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The Singapore-ETH Center for Global Environmental Sustainability offers 1 PhD position in Landscape and Environmental Planning

The position is offered within the context of the international joint project Future Cities Laboratory (FCL), which the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH Zurich) and the National University of Singapore (NUS) will run conjointly for the next 4 years. In particular, the position will be part of the pilot interdisciplinary module entitled “Landscape and Ecology”, which will run under the Research Stream Urban Design Strategies and Resources of the ETH Zurich FCL in Singapore. The research module deals with the interface between advanced landscape design, modeling and simulation and urban hydrology, watershed modeling and hydrological ecosystem services. The case study is located along the Ciliwung River Catchment in the urban periphery of Jakarta in Java, Indonesia.

The PhD project will focus on assessing the value of hydrological ecosystem services of selected reaches of the Ciliwung River under natural and designed river landscapes in the periphery of Jakarta. Based on eco-hydraulic model outputs and three-dimensional representation of the landscape, the PhD will set-up a suitable participative approach for valuing the ecological, economical, and social services provided under the different scenarios and investigate different institutional arrangements for securing the provision of the most required services in the long term including spatial planning and payment for ecosystem services.
Accordingly, the successful candidate working at the interface of the Landscape and Ecology Module and the FCL Simulation Platform, will need to have a good academic education (Master) in environmental sciences (quantitative), a strong background in economy and social empirical research, and an understanding in political sciences. Additional basic knowledge about landscape and ecological design is also to be expected. Experience with GIS and handling multivariable datasets and software combinations is certainly an asset. The successful applicant will be highly motivated for scientific research, have specific interest in the topic and appropriate background, have personal initiative, be comfortable with both team and independent work, and have good organizational Skills. Very good spoken and written command of the English language are required.

The position is presently open for all potential candidates with an application deadline set for December 31st 2011. Each candidate will be asked to submit an electronic application in the form of two pdf files to the application address indicated below. The first pdf will include a motivation letter, CV, Masters or diploma certificates and academic transcripts, the second pdf file will be a copy of the Masters thesis or diploma project. In addition two confidential letters of recommendation, also as pdf files, have to be submitted to directly to the application address.

The selected candidate will be enrolled as ETH Zurich/FCL PhD student, but the research will be based in Singapore throughout the doctoral period. The research team working on the “Landscape and Ecology” module will be coached jointly by a Senior Researcher and a Post Doctoral researcher with proven knowledge of the relevant research fields. The PhD student will join a vibrant research team in Singapore, working on complex interdisciplinary project at the interface of landscape and ecology and computer simulation. Interviews for the position will be held either in Singapore or Zürich. The position will start on 01.03.2012 or flexibly thereafter.

Additional information about the position may be obtained by writing to Prof. Adrienne Grêt-Regamey: gret@nsl.ethz.ch
Address for electronic submission: gret@nsl.ethz.ch  (maximum attachments 10 MB)