Tenure-track positions in Carbon Cycle, Vegetation Remote Sensing and Data Assimilation Science

Tenure-track positions in Carbon Cycle, Vegetation Remote Sensing and Data Assimilation Science at the International Institute for Earth System Science, Nanjing University, China

I. About the Institute

The International Institute for Earth System Science (ESSI) at Nanjing University is internationally renowned and one of the leading institute in remote sensing and global change fields within China, situated in one of China’s elite universities.

ESSI was formally established on November 19, 2000, among the first of “Specialty Science Fields” created in Nanjing University, with the following mission:

(1) To uncover mechanisms underlying interactions among human activities, resources, and the environment, by using technologies such as remote-sensing and geographic information system, so as to provide the necessary scientific basis for the making of national policies and strategic decisions addressing ever-severer resource shortage, environmental degradation, global change and other contemporary global issues;

(2) To develop and expand earth system science in higher education, so as to cultivate high-quality specialists in this discipline;

(3) To develop into a world-class education and research center of earth system science, by aiming at international frontiers of research topics, establishing a work environment and operating mechanism in accordance with international standards, uniting intra- and inter-national professors and scholars who are doing research in earth system science, serving as a platform for intra- and inter-national multidisciplinary scientific exchanges, and promoting interdisciplinary crossing and cooperation.

Twenty years since have seen ESSI growing continuously and thriving, with the strong support of Nanjing University and numerous intra- and inter-national scholars. ESSI has made the following progresses since then:

In the research arena, ESSI has:

(1) formed a research team of nine full professors, four associate professors, and 12 postdocs;

(2) set two major research fields: quantitative remote-sensing; global change and global carbon cycle, in order to strength the pace towards the earth system science research frontiers and meet the important national needs.

(3) carried out research in the field of quantitative remote-sensing focusing on: resource environment remote-sensing, vegetation remote-sensing, remote sensing of chlorophyll fluorescence, high spectral remote-sensing, thermal infrared remote-sensing, and remote-sensing image processing analysis;

(4) carried out research in the field of global change and carbon cycle, using remote-sensing and space information technologies, control experimentations, model simulations, and other methods, mainly on: global carbon cycle, nitrogen and water in terrestrial ecosystems; their interactions with global change; and their regional responses to human activities and to global change;

(5) organized and undertaken the National High Technology and development Program of China (“863” project), the National Basic Research Program of China (“973” project), the National Key R&D Program of China, National Natural Science Foundations of China projects, and international cooperative projects;

(6) built earth system science data-sharing platform;

(7) published more than 200 peer-reviewed research articles in top journals including Science, Nature Ecology and Evolution, Nature Communications, Remote Sensing of Environment during the last years.

ESSI is also home or partly home to a collection of high-level teaching and research platforms, including Jiangsu International Joint Lab of Carbon Neutrality, Jiangsu Jurong Agricultural Ecosystem Research Station, Henan Shangqiu Agricultural Ecosystem Research Station, Field Observation and Research Station of Ecosystem of Huangshan National Park, Key Laboratory of Land Satellite Remote Sensing Application Center, MNR, Key Laboratory of Carbon Neutrality and Territorial Space Optimization, Key Laboratory of Geographic Information Technology of Jiangsu Province and so on.

II. Description of Openings

ESSI is looking forward to welcoming global young talents to join us in teaching and research related to remote sensing and global change science at Nanjing University. There are 1 tenure-track assistant professor opening in one of the four academic fields: Carbon Cycle Data Assimilation Science, Ecosystem Model, Remote Sensing, and Global Change Ecology. Details are listed below:

(1) Carbon Cycle Data Assimilation Science: applicants will be engaged in teaching and scientific research related to data assimilation in carbon cycle, development of global carbon assimilation system. Education and research background in interdisciplinary atmospheric science, geography or geosciences is required.

(2) Remote Sensing Science: applicants will be engaged in the teaching and scientific research related to optical remote sensing, microwave remote sensing, LiDAR, thermal remote sensing, ocean remote sensing, and vegetation radiative transfer and the application of remote sensing in global carbon cycle. Education and research background in geography, remote sensing science, and atmospheric science is required.

(3) Ecosystem model: applicants will be engaged in the teaching and scientific research related to development of ecosystem model and global terrestrial carbon cycle. Education and research background in ecology, geography, atmospheric science and/or earth system science is requited.

(4) Global Change Ecology: applicants will be engaged in the teaching and scientific research related to global climate change and sustainable development of ecosystem, vegetation-atmosphere interactions, and global change effects on terrestrial ecosystem.  Education and research background in geography, ecology, and remote sensing science is required.

III. Conditions for Application

(1) Applicants should abide by the laws and regulations of the People’s Republic of China and show enthusiasm in teaching and scientific research at Nanjing university;

(2) Good morals and academic ethics. Diligence, and no criminal record or violation of teachers’ morals, records of academic ethics punishment;

(3) Excellent academic background: applicants must have a doctoral degree in a related field as well as work experience in a leading international teaching and research institution; must be familiar with the state-of-art researches in relevant fields;

(4) Excellent teaching skills: the ability to teach both introductory courses for non-majors and cutting-edge courses for majors; good teaching methods and communication skills;

(5) Record of outstanding research achievements and potential: Outstanding achievements and original thought in scientific research; a clear vision of future research plans; strong academic development potential;

(6) Good health and competence for the duties and responsibilities of the position.

IV. Supporting Materials for Application

(1) Personal resume (including the catalogue of published academic achievements and supporting materials of main achievements);

(2) Statement of representative achievements in research;

(3) Research statement of present and planned research;

(4) Three letters of recommendation;

(5) Evidence of teaching and research experience.

Please login to the talent recruitment platform of Nanjing University (http://zp.nju.edu.cn/) to submit the application materials required.

V. Compensation Package and Support

A successful applicant will be provided with:

(1) An annual salary (to be worked out individually);

(2) A start-up fund for research;

(3) Qualification to supervise graduate students;

(4) The university provides short-term lodging and housing subsidies. Applicants recruited can purchase commercial housing offered by the university at a special discount;

(5) The university provides assistance with children’s schooling at primary and secondary school levels.

VI. Application Deadline

Application deadline: October 3, 2023

The application period will be extended appropriately if the number of the applicants for single postition is relatively small.

VII. Contact Details

Tel.: 025-89687077 (Ms. Q. Wang)

Email: wangqin@nju.edu.cn

Website: https://essi.nju.edu.cn/

Please login to the talent recruitment platform of Nanjing University (http://zp.nju.edu.cn/) to submit the application materials required.