Senior Researcher in Earth Observation Data Science

Institute for Earth Observation

Short description of the position:

Eurac Research is an interdisciplinary research centre located in Bolzano, Italy. At the Institute for Earth Observation (EO) we do research on monitoring of environmental parameters and processes with Earth observation and climate data in mountain regions and are hosting a huge amount of Earth observation data for the alpine region. The person we are looking for will support our institute by developing scientific concepts and algorithms in the field of “Earth Observation” at scale working in the group “Advanced Computing” of the institute. The group is working on the advancement of data science related to Earth observation data and processing, including topics from data management and organization following FAIR data principles, scalable data processing and development of cloud native solutions, and integration of data driven and physical based modelling pushing the boundaries in the development of digital twins. The group is actively involved with OGC and IEEE in standardization efforts in core research domains such as data cubes, interoperability and digital twins.

Tasks:

• Contribute to the strategic development of the group by identifying research problems and strategic opportunities
• Contribute to project acquisition and management of research projects
• Advice on and develop technical solutions in the field of EO data science in cloud native environments
• Consolidate research output by contributing with scientific publications and active participation in relevant international conferences

Requirements:

Essential

• A PhD or equivalent experience in a relevant field like Earth observation, geoinformatics or data science
• 5 years of proven experience in programming in the GEO, Climate or Earth Observation domain
• Deep knowledge in one or more programming languages such as: Python, R, Java and/or C/C++
• Proven ability to acquire research funding and project management
• Proven ability to publish in relevant scientific journals as lead author
• Good understanding and experience of geospatial data
• Willingness to work with an open science and open-source approach
• Experience with the usage of version control systems, preferably git, and with GitHub/GitLab platform and their CI/CD integrations, providing well-structured code and documentation
• Experience in working with cloud, HPC or cluster compute resources including working in a Linux environment and command-line (shell)
• Ability in team working, good communication, motivation to learn and flexibility.
• Very good English (spoken and written). German and/or Italian skills are highly appreciated
• Relocating to Bolzano

Desired

• Experience with SQL and database management systems, e.g. PostgreSQL
• Data analysis and visualization skills for spatial and temporal data
• Knowledge of earth observation software tools such as Sentinel or Orfeo Toolboxes
• Knowledge of GIS Systems (GRASS software suite, QuantumGIS, ArcGIS, etc.)
• Knowledge of Databases for raster management such as open data cube or rasdaman
• Knowledge of container-based cluster computing (docker, kubernetis, etc.)
• Experience of API development using openAPI
• Experience in standardization in geospatial domain
• Knowledge of HPC computing and the usage of tools such as slurm

We offer:

• 1-year contract, potentially extendable for up to 3 years.
• Preferably starting in April 2024, but negotiable
• An interesting, highly responsible job in a young international and interdisciplinary team
• State-of-the-art technical facilities (soft- and hardware, communication tools)
• Professional development opportunities
• Flexible working hours
• Benefits (e.g. family-friendly benefits, lunch card, health insurance, etc.)
• Access to EURAC’s numerous scientific and cultural facilities and events
• An attractive working place in a vivid city in the heart of the Alps with endless opportunities for skiing, hiking, climbing

We explicitly welcome female applicants to whom we will give priority in conditions of equal qualification among applicants.

How to apply:

Interested candidates should submit their application (CV, cover letter and further relevant documents) by 29.02.2024.