Remote Sensing (RS) Scientist

We are looking for a remote sensing (RS) scientist with passion for environmental & biodiversity monitoring across different scales with Artificial Intelligence (AI) driven Earth Observation (EO) classifications, in-situ data, EO time series analysis, and knowledge development.

Examples of applications are habitat mapping, modelling and monitoring, both terrestrial and marine, and including drone surveys. You position your applied research in a national as well as an international context, in collaboration with colleagues and (inter)national partners, often within interdisciplinary teams that search together for practical solutions and innovations.

In our group, RS scientists are team players who can translate questions from client-focused or scientific projects into actionable insights based on data-driven techniques.

You are comfortable to work collaboratively in a team setting with agile adaptation towards the project needs. You have a result-oriented and communicative attitude with a good knowledge of RS, Geo-Information, GeoAI, and spatial analysis. Expertise and affinity with one or more of these fields are necessary, namely optical, multispectral, hyperspectral, LiDAR, radar technology, and drone technology.

Various innovations and developments in RS, technology and institutional settings constantly create new potentials for applications. It is your responsibility to help develop such applications by using the newest insights from spatial data science & AI technology, in combination with collection of in-situ information.

Your core activities and responsibilities include:

• Having a (leading) role in research projects, also in the execution.
• Using RS & GIS innovative techniques based on EO data, environmental data layers and in-situ information to answer innovation and scientific challenges.
• Understanding of in-situ data collection tools and spatial data quality aspects
• Working on RS solutions to improve continuous information availability in the biodiversity, environmental & agricultural domain.
• Developing new data analysis techniques based on artificial intelligence and statistics that can be turned into powerful tools for future use.
• Translating customers' knowledge questions into scalable data-driven solutions, in collaboration with project lead, software engineers, AI researchers, GIS and RS specialists.
• Coordinating smaller applied research and data innovation projects with a prominent RS science component
• Absorbing new developments in spatial data science & spatial data engineering
• (Contribution to) acquisition of new projects.

You will work with Team Earth Observation and Environmental Informatics, which employs a group of 6 remote sensing scientists, and is specialized in geo-data and remote sensing within Wageningen Research.

Since many of our services involve understanding the user context, spatial analysis and complex questions, your background has to show affinity with our working fields.

• RS & time-series analysis skills combined with statistics, spatial analysis (Geo-Informatics) and spatial data management
• Extensive experience in AI/ML scripting (e.g. in Python) for spatial data science
• Affinity and motivation to learn new analysis techniques based on artificial intelligence (machine learning, deep learning) & geospatial foundation models.
• Affinity to learn new GIS en EO software & tools, and upcoming new sensors.
• Experience in international scientific collaborations.
• Experience in scientific writing and proposal development
• Preferable a PhD or at least a masters degree in Remote Sensing, Geo-Information, Environmental Science, Biology or a related science field, or alternatively in computer science, artificial intelligence, or mathematics, with affinity for working with geospatial data.
• Excellent social and communicative skills to acquire new projects with a flexible team-oriented spirit.
• National and international orientation and willingness to travel abroad.

In our international working environment there is an increasing amount of communication in English. For this position it is about language level C1. If you do not yet have this level, we will of course help you and you can go to our language center Wageningen in'to Language.

You can see that there are plenty of challenges ahead of you. These challenges can also be seen as development opportunities. So if you do not yet have the track-record required in the vacancy, but do have solid work experience, we would also like to invite you to apply.

You will work here
Wageningen Environmental Research is a knowledge-driven and independent research institute working towards the realisation of a sustainable green living environment. Team Earth Observation and Environmental Informatics (abbreviated to Earth Informatics) is one of the research groups of Wageningen Environmental Research (WENR), and part of Wageningen University & Research (WUR). In the rapidly developing interdisciplinary fields of Earth Observation, Environmental Informatics and sustainable development, we develop data driven services for a more sustainable world across different scales. Examples are found on our portfolio page: https://www.earthinformatics.eu/

Wageningen University & Research offers excellent terms of employment. A few highlights from our Collective Labour Agreement include:

• working hours that can be discussed and arranged so that they allow for the best possible work-life balance;
• sabbatical leave, study leave, and partially paid parental leave;
• there is a strong focus on vitality and you can make use of the sports facilities available on campus for a small fee;
• a fixed year-end bonus of 8,3%;
• excellent pension scheme.

In addition to these first-rate employee benefits, you will of course receive a good salary. We offer, depending on your experience, a competitive gross salary of between € 3,399.- and € 6,228.- for a full-time working week of 36 hours, in accordance with the CLA Wageningen Research (scale 10/11). Additionally, For this role a contract for 28 hours can be discussed. As for your contract, we initially offer a one-year contract that can be extended - if possible within (company) organizational circumstances - on good performance.

Wageningen University & Research offers plenty of opportunities for growth and development, with a strong internal recruitment policy and excellent training programmes.

You will work on the greenest and most innovative campus in the Netherlands, in an international and open working environment. For 20 consecutive years, we have been voted the "best university" in the Netherlands! A place to be proud of.

The mission of Wageningen University & Research is “To explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life”. Under the banner Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen University and the specialised research institutes of the Wageningen Research Foundation have joined forces in contributing to finding solutions to important questions in the domain of healthy food and living environment. With its roughly 30 branches, 7,600 employees (6,700 fte) and 13,100 students and over 150,000 participants to WUR’s Life Long Learning, Wageningen University & Research is one of the leading organisations in its domain. The unique Wageningen approach lies in its integrated approach to issues and the collaboration between different disciplines.

Read the 5 reasons why your future colleagues enjoy working at WUR and watch the video below to get an idea of our green campus!

We will recruit for the vacancy ourselves, so no employment agencies please. However, sharing in your network is appreciated.

Coming from abroad
Wageningen University & Research is the university and research centre for life sciences. The themes we deal with are relevant to everyone around the world and Wageningen, therefore, has a large international community and a lot to offer to international employees.

Because we expect you to work and live in the Netherlands our team of advisors on Dutch immigration procedures will help you with the visa application procedures for yourself and, if applicable, for your family. If you come with a partner, we offer a Dual Career group program organized by our Welcome Center. This program helps your partner to get familiar with the Dutch culture, labour market and assists your partner to find a job.

Feeling welcome also has everything to do with being well informed. Wageningen University & Research's International Community page contains practical information about what we can do to support international employees coming to Wageningen. Furthermore, our Welcome Center can assist you with any additional advice and information about for example housing, opening a bank account or schooling. Finally, certain categories of international staff may be eligible for a tax exemption on a part of their salary during the first five years in the Netherlands.