Integrated Biosphere Futures (IBF) Research group
The IBF Research Group, part of the IIASA Biodiversity and Natural Resources (BNR) Program, is offering an opportunity for a spatial data scientist to lead the development of a novel integrated land-use and land management database connected to a world leading modeling cluster.
The IBF Research Group adopts an integrated approach to sustainable land use and ecosystems modeling taking into account i) interactions between different economic sectors, including agriculture, forestry, bioenergy, and fisheries, ii) synergies and trade-offs between multiple societal objectives, including, but not limited to, GHG emissions and climate change mitigation, climate change impacts and adaptation, food security, sustainable nutrient and water management, and biodiversity, iii) across different spatial and temporal scales, going from pixel through the country level up to the global scale, and from annual to a hundred year time horizon.
The group is strongly connected to the international academic community, placing emphasis on transdisciplinary synergies, and applied approaches. The work accomplished has long been recognized through regular publications in high-ranking scientific journals, and the BNR Program includes several Top 1% highly cited researchers. In addition, BNR is recognized as a reliable partner in support of national policy making and international multilateral processes.
This role requires a PhD in a relevant field such as Geography, Environmental Sciences, Computer Science, or Statistics, focusing on spatial data analysis. The ideal candidate will have a solid foundation in geospatial analysis, environmental, and agricultural statistics, complemented by a successful history in data integration, harmonization across large-scale projects, and acquiring funding for research initiatives. The responsibilities of this position are twofold: technical leadership in spatial data science and strategic development of data resources to support environmental and agricultural modeling.
The lead spatial data scientist will be tasked with building and maintaining a comprehensive database that integrates diverse datasets, including biophysical, costing, spatial, and statistical data. This role is pivotal in ensuring the database supports integrated assessment models in agriculture, biodiversity, water, and crop modeling. The successful candidate must possess experience in setting up databases, designing transparent and maintainable data architectures, and collaborating with interdisciplinary teams to enhance the database’s relevance and utility for advanced modeling efforts. The position demands a blend of technical expertise, innovative thinking, and leadership capabilities to drive the research group's contributions to global sustainability efforts.
MAIN Tasks AND RESPONSIBILITIES
REquirements
Appointment Terms
The selected candidate should be available to take up the position as soon as possible in 2024 (start date negotiable). We offer an initial fixed-term, two-year, full-time (40 hours per week) employment contract, with the possibility of extension thereafter. Eligible applicants wishing to work part-time hours may be considered.
Duties will be carried out at the IIASA premises in Laxenburg, near Vienna in Austria.
The corresponding profile for this opportunity is R3 according to the IIASA profiles for research careers. *IIASA reserves the right to hire a researcher with a lower profile, and at a corresponding lower salary than the minimum stated below if the qualifications and professional experience of the selected candidate do not meet the criteria described in the researcher profiles adequately.
* EUR 69,996.00 (Subject to deductions for health insurance and/or social security.)
IIASA is committed to a working environment that promotes equality, diversity, tolerance and inclusion within its workforce. This is reflected in our IIASA core values. We encourage qualified candidates from all religious, ethnic, and social backgrounds to apply. In the case that candidates are equally qualified, preference will be given to applicants from countries where IIASA has a Member Organization.
For further information about this opportunity please contact Michael Le Gohebel, BNR/IBF Program and Project Officer or Petr Havlik, BNR Program Director/IBF Research Group Leader.
For general information about working at IIASA, contact: recruitment@iiasa.ac.at
In order to apply for this opportunity, you will need to provide the following documents: