Doctoral Position in Earth Observation and Remote Sensing

Job description

A PhD student is sought from autumn/winter 2026 for a research project at the Chair of Earth Observation and Remote Sensing, Institute of Environmental Engineering,
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology - ETH Zurich, on Multi-modal SAR for large scale rapid change observations in permafrost regions.

• The research focuses on investigating/developing generic methods and algorithms in the context of multi-modal synthetic aperture radar (SAR) for the estimation of environmental parameter over arctic regions 
• SAR is an active remote sensing technique for estimating a variety of surface features, as e.g. topographic heights, displacements, quantitative bio-physical parameters and has found applications in several domains of the artic region, as e.g. the monitoring of infrastructure and permafrost-related subsidence’s 
• Among the most rapid and dramatic changes in the artic regions are retrogressive thaw slumps (RTS) 
• These slumps have major impacts by changing ecosystem and hydrological equilibria and furthermore impact the earth system on a global scale by reinforcing climate change with the additional mobilization of organic carbon that was previously stored in the frozen soil 
• Due to the remote landscape, only space-born approaches are feasible to monitor them. In recent years several new methods based on optical and radar satellite systems have been developed to detect and monitor thaw slumps on regional scales 
• For this doctoral research we are suggesting to investigate TanDEM-X difference digital elevation models to detect RTS on a pan-Arctic, watershed and local scale 
• The main data source is coming from TanDEM-X, the German Satellite mission that has acquired a huge amount of data over several years in order to get some insight of the surface processes ongoing and are waiting for their evaluation

Profile

• We are looking for a highly motivated candidate holding a master’s degree or a diploma in electrical engineering, geomatics engineering, geophysics, physics or a related field with a background in digital signal processing and/or image processing 
• Some experience in SAR data processing or another field of array signal processing is an asset 
• The successful candidate has strong analytical skills and programming experience in Matlab, Python, C/C++, or equivalent, and is able and/or eager to develop and implement signal-processing algorithms in such a programming language 
• Fluency in English is required (oral and written), and it is essential that the candidate is willing to work in a multidisciplinary and international research team 
• Applicants should hold a valid driver’s license (European Cat. B)

We offer

• Your job with impact: Become part of ETH Zurich, which not only supports your professional development, but also actively contributes to positive change in society
• You can expect numerous benefits, such as public transport season tickets and car sharing, a wide range of sports offered by the ASVZ, childcare and attractive pension benefits