University Postdoctoral Fellow in Improved decision support for natural hazard risk reduction, Bush

The University of Adelaide is one of Australia's leading Group of Eight, research-intensive universities and is consistently ranked among the top 1% of universities in the world. Established in 1874, it is Australia's third oldest university with a strong reputation for preparing educated leaders and delivering research outcomes that contribute to local, national and global wellbeing.

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The School of Civil, Environmental and Mining Engineering is one of Australia's leading educators in civil, environmental and mining engineering, the school offers a stimulating environment in which to work. Recognising the contribution of all staff, the school's leaders are dedicated to providing a rewarding work environment for all.

This role is within a Bushfire & Natural Hazard Cooperative Research Centre (BNHCRC) funded research project. The group has expertise in risk assessment, modelling and uncertainty, stakeholder engagement, scenario planning, optimisation and decision support. The research position is part of an existing project looking at Improved decision support for natural hazard risk reduction (https://www.bnhcrc.com.au/research/policy-economics-hazards/230).

A primary theme of the BNHCRC project is improving how policy makers across Australia consider disaster risk into the future and how to best reduce the impact of natural hazards. The successful applicant will be required to contribute to project deliverables, which will involve further development of a spatially and temporally dynamic integrated model for long term risk reduction planning, and application of the model to different geographic regions. They will also contribute to the development of new modelling processes – such as an agent based model – through data preparation, analysis and execution of simulation studies to better understand the dynamics of risk. The successful applicant will work with Prof Holger Maier, A/Prof Hedwig van Delden and Dr Aaron Zecchin, along with a group of researchers working to support improved decision making with government departments across the nation.

Salary:

(Level A) $65,894 - $89,425 per annum.

Superannuation:

An employer contribution of 9.5% applies.

Term of position:

This full-time, fixed-term contract is available immediately for a period of 2 years. Consideration will be given for a part time (0.5 FTE to 0.8 FTE) position for an exceptional candidate(s) meeting all of the selection criteria.

Position requirements

To be successful you should have:

• Hold or have submitted a PhD in spatial sciences, climate science, civil/environmental engineering, applied statistics, or related discipline;
• Significant demonstrated experience in the use of ArcGIS (or similar) and (spatial) data analysis, as well as the ability to develop new methods to gain understanding from spatial data and undertake spatial modelling;
• Demonstrated experience in using other programming or statistical methods to support analysis (e.g. R, Matlab, Python);
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with proven ability (existing publication record) to produce high-quality scientific publications and presentations;
• Excellent organisational skills and a proven record of completing set tasks on time.

Applicants should outline the skills they have to fulfill the requirements, as well as propose their own research directions and questions that support the research group’s overall objectives of improving spatio-temporal understanding and modelling of disaster risk and resilience. 

Please address and upload your individual responses to each of the selection criteria within the online application as well as a Curriculum Vitae, including details of referees. If you have any queries regarding this position, please contact Holger Maier, Professor, telephone: +61 8 8313 4139 or email: holger.maier@adelaide.edu.au or Graeme Riddell, Research Fellow, telephone: +61 8 8313 1113 or email: graeme.riddell@adelaide.edu.au

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Closing date: 

Wednesday 14 February 2018

The University of Adelaide is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. Women, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who meet the requirements of this position are strongly encouraged to apply.