Post-doctoral position on classification of high resolution marine 3D point cloud data – Deadline until position is fulfilled

The Postdoctoral Research Assistant will join the 4D Oceans Research Lab in the School of Ocean Technology at the Fisheries and Marine Institute of Memorial University, St John’s, Canada, and play a key role within the ‘Benthic ecosystem mapping for sustainable ocean stewardship in a shifting ocean climate (BEcoME)’ project. This role will focus on the development of classification approaches for ultra-high resolution 3D point clouds of complex underwater features and organisms (e.g. cold-water corals). New technologies such as structure-from-motion and color laser scanners have the potential to provide high resolution 3D representations of individual coral colonies whose growth could be monitored over time. Development of automated approaches for the classification of such data would expedite large surveys, and facilitating long-term monitoring. In addition, the Postdoctoral Research Assistant will have a unique opportunity to contribute to a planned Schmidt Ocean Institute expedition aimed at understanding the environmental drivers of vertical cliff ecosystems in the Galapagos. We are looking for applicants who have demonstrated experience and a good research track record in 3D point cloud processing, classification and interpretation for ecological purposes.

Responsibilities:

• Test new underwater remote      sensing tools (e.g. structure from motion, RGB laser scanner) for species      identification and survey of habitat quality
• Develop and apply 3D point      cloud segmentation and classification approaches to produce robust 3D      habitat maps of complex marine environments
• Participate in data collection      operations
• Work collaboratively with      researchers spanning a range of discipline to achieve a comprehensive      understanding of the ecosystems studied
• Contribute to the development of      graduate student thesis project in the field of seafloor and habitat      mapping
• Contribute to the dissemination      of project results (e.g., participation in scientific conferences,      publication in peer-reviewed scientific journals, knowledge transfers with      industry)

Your Application

To be successful in the role, your application will need to demonstrate;

• A PhD in seafloor mapping, remote      sensing, geomatics, computer vision or which involved the significant use      of 3D point clouds.
• A strong publication record in      relevant fields, familiarity with ecological principles and/or the marine      environment will be considered an asset.
• Experience with statistical      approaches, machine learning techniques and programming languages
• A record of collaborative work      on multi-disciplinary projects

Closing date: until fulfilled

Prospective start date: January 2022

Salary: 50,000 CAD

Duration: 2 years

For further information about the position, follow this link.