[PhD grant] From Landscape detection to population dynamics

CNES is offering a PhD grant for a project aiming to improve knowledge of human population dynamics in rural areas through the recognition of landscape indicators derived from high-resolution image processing.

The subject is led by Valérie Golaz (INED, UMR LPED) and Anne-Elisabeth Laques (IRD, UMR ESPACE-DEV). The thesis will contribute to the Landscape SEC (Pôle Theia) and to the “PAYSAGES” International Joint Laboratory in Madagascar.

For more information on the subject and the link to apply:

PhD scholarship 2022-2025: From landscape detection to population dynamics

In the DemoSud Unit, Population, Climate and Environment research axis, we are looking for a candidate with a Masters degree in geography, demography or statistics and experience in remote sensing for a PhD position. A field experience in the global South would be valuable as well. The PhD will be based at Ined and registered at Aix-Marseille University, under the co-supervision of Valérie Golaz (INED, LPED) and Anne-Elisabeth Laques (IRD, Espace-Dev).

This  project aims at improving knowledge on population dynamics by recognition of landscape indicators retrieved  from high-resolution satellite images. In regions where demographic data is scarce or
unsatisfying, remotely sensed data can be an efficient alternative to provide a continuous flow of valuable information. The research will therefore focus on the production of indicators qualifying the
anthropogenic footprint on given milieux, accounting for its intensity, and will then analyse the possible links between these indicators and population dynamics.

Madagascar provides an excellent setting for studying the interaction between rural landscape and population, with the recent creation of a Laboratoire Mixte International « Paysage », involving various research teams anchored on local field sites. This project is based on Copernicus satellite data (Spot and Sentinel), national population censuses (1993 and 2018), surveys and a local demographic field survey
The landscape indicators will be defined and tested at various levels centred on chosen field sites.

More info on the PhD: https://recrutement.cnes.fr/fr/annonce/1498713-151-from-landscape-detection-to-population-dynamics-93300-aubervilliers