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.
Postdoc position – Laboratory of Catchment Hydrology and Geomorphology
Your mission :
The Catchment Hydrology and Geomorphology Lab (CHANGE) led by Prof. Sara Bonetti at EPFL in Sion is looking for a postdoctoral researcher to join the lab activities.
At CHANGE, we seek to improve current understanding and forecasting capabilities of multiple catchment processes both in natural and managed ecosystems. The main research themes of the Lab include landscape evolution and soil erosion dynamics, ecohydrological modeling, and sustainable use of soil and water resources. We are looking for a highly motivated candidate with strong technical and analytical skills, a solid background in environmental science, engineering, physics, or applied mathematics and research interests aligned with the Lab’s activity.
Areas of interest include:
i) Modeling carbon, water, and nutrient dynamics within the soil-plant atmosphere system (e.g., climate change impacts on ecohydrological dynamics of natural and/or managed ecosystems, effects of regenerative agricultural practices on climate change mitigation and food security).
ii) Landscape evolution and soil erosion modeling (e.g., ridge and valley patterns, coupling soil development and landscape evolution dynamics, erosion-induced soil carbon dynamics, climate change and land use impacts on soil erosion processes).
iii) Crop water sustainability assessment (e.g., crop water footprint, virtual water trade).
Modeling and quantitative skills are a prerequisite for this position.
Main duties and responsibilities include :
- Perform original research on ecohydrological dynamics of agroecosystems.
- Lead and contribute to publications for high-impact journals.
- Contribute to broad Lab activities (including co-supervision of PhD and MSc students).
Your profile :
- You have (or are close to completing) a PhD in Environmental Sciences, Physics, Engineering, or Applied Mathematics.
- You have experience in mechanistic modeling.
- You have strong computational and analytical skills, as well as experience handling large datasets.
- You have a strong publication record (relative to your career stage) in internationally leading journals.
- You have excellent written and oral communication skills in English.
We offer :
- A stimulating and international working environment in the new EPFL-Valais campus in Sion.
- Competitive salary and excellent working conditions.
- Opportunity to perform state-of-the-art research in one of the most dynamic scientific institutions in Europe.
Start date :
End of 2023 (start date is negotiable), the position will remain open until filled
Term of employment : Fixed-term (CDD)
Work rate : 100%
Duration : 1 year
Remark : Only candidates who applied through EPFL website or our partner Jobup’s website will be considered. Files sent by agencies without a mandate will not be taken into account.
Reference : Job Nb 3099
