LakeCast: Enhancing lake ecosystem management with multisource integrated data and ecological forecasts - PhD via FindAPhD

University of Waikato

Hamilton, New Zealand 🇳🇿

About the Project

We are seeking an enthusiastic and highly motivated student for a fully funded PhD project as part of our recently funded ‘LakeCast’ program. This project will focus on developing ecological forecasts to serve as decision support tools for lake management. Lakes are under increasing pressure from multiple stressors, and current methods often fall short in pre-emptively identifying water quality impairments such as algal blooms, which hampers effective management. By leveraging abundant water-quality data and advances in sensor fusion and ecological forecasting theory, this project aims to provide accurate forecasts and actionable insights for regional councils and iwi.

The successful candidate will develop novel machine learning algorithms using diverse high-frequency sensor datasets, integrating data science techniques with lake ecology to build robust statistical and mechanistic models. The research will focus on synthesizing diverse water quality data, including ongoing long-term datasets, community-driven cyanobacteria data, and high-frequency sensor information, to build and test ecological forecasts. The candidate will also participate in fieldwork, deploying and maintaining autonomous water quality monitoring buoys and conducting near-shore sampling.

Candidate Profile:

We are looking for a candidate with a background in data science, lake ecology, or a related field, who is proficient in R (or comparable software) and has experience with data manipulation, statistical or process-based modelling, and machine learning techniques. A relevant Bachelor’s degree with honours or a Master’s degree is required. Experience with fieldwork or water quality monitoring is an advantage.

What We Offer:

The successful candidate will be supervised by Associate Professors Deniz Özkundakci and Melanie Ooi, and Dr. Whitney Woelmer at the University of Waikato, based in Hamilton, New Zealand. You will work closely with Te Ipu o Te Mahara Artificial Intelligence Institute, Te Arawa Lakes Trust, the Bay of Plenty Regional Council, and Toi Te Ora Public Health to develop decision-relevant tools. The project will offer opportunities to conduct fieldwork, collaborate with a range of stakeholders, and leverage the University of Waikato’s data science resources. We offer a competitive stipend and full fee coverage (NZ$35,000 stipend + tuition fees per year for three years).

For additional information, please contact Deniz Özkundakci (deniz.ozkundakci@waikato.ac.nz) or Melanie Ooi (melanie.ooi@waikato.ac.nz). Applications, including a CV, academic transcripts, a letter of motivation, research interests, and details of two referees, should be submitted to kim.pritchard@waikato.ac.nz by 15 November 2024. The successful applicant is expected to begin by February 2025.

6 days remaining

Apply by 14 November, 2024

POSITION TYPE

ORGANIZATION TYPE

EXPERIENCE-LEVEL

DEGREE REQUIRED

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