The Ecosystem Services in Urban Landscapes research project brings together a team of ecologists, environmental modellers, planners, and landscape architects, to investigate how different types of vegetation can be used to make cites safer and more comfortable for their residents. A core part of the project will be a large-scale field survey of vegetation in Singapore, that quantifies ecosystem service provision.
We are looking for a Junior Research Assistant to assist with and contribute to the ecological component of this project. The work will involve setting up and maintaining a network of environmental monitoring equipment, including temperature sensors. Field surveys will be conducted to collect data on vegetation, soil functions, public perception on birds and urban greenery, canopy interception as well as other ecosystem services to examine ecological and physical processes.
In addition to the intensive field surveys and laboratory work, the Junior Research Assistant will assist with data entry and management, literature review, analysis of the resulting data using geographic information systems and statistical analyses, and contribute to writing publications.
Key responsibilities
Main tasks include
- Setting-up and maintaining environmental monitoring equipment at locations across Singapore.
- Field sampling and mapping of ecological communities including vegetation and birds.
- Field sampling of ecological and physical processes, including soil functions and canopy interception.
- Conducting surveys to study public perception on birds and urban greenery.
- Data entry and management, literature review and storing field data in a GIS framework.
- Analysis of field data and assisting with publication writing.
Key Skills
The candidate should have / be
- BSc, preferably with Honours, in Life Sciences or Environmental Sciences, or related fields.
- Experience in ecological fieldwork and data collection.
- Prior exposure to GIS software and statistical analyses (ArcMap, QGIS, R etc).
- Keen interest in nature, environment and scientific research.
- Able to work outdoors for extended periods of time.
- Meticulous, responsible and able to work independently.
- Fluent in both written and spoken English.
Work location: 1 Create Way, CREATE Tower, Singapore 138602 (NUS University Town)
Duration: Full-time position for ten months until 31 Dec 2018
To apply/for more information, Interested applicants should submit a CV, highlighting relevant experiences and skills, a cover letter explaining why they are interested in this position, and contacts of two character referees to Fung Tze Kwan at tze.fung@arch.ethz.ch. Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted for interviews.
The Singapore-ETH-Centre is an equal opportunity and family-friendly employer. All candidates will be evaluated on their merits and qualifications, without regards to gender, race, age or religion.
About Singapore-ETH Centre
The Singapore-ETH Centre was established as a joint initiative between ETH Zurich – the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich and Singapore’s National Research Foundation (NRF), as part of the NRF’s CREATE campus. The centre serves as an intellectual hub for research, scholarship, entrepreneurship, postgraduate and postdoctoral training.
The centre currently runs two research programmes, the Future Cities Laboratory (FCL), followed by Future Resilient Systems (FRS). It is home to a community of over 100 PhD, postdoctoral and Professorial researchers working on diverse themes related to sustainable cities and resilient infrastructure systems. In the course of their work, researchers actively collaborate with universities, research institutes, industry, and government agencies with the aim of offering practical solutions.
The Biodiversity Crew @ NUS 