events (e.g., flooding, heat waves) with agent-based modeling.
• Publication in scientific conferences and high-impact journals.
• Supervision of Bachelor and Master theses.
• Administration related to the work duties listed above

Qualification requirements

Appointment to a post-doctoral position requires that the applicant has a PhD, or an international degree deemed equivalent to a PhD, within the subject of the position, completed no more than three years before the date of employment decision. Under special circumstances, the doctoral degree can have been completed earlier.

Additional requirements

• Research expertise in geoinformatics and spatial data science, including demonstrated knowledge of GIS, spatial analysis, spatial modelling, and GeoAI.
• Experience and expertise in WebGIS development, familiar with the core technologies, such as building web interface, web mapping, spatial database, and web services.
• Experience and expertise in graph-based deep learning for intelligent transportation infrastructure and systems.
• Experience and expertise in human mobility simulation and prediction with agent-based modeling and deep learning techniques.
• Proficient in Python programming for geospatial data processing, modeling, and mining.
• Publications in high-quality international peer-reviewed journals within a relevant field, especially experience in publishing review papers.
• Very good oral and written proficiency in English.
• Good collaborative skills and the ability to work in an interdisciplinary research environment.

Assessment criteria and other qualifications

This is a career development position primarily focused on research. The position is intended as an initial step in a career, and the assessment of the applicants will primarily be based on their research qualifications and potential as researchers.

Particular emphasis will be placed on research skills within the subject.

For appointments to a post-doctoral position, the following shall form the assessment criteria:

• Having the required qualifications, mentioned above.

Additional assessment criteria, which will be benefit are

• Knwoledge and experience of cloud, monitoring & automation foundation
• Experience in foundation models and Large Language Models (LLMs).
• Experience in teaching GIS-related courses at the Bachelor/Master level.
• Experience in supervising Bachelor and Master theses.

Consideration will also be given to good collaborative skills, drive and independence, and how the applicant’s experience and skills complement and strengthen ongoing research within the department, and how they stand to contribute to its future development.

Terms of employment

This is a full-time (100%), fixed-term employment of a maximum of two years. The period of employment is determined in accordance with the agreement “Avtal om tidsbegränsad anställning som postdoktor” (“Agreement on fixed-term employment as a post-doctoral fellow”) between Lund University, SACO-S and OFR/S, dated 1st February 2022. Wanted start date 2026-11-01. Instructions on how to apply

Applications shall be written in English and be compiled into a PDF-file containing:

• résumé/CV, including a list of publications,
• Cover letter (max. 2 pages) outlining your motivation, research interests, and fit for the project,
• Contact information of at least two references,
• Copy of the doctoral degree certificate, and other certificates/grades that you wish to be considered.

Welcome to apply!