The Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning is looking for a highly-motivated applicant to fill a research position on applied spatial data science related to healthy and safe urban streetscapes. Data on people’s environmental perception are difficult to collect on a city-wide scale. To address this need, the project aims to apply computer vision to map human perceptions of streetscape qualities by means of deep learning trained with street view images and crowdsourced stated preferences.

We are looking for passionate and motivated researcher, who:

• has a strong background (i.e., ideally but not mandatory an early career postdoc) either in computer science, computational social science, geographic information science, or has recently finished related disciplines by the time of appointment;
• has proven interest in and enthusiasm about the (spatial) data analytics (incl. web scraping) and experience in applying deep learning models (e.g., Keras library);
• is well versed in quantitative (spatial) data analytics (i.e., R, Python);
• is a team player who can conduct academic research independently at the highest level;
• is proficient in both spoken and written English and has excellent communication skills;
• has a strong research profile documented ideally through scientific publications; and
• has the willingness to teach for max. 10% of their time (e.g., mentoring graduate students).

If this profile suits you, we encourage you to apply and are looking forward to meeting you.

We offer a temporary position (1.0 FTE) for the duration of 18 months in an international working environment. The gross salary ranges between €3,282 and €3,821 (scale 10.3 - 10.7 of the Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities) per month for a full-time employment. Salaries are supplemented with a holiday bonus of 8% and a year-end bonus of 8.3% per year. In addition, Utrecht University offers excellent secondary conditions, including an attractive retirement scheme, (partly paid) parental leave and flexible employment conditions (multiple choice model). More information about working at Utrecht University can be found here.

A better future for everyone. This ambition motivates our scientists in executing their leading research and inspiring teaching. At Utrecht University, the various disciplines collaborate intensively towards major societal themes. Our focus is on Dynamics of Youth, Institutions for Open Societies, Life Sciences and Sustainability.

Utrecht University's Faculty of Geosciences studies the Earth: from the Earth's core to its surface, including man's spatial and material utilisation of the Earth - always with a focus on sustainability and innovation. With 3,400 students (BSc and MSc) and 720 staff, the faculty is a strong and challenging organisation. The Faculty of Geosciences is organised in four Departments: Earth Sciences, Human Geography & Spatial Planning, Physical Geography, and Sustainable Development.
The Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning has its focus on the enhancement of the long-term economic development of cities, how to cope with social inequalities, and how to accelerate sustainability transitions of cities and infrastructures. Research on these topics takes place within our research programme “Urban Futures: Transitions Towards Economic and Social Sustainability for Cities.”

Our research programme is the basis for our Research Master's Human Geography and Geographical Information Management and Applications and Professional Master's in Spatial Planning, Human Geography and International Development Studies. The department also runs a large and highly appreciated Bachelor's programme and is part of the Netherlands Graduate School of Urban and Regional Research for PhD candidates. Unique characteristics of the department are a special team focusing on innovations within teaching methods, its strong involvement in the transdisciplinary sustainability research theme and professional consultancy for public partners.
The city of Utrecht is one of the oldest cities in the Netherlands, with a charming old center and an internationally oriented culture that is strongly influenced by its century-old university. Utrecht city has been consistently ranked as one of the most livable cities in the Netherlands.