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EPFL, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, is one of the most dynamic university campuses in Europe and ranks among the top 20 universities worldwide. The EPFL employs more than 6,500 people supporting the three main missions of the institutions: education, research and innovation. The EPFL campus offers an exceptional working environment at the heart of a community of more than 17,000 people, including over 12,500 students and 4,000 researchers from more than 120 different countries.

PhD position "Nightlights image analysis for humanitarian applications"

Mission

As a PhD student, you will investigate the potential of deep learning models for processing and extracting information about humanitarian crisis from nightlight data and other remote sensing products. Early detection and characterization of said crisis is crucial for the operations of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which is a partner in this project.
Challenges related to the nightlight images resolution (involving the development of super-resolution methods), the early detection of the crisis in a spatiotemporal context, as well as the characterization of the different types of crisis will be at the core of the research.

Main duties and responsibilities

As a PhD Student, you will be expected to :

  • Perform data acquisition of large amounts of satellite data.
  • Create a database of crisis events together with ETH and ICRC partners.
  • Develop deep learning-based methodologies to super-resolve and analyze the data and create maps of the crisis, including humanitarian prior knowledge.
  • Write publications.
  • Attend international conferences, both in computer vision and remote sensing.
  • Participate to education of the ENAC faculty.

Profile

  • You have a Master in environmental engineering or computer science.
  • You have experience with remote sensing, machine learning and computer vision.
  • You are proficient in Python coding.
  • You are fluent in English.
  • You are motivated, curious and willing to work in a highly dynamic team.

We offer

  • An opportunity to develop a scientific career in an exciting area of science.
  • A unique opportunity to learn high-end techniques and approaches.
  • Excellent educational conditions and competitive remuneration.
  • A multi-cultural and stimulating scientific environment, in the new EPFL- Valais campus in Sion.

How to apply :

Please upload the following application documents in one single pdf-file:

  1.  A letter of interest (max. 2 pages), in which you also outline your PhD project
  2. An updated CV
  3. Contact details of 3 reference persons.
  4. Scans of your diplomas and grades from all academic institutions of higher education (after and not including high-school) listed in your CV. If you do not yet have your Master’s diploma, please send a certificate issued by your current institution of higher education that confirms your enrolment in a Master’s program).
  5. Copy of your passport or official identity document.
  6. A sample of your published work (if available), Master’s thesis or semester project.

Your application will only be considered if these documents are appended in one single pdf-file in the above stated order.

Application deadline: 30.11.2024

Contract Start Date : January 1st, 2025

Activity Rate Min : 100.00

Activity Rate Max : 100.00

Contract Type : CDD

Duration : 1 year

Reference : 1063










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