Connectionists: Postdoc Position (3 years): Deep learning for poverty prediction from satellite images

[Laure Berti]

Postdoc Position (3 years): Deep learning for poverty prediction from 
satellite images

Your Role
CESAB Montpellier, France is looking for a postdoc as part of the PARSEC 
project funded by the Foundation for Research on Biodiversity (FRB) and 
the Belmont Forum. The candidate will implement and compare various deep 
learning architectures for characterizing poverty in the context of land 
desertification and predict consumption expenditure, using satellite 
images in various resolutions (e.g. Sentinel 2 sensor with 10 to 60 m 
resolution and 13 spectral bands, optical SPOT 6/7, and Pleiades images 
with spatial resolution of 1.5 m and 0.5 m respectively) and other data 
sources (e.g., the World Bank’s Living Standards Measurement Study 
surveys, LSMS – http://surveys.worldbank.org/lsms), the Demographic and 
Health Surveys (DHS – https://dhsprogram.com), and the Oxford Poverty 
and Human Development Initiative (OPHI – https://ophi.org.uk)).

Qualifications
• PhD in Computer Science in the field of deep learning and machine 
learning
• Knowledge of satellite image analysis is a plus
• Proficiency in Python programming
• Fluent English
• Good communication skills
• Ambition to pursue high-profile and interdisciplinary research

Host structure
About FRB The Foundation for research on biodiversity (FRB) was created 
in 2008. It gathers public research institutions, environmental NGOs, 
land and genetic resources managers and the private sector. It provides 
a forum where science meets society in order to address the current 
challenges related to biodiversity research. About CESAB The Centre for 
Synthesis and Analysis of Biodiversity (CESAB) is FRB’s main programme 
and a leading research organization in Europe, with an international 
reputation. Launched in 2008 after the “Grenelle de l’Environnement” by 
the Ministries for research and for ecology, it was created by eight
public research institutions (BRGM, CIRAD, CNRS, IFREMER, INRA, IRD, 
IRSTEA and MNHN), joined in 2014 by LVMH and in 2017 by the University 
of Montpellier. Its aim is to implement the innovative work of synthesis 
and analysis of existing data in the field of biodiversity. Advancing 
knowledge, developing culture and collaboration, facilitating links 
between scientific disciplines and with the stakeholders, are the main 
objectives of CESAB, which welcomes every year a large number of 
researchers from all continents.

Application instructions
Please send your application to laure(.)berti[@]ird(.)fr including:
• a detailed CV (research activities, publications, programming skills)
• a motivation letter
• the contact information of 2 referees.

Location: FRB – CESAB, 5, rue de l’École de Médecine, 34000 MONTPELLIER, 
France

Salary: 2500€ gross/month

Contract: 3 years maximum, full time

Closing date for applications:  Feb 15th, 2020 Starting date: May 2020, 
negotiable

https://parsecproject.org/parsec-postdoc-position-is-opening-on-deep-learning-for-poverty-prediction-from-satellite-images-closing-date-for-applications-15th-february-2020/