Wildfires are powerful forces of nature that shape ecosystems, degrade air quality and influence climate. Human activities modify fire characteristics through land use change, intentional or accidental ignitions and by active fire management. However, the complex interactions between climate change, vegetation shifts, and human behaviour—and their consequences for wildfires—remain poorly understood.
Within the recently awarded project
INFLAMES, we are looking for a motivated PhD Candidate to strengthen our team. The position aims to use Earth Observation data to improve understanding and modelling capabilities to provide more reliable projections of future fire dynamics and their effects on humans, and to provide recommendations for fire management. The study is focused on regions in East and Southern Africa.
Your tasks include characterisation of spatio-temporal patterns of fire dynamics in the target region from satellite data; the development of an empirical model linking land-use change and socio-economic developments to fire dynamics; the assessment of effects of landscape fires on urban air quality using satellite and model data; and the development of a conceptual model to support decisions regarding fire management in the focus region.
You will work closely together with the INFLAMES project team, which includes four other PhD Candidates, several MSc students and a postdoctoral researcher working at eight institutions throughout the Netherlands.
You will participate in numerous networking activities of the INFLAMES project, including three dedicated early-career events. Several visits to the study region are foreseen to interact with local stakeholders.