Two Postdoctoral Positions in Forest Fire Research, Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, Santiago, Chile

The context
Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María (UTFSM) has an opening for a Fire Research Postdoctoral Scholar. The position is opened in the context of the research project Anillo ACT210052 ‘Understanding the connections between abiotic stress and forest vulnerability to fires” (β-HiMap project), funded by the “Anillos Regular de Investigación en Ciencia y/o Tecnología 2021” program by the Chilean government through SCIA-ANID. The project aims to identify and quantify the links between abiotic stress and flammability of Chilean forest species.

Job description
Position 1: The postdoctoral scholar will be responsible for developing a comprehensive and challenging flammability framework which includes detailed testing and state-of-the-art theoretical and numerical modeling. The experimental methodology will follow the protocols implemented for the two bench-scale apparatuses which were developed during the α-HiMap project and will enhance these devices through the implementation of non-intrusive laser-based diagnostics to locally and globally study solid-gas and gas-gas processes relevant for the continuous and discontinuous ignition and burning rate of SL/L/D foliar fuels. The team will further develop the theoretical results of α-HiMap, aiming to study the effects of fuel moisture content and live-dead fuels on ignition, while additionally performing scaling analyses on the burning rate of these fuels under different configurations.

Work will be carried out in collaboration with Chilean, American and French universities, and international centers, including UAI, UC-Berkeley, University College London, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, University of Sao Paulo, CSIRO and INRAE – Aix-Marseille Université. The scholar will be encouraged to apply for postdoctoral grants offered by ANID.

Position 2: The postdoctoral scholar will be responsible for identifying the physiological and biochemical responses of stressed/non stressed, live/dead (SL/L/D) foliar fuels through a set of established laboratory and analytical methodologies. Ultimately specific stress markers will be determined which have influence on fuel flammability and have the ability to be detected under field conditions in subsequent stages of this project by different techniques, ranging from direct sampling to remote sensing. This will provide novel tools to model and predict fire hazards of forest ecosystems in real time.
Work will be carried out in collaboration with Chilean, American and French universities, and international centers, including UAI, UC-Berkeley, University College London, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, University of Sao Paulo, CSIRO and INRAE – Aix-Marseille Université. The scholar will be encouraged to apply for postdoctoral grants offered by ANID.


Benefits
Compensation includes a competitive salary and medical insurance (1.884.000 CLP gross per month). The location is in Valparaiso, Chile. The duration of the postdoctoral position is 12 months, with a start date in mid April 2022,  or as soon as possible.

How to Apply
The posting shall remain open until the position is filled, however for full consideration, please apply until March 31, 2022. First selection will be notified shortly after, and selected candidates for the post will be called for an interview. Availability to start working immediately will be considered in the evaluation.

Please send a dossier with the following documents [email protected] and [email protected]:

  • Cover Letter.
  • CV (including list of publications and research projects).
  • Certificate of PhD degree and a half-page file describing your thesis.
  • One recommendation letter from an academic/doctoral thesis advisor.

For more information and application, contact professor Andrés Fuentes.

Desired skills and experience

  • PhD in Engineering or Physical Sciences/Applied Mathematics, with a strong research background in combustion.
  • Degree acquisition should not be older than January 2018. In the case of women, a year can be added for each child born within this time, prior presentation of birth certificate.
  • Experience in combustion and flame diagnostics is desired.
  • Experience in development and/or application of heat transfer models.
  • Demonstrated research experience in bench-scale laboratory and analytic methodologies.
  • Keen interest in extending mathematical and scientific computing techniques to new problems.
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
  • Ability  to work productively both independently and as part of a diverse and multidisciplinary team.About the employer

UTFSM was the first Latin American university to offer a doctoral program in Engineering (since 1962) and has a strong emphasis on scientific research as well as on technological higher education. The Energy Conversion and Combustion Group (EC2G) from UTFSM is one of the leading research labs in combustion in South America. Research at EC2G has focused on the development of experimental and numerical techniques to improve the understanding of the physical and chemical phenomena controlling combustion processes, with applications in energy conversion and fire safety.