Research Associate — AI for Forest Inventory & Open-Set Vision

The University of Sheffield; Sheffield; On-site; GBP 39,000 - 41,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Pension scheme

Annual leave 41+ days

Staff development

Job summary

The University of Sheffield is seeking a Research Associate to join the Next-Generation Forest Inventory (NextGen-FI) project. Based in the PRISMA Computer Vision lab, you will develop AI and remote sensing methods for forest monitoring and illegal logging detection, collaborating with academic and stakeholder partners.

Applicants should hold a PhD in computer science or related discipline, with experience in UAV data processing, machine learning or computer vision, and a track record of

Qualifications

• PhD in computer science, remote sensing, ecology or a related discipline.
• Research experience in developing machine learning and/or deep learning methods.
• Programming experience in Python and use of ML frameworks.
• Experience of working with image, remote sensing or other spatial data.
• Experience applying ML to real-world datasets and interpreting results.
• Evidence of research outputs such as peer‑reviewed publications.
• Ability to communicate research findings effectively in written and oral form.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively within a multidisciplinary research team.

Responsibilities

• Undertake research within Work Packages 2, 3 and 4 of the NextGen-FI project, contributing to AI-enabled forest inventory methods.
• Develop and evaluate ML/deep learning methods for tree species mapping from UAV imagery.
• Investigate open-set and open-world recognition to handle unseen species.
• Develop uncertainty-aware and continual learning approaches for robust mappings.
• Process UAV/geospatial data and validate algorithms on real-world datasets.
• Contribute to software tools, including a QGIS plugin for forest monitoring.
• Collaborate with academic and stakeholder partners and disseminate findings.

Skills

Python

ML frameworks

Remote sensing data

GIS software

Education

PhD in computer science/remote sensing/ecology

Tools

QGIS

UAV/RPAS imagery

Job description

The University of Sheffield is seeking a Research Associate to join the Next-Generation Forest Inventory (NextGen-FI) project. Based in the PRISMA Computer Vision lab, you will develop AI and remote sensing methods for forest monitoring and illegal logging detection, collaborating with academic and stakeholder partners.

Applicants should hold a PhD in computer science or related discipline, with experience in UAV data processing, machine learning or computer vision, and a track record of