Research Assistant / Research Associate (Fixed Term)
We are seeking an exceptional early‑career researcher to investigate how government incentive schemes and conservation management influence biodiversity and ecosystem functioning across the UK and Europe. This position will focus on applying Tessera, a geospatial foundation model that processes time‑series satellite imagery for tasks such as land classification and canopy height estimation. Tessera, developed at the University of Cambridge, enables highly efficient extraction of temporal patterns from Earth observation data, which we aim to use to track recent changes in landscapes managed for nature, timber, and food production. The post‑doctoral researcher will join the NERC‑funded Centre for Landscape Regeneration, generating scientific evidence to inform the management of ambitious nature recovery initiatives in the Scottish Highlands (Cairngorms Connect), Cumbria (Cumbria Connect) and the East Anglian Fens.
* Work with stakeholders on access to datasets needed for downstream Tessera tasks, including assessment of habitat condition, carbon storage and woodland regeneration.
* Use Tessera to track changes in UK and European landscapes, exploring the potential for integrating environmental layers and data from additional sensors in the downstream tasks; evaluate the accuracy of Tessera mapping products.
* Use Tessera‑generated maps to address scientific questions that are relevant to stakeholders, and publish work in international journals. Collaborate with the CLR modelling team to understand how alternative management of land and waterways would impact carbon storage and biodiversity.
Fixed‑term: The funds for this post are available for 14 months in the first instance.
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Please quote reference PD48274 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.
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