Applications are invited for a 14-month postdoctoral research fellow post in spatial data science to work on the project Uncovering the Mechanisms of Migratory Bird Navigation with Big Data Analytics, funded by a Leverhulme Trust research project grant. 

This post presents an opportunity for a spatial data scientist to work with other data scientists and ecologists on an inherently interdisciplinary project. The research fellow will be responsible for development of new spatial data fusion methods for open geomagnetic and bird tracking data. He/she will further be responsible for publishing the findings in appropriate venues (peer-reviewed journals, conferences) and for dissemination to GIScience and movement ecology communities.

Migratory birds make journeys that cross oceans, deserts and mountain ranges, navigating with exceptional skill to their specific breeding and wintering areas. Our understanding of how they do this remains fairly rudimentary, in spite of decades of scientific research. This project addresses the question of bird migration as a spatial data science challenge. We will develop new methods for spatio-temporal multi-source data fusion of open geomagnetic data from varied sources with tracking data from many bird tracking studies provided by the project partner, the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology (MPIO). The goal is to study how spatial and temporal changes in the Earth’s magnetic field affect birds’ navigation strategies in real time. Succesful data fusion of magnetic and tracking data, which this fellow will be responsible for, is the first necessary step to achieve this goal.

This is primarily a data science project located at the University of St Andrews, however the work will be fully informed with biological domain knowledge through the collaboration with MPIO. The fellow is therefore expected to regularly visit the MPIO (located in Radolfzell, Germany) for shorter periods.

Applicants should hold a PhD in geographic information science, remote sensing or a related spatial data science discipline and have an interest in movement ecology. The post also requires knowledge of coding and spatial data processing. 

You will be located at the School of Geography & Sustainable Development, where you will join the Bell Edwards Geographic Data Institute (BEGIN) and further become a member of the Environmental Change research group. The School of Geography and Sustainable Development provides a welcoming and supportive community. A wide range of career development opportunities and courses are provided by the University, which is Scotland’s oldest. The town of St Andrews is situated on the beautiful coastline of eastern Scotland.

The post will commence on 1 September 2019, or shortly thereafter, for 14 months.

For further information, please contact Dr Urska Demsar (urska.demsar@st-andrews.ac.uk). 

The University is committed to equality for all, demonstrated through our working on diversity awards (ECU Athena SWAN/Race Charters; Carer Positive; LGBT Charter; and Stonewall).  More details can be found at http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/hr/edi/diversityawards/.

Please quote ref:  AR2135RSB

Closing Date: 10 May 2019     

Interview Date: 28 May 2019 

Further Particulars: AR2135RSB FPs.doc

School of Geography and Sustainable Development
Salary: £33,199 per annum
Start: 1 September or as soon as possible thereafter
Fixed term for 14 months