PhD position in bioacoustics, statistics, and AI for forest biodiversity

Publiceringsdatum: 2025-12-09

Sveriges Lantbruksuniversitet är på jakt efter en skicklig doktorand och du kan vara rätt person för jobbet. Sveriges Lantbruksuniversitet söker en medarbetare på heltid som vill arbeta 6 månader eller längre. Kan det vara du? Platsen där jobbet finns ledigt är i Umeå.

Företaget Sveriges Lantbruksuniversitet erbjuder just nu spännande karriärmöjligheter. Om du vill jobba som doktorand har de nu ett ledigt jobb - kolla in annonsen för att se om du har rätt erfarenhet. Låt Sveriges Lantbruksuniversitet hjälpa dig att uppnå dina karriärmål som doktorand! Ansök seast tisdag den tionde februari 2026.

Jobbannons

Institutionen för vilt, fisk och miljö

WIFORCE Research School

Do you want to contribute to the future sustainable use of forests? Apply to join WIFORCE Research School!

Biodiversity and the role of forests in climate change are now key social issues that require more knowledge. In order to both sustainably use and safeguard forest biodiversity, a coherent basic science research program is needed that addresses large and complex issues and develops new analytical tools. That’s why the WIFORCE Research School, part of the Wallenberg Initiatives in Forest Research (www.slu.se/en/wiforce), was created.

Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies

We are looking for a PhD student with strong interests in wildlife conservation technology, specifically the use of passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) and AI. The position is hosted at the department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies at SLU in Umeå and is part of a cohort of PhD students funded through the Wallenberg Initiatives in Forest Research (WIFORCE) program. The successful applicant will work on the development of bioacoustic monitoring methods using automated recording units (ARUs), deep learning methods, and applied statistical models, and will be part of a growing conservation technology hub at the department.

Read more about our benefits and what it is like to work at SLU at https://www.slu.se/en/about-slu/work-at-slu/

Developing bioacoustics methods using AI for monitoring and quantifying Swedish forest biodiversity

Research subject Biology

Description

In this 4-year PhD project, the successful candidate will develop an open-source workflow using deep learning and hierarchical statistical models to streamline the data flow from acoustic recorders to ecological insights that inform biodiversity management. The project includes:

• Apply deep learning models to annotate bird and bat species from sound recordings.
• Develop a Bayesian statistical framework to incorporate annotation probabilities in hierarchical models.
• Use long-term passive-acoustic datasets to investigate the role of forest structure and composition on the community composition of birds and bats in Sweden.
• Produce an open-source workflow for ecologists and other non-technical users to improve the application of PAM.

What we offer:

• A collaborative research environment, supported by experienced supervisors with expertise in wildlife ecology, conservation technology, applied statistics, and deep learning
• Access to state-of-the-art research facilities and infrastructure.
• Opportunities for professional development through collaboration and training in advanced techniques, including two work visits to collaborators.
• Engagement with international research networks.

Qualifications

We are looking for a highly motivated and team-oriented individual with:

• An MSc degree (or equivalent) in Computer Science, Statistics, Ecology, Biology or Forestry.
• Documented experience with application of deep learning and advanced statistical analysis and programming (e.g., R or Python).
• A strong interest in biodiversity, conservation, and forest ecology.
• Experience with passive acoustic monitoring, Bayesian statistics, and creating open-source software or code will count as strong merits.
• Affinity with bird or bat ecology counts as merit.

A CV (max 3 pages, font type Arial or Times New Roman, min size 11) should include the following headings: education, work experience, research interests, awards, publications, presentations and conferences, software and computing skills, languages, and contact details for minimally two reference persons.

A motivation letter (max 2 pages, font type Arial or Times New Roman, min size 11) should motivate the candidate´s qualifications and interest in conducting this PhD project.

Place of work:      

Umeå

Forms for funding or employment:

Employment as PhD student (4 years education)

Starting date:

According to agreement.

Application

Click the “Apply” button to submit your application. The deadline is 2026-02-10.

To qualify for third-cycle (Doctoral) courses and study programmes, you must have a second-cycle (Master’s) qualification. Alternatively, you must have conducted a minimum of four years of full-time study, of which a minimum of one year at second-cycle level.

Applicants will be selected based on their written application and CV, degree project, copies of their degree certificate and transcript of records from previous first and second-cycle studies at a university or higher education institution, two personal references, and knowledge of English. More information about the English language requirements can be found here: https://www.slu.se/en/education/programmes-courses/doctoral-studies/application-admission-doctoral-studies/

Please note that applicants invited to interview must submit attested copies of their degree certificate, or equivalent, a transcript of records from previous first and second-cycle studies at a university or higher education institution. Applicants who are not Swedish citizens need to submit an attested copy of their passport’s information page containing their photograph and personal details.

Read about the PhD education at SLU at https://www.slu.se/en/study/programmes-courses/doctoral-education/

Academic union representatives:

https://internt.slu.se/en/my-employment/employee-associations/kontaktpersoner-vid-rekrytering/

Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet (SLU) har en nyckelroll i utvecklingen för hållbart liv, grundad i vetenskap och utbildning. Genom vårt fokus på samspelen mellan människa, djur och ekosystem och ett ansvarsfullt brukande av naturresurserna bidrar vi till en hållbar samhällsutveckling och goda livsvillkor på vår planet. Huvudorter är Alnarp, Umeå och Uppsala, men verksamhet bedrivs också på forskningsstationer, försöksparker och utbildningsorter i hela landet.

SLU har drygt 4000 medarbetare, 6000 studenter och forskarstuderande och en omsättning på över 4,5 miljarder kronor. Universitetet satsar på attraktiva miljöer på sina campusområden. Vi arbetar för en jämställd och inkluderande arbetsmiljö där öppna samtal mellan människor med olika erfarenheter lägger grunden för vetenskaplighet, kreativitet och utveckling. Vi välkomnar därför personer med olika bakgrunder och perspektiv att söka den aktuella anställningen.