3 Research Associates/
Postdoctoral Fellows
for Global Mining Watch Project
Full-time, fixed-term for 1 year (can be extended to another year)
[Updated 10th June 2022]
We are looking for 3 Research Associates/Postdoctoral Fellows (RAs) to work on a multidisciplinary research project on ‘Global Mining Watch’, bringing together expertise in remote sensing, computer vision, GIS, ecology, and social science. The aim of the project is to perform remote sensing, geo-spatial and socio-environmental analysis of global mining footprints, supporting social impact and risk assessment of mining sites around the world.
The project will utilise cutting-edge computer vision and deep-learning approaches, GIS analysis of global data and new approaches to web-based mapping and visualisation of socio-ecological environmental challenges. The project under the ‘Global Mining Watch’ umbrella will be funded from multiple funding bodies, including Google Research Scholar Award, Ford Foundation, and joint initiative between Monash University Indonesia and the University of Queensland.
RAs employed on the project will be focusing on different disciplinary areas:
Computer vision, GIS and remote sensing analyses using Python/R/Javascript and GIS analysis.
Supervisors:
Dr. Risqi Saputra
https://www.monash.edu/indonesia/about-monash-in-indonesia/our-people/Muhamad-Risqi-Saputra
Dr. Alex Lechner
https://www.monash.edu/indonesia/about-monash-in-indonesia/our-people/alex-lechner
Important notes:
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RAs will be based at Monash University (Indonesia) https://www.monash.edu/indonesia, a research-intensive university, ranked #57 in the world in theTimes Higher Education World University Rankings 2022.
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Applicants must have an existing right to work in Indonesia (i.e. Indonesian citizen or in possession of a valid work visa).
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Applicants are expected to have excellent English communication skills, both verbal and in writing.
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Positions are full-time and fixed-term for 1 year (can be extended to another year).
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RA will have a competitive salary, basic social security insurance, funds for travel (attending conferences), and access to Monash University Indonesia facilities.
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Scroll down or click on underlined text to navigate to the specific requirements for each of the positions below:
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Application instructions are available at the end of this page.
Position 1:
Senior Research Associate/Post-doc (SRA)
in Computer Vision
Developing deep-learning and computer vision algorithms for mapping the
global distribution of mining operations using multi-spectral earth observation data.
Responsibilities:
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Perform data engineering and wrangling from scatter resources (e.g., Sentinel Satellite imagery, Google Maps platform, etc.)
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Develop, train, test, and evaluate 1) semantic segmentation algorithms and 2) elevation surface models (RGB to Depth) from a large scale satellite images
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Lead and/or contribute to writing report, conference paper, and/or journal articles in English
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Actively collaborate with experts and partners from diverse disciplines
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Leading and acting as point of contact for small group of RAs
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Essential Selection Criteria:
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Experienced Master degree or PhD in Computer Science/Data Science/Computer Vision/Artificial Intelligence or equivalent
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Substantial experience working on computer vision project, with proven ability in writing Python code and developing Machine Learning system
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Track record of academic publications in English
Desirable Selection Criteria:
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Track record on working with large-scale machine learning and computer vision problem
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Experience on developing semantic segmentation algorithms and/or depth estimation from RGB/Structure-from-Motion
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Experience or interest in the application of computer vision to remote sensing
Position 2:
Research Associate/Post-doc (RA)
in GIS analyses using Python/R/Javascript
Developing scripts for automating the geospatial analysis of global-scale mining and
existing spatial data to characterise social and environmental impacts of resource extraction.
Responsibilities:
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Analysing large global scale GIS datasets
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Automate GIS analyses using one or more scripting language such as Python/R/Javascript
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Develop geoprocessing methods to describe spatial indicators and proxies of a range of social and environmental issues related to mining
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Develop visualisation and statistical methods for analysing spatial datasets
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Contribute to writing report, conference paper, and/or journal articles in English
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Actively collaborate with experts and partners from diverse disciplines
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Leading and acting as point of contact for small group of RAs
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Essential Selection Criteria:
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Master degree or PhD in Computer Science/Geospatial analysis/Geography/ Environmental Science or equivalent with a substantial GIS component
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Substantial experience working with GIS and proven ability in scripting geospatial analysis
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Experience in geospatial analysis of social and/or environmental issues
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Skills in report writing and/or academic publication in English
Desirable Selection Criteria:
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Remote sensing analysis
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Experience in Google Earth Engine (in particular), High Performance Computing and/or Cloud computing
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Skills in web-mapping and visualisation
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Experience in ArcGIS and/or remote sensing software
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Background or interest in ecology or environmental sciences
Position 3:
Research Assistant/Associate (RA)
in Geo-spatial Analytics
Providing GIS support including remote sensing, mapping,
digitising and environmental geospatial analyses using ArcGIS.
Responsibilities:
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Conduct geoprocessing analysis of spatial indicators and proxies of a range of social and environmental issues related to mining
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Image interpretation, digitising and classification of true-colour high resolution imagery
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Visualise and analyse spatial datasets
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Contribute to writing report, conference paper, and/or journal articles in English
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Actively collaborate with experts and partners from diverse disciplines
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Essential Selection Criteria:
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Bachelor or Master degrees in Geospatial analysis/Geography/ Environmental Science or equivalent with a substantial GIS component
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Substantial experience working with geospatial analysis of social and/or environmental issues
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Experience in visualising and mapping environmental datasets
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Skills in report writing and/or academic publication
Desirable Selection Criteria:
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Remote sensing analysis
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Experience in Google Earth Engine
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Skills in web-mapping and visualisation
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Experience in ArcGIS and/or remote sensing software
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Background or interest in ecology or environmental sciences
How to apply
​If interested, please email your application to both risqi.saputra@monash.edu and alex.lechner@monash.edu
with the following documents:
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Cover letter outlining your motivation
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Response to the selection criteria (listed under the relevant position of interest)
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CV and other supporting documents
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