[ES_JOBS_NET] PhD assistantship for socio-environmental research on land use change and fire risk in Greece

[Chloe Wardropper]

Dr. Chloe Wardropper <https://www.uidaho.edu/cnr/faculty/wardropper>
(Department of Natural Resources and Society), along with Drs. Aaron Sparks
<https://www.uidaho.edu/cnr/faculty/postdoctoral-and-research-staff/sparks>
and Luigi Boschetti <https://www.uidaho.edu/cnr/faculty/boschetti>
(Department of Forest, Rangeland and Fire Science) and Alex Maas
<https://www.uidaho.edu/cals/agricultural-economics-and-rural-sociology/our-people/alexander-maas>
(Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology), at University
of Idaho, USA, are recruiting a PhD student. The student would conduct
quantitative socio-environmental research on drivers of land-use change and
associated fire risk in Greece. This project is funded through NASA’s
Land-Cover and Land-Use Change program <https://lcluc.umd.edu/>.



The student will work with Drs. Wardropper and Maas on fulfilling the
following objectives:

·       Use spatially explicit multivariate analyses to identify
geophysical, socioeconomic, and sociocultural drivers of agricultural land
abandonment in Greece, with a focus on cultural identity and family legacy.

·       Use discrete choice or experimental survey methods to identify
policies (subsidies, education, behavioral nudges, etc.) most likely to
promote fire-conscious land management.

·       Coordinate work with collaborators in Greece, Drs. Ioannis Gitas
<http://fmrs.web.auth.gr/profile/ioannis-gitas-head-of-the-unit-professor/>
at University of Thessaloniki and Chariton Kalaitzidis
<https://www.iamc.ciheam.org/el/education/master_of_schience/enm/staff> at
the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania

Dr. Sparks will conduct spatial analysis using satellite data (e.g. Landsat
and Sentinel imagery, GEDI lidar data) to identify and map agricultural
land abandonment and associated fire risk in Greece. The PhD student may
work with Dr. Sparks on these data if experience and time allows.



The PhD student would likely enroll in the Natural
<https://www.uidaho.edu/cnr/grad-programs/on-campus-degrees/natural-resources-phd>
Resources PhD program, housed within the College of Natural Resources. But
the student will be expected to work across Colleges, particularly with the
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, where Dr. Maas’s department is
housed. We can initially offer a three-year funding package, with half of
academic semesters in a research assistantship and half in a teaching
assistantship, and three summers fully funded under the research
assistantship. Funding is also allocated for travel to Greece and
professional conferences. We will work with the student to apply for
additional fellowships to finish the PhD; additional teaching assistantship
positions are also available. Ideal start date is June 2021.



Qualifications:

- Master’s degree in social science or natural resources field (we are open
to multiple disciplinary backgrounds so long as the candidate wishes to
pursue a primarily quantitative social science PhD)

- Experience with statistical analysis, preferably in R or STATA

- Interest in decision-making and environmental change

- English language proficiency



Preferred qualifications:

- Experience conducting and analyzing surveys

- Experience incorporating spatial data (e.g., LandSat imagery) into
analyses using a GIS (ArcGIS, QGIS) and/or programming language (R, Python,
GDAL)

- Understanding of EU agricultural policies

- Greek language proficiency (or experience working in non-English
environments and willingness to learn)



To apply:

Send (1) cover letter, (2) CV, (3) transcripts from Master’s program, and
(4) names and emails for 2-3 references in *one PDF* to
cwardropper at uidaho.edu. Priority review date is November 4, 2020. Email Dr.
Wardropper with any questions.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://mailman.ucar.edu/pipermail/es_jobs_net/attachments/20201006/26f3af98/attachment.html>