Call for applications: Postdoctoral Position Assessment of Risk and Resilience of Urban Settings.

Call for applications

Postdoctoral Position

Assessment of Risk and Resilience of Urban Settings

 

The Research Center for Integrated Disaster Risk Management (www.cigiden.cl) is a multidisciplinary research center funded by CONICYT with research teams located in Santiago, Valparaíso, and Antofagasta. CIGIDEN brings together researchers from various fields (e.g., Sociology, Urban Planning, Geography, Psychology, Engineering, and Geosciences) and is supported by Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (www.uc.cl), Universidad Católica del Norte (www.ucn.cl), Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María (www.usm.cl), and the Universidad Nacional Andrés Bello (www.unab.cl). The aim of CIGIDEN is to produce excellence-level and interdisciplinary research on all aspects of the disaster cycle (preparedness, response, participation, recovery, and mitigation) and to mitigate disaster impacts by building more resilient communities.

To encourage the research work, CIGIDEN is offering a 1 to 3-year postdoctoral research position in the research cluster of Risk and Resilience Analysis, focusing on the Assessment of Risk and Resilience of Urban Settings. The candidate is expected to have expertise in both qualitative and quantitative research methods, and to complement CIGIDEN’s existing strengths in various engineering complex systems including critical infrastructure, lifelines, and other network systems.

The successful applicant is expected to integrate in his/her research, disciplines related to the built environment, including but not limited to Architecture, Urban Design, Geography, and Engineering. The position is oriented to the synthesis and evaluation of risk and resilience of urban environments subject to large (and multiple) natural hazards, and to the analysis and design of optimal mitigation strategies to increase resilience. To tribute to CIGIDEN’s work plan, the research, models, and mitigation strategies developed by the applicant should be focused and applied to the main urban settings in central Chile, like Valparaíso, Viña del Mar and Santiago.

Topics to be developed by the applicant may include one or more of the following:

• Examination of the urban form characteristics or hazard-exposed areas.
• The identification of exposure and vulnerability parameters for assessment of risk to multiple and cascading natural hazards in urban settings, including earthquakes, tsunamis, floods and wildland-urban interface fires.
• Integration of remote sensing and direct data for dynamic spatio-temporal mapping of exposure and vulnerability parameters
• Modeling of WUI fire hazard and urban vulnerability to WUI fires. Candidates are expected to work along the objectives of the Risk and Resilience Analysis cluster, which covers different topics dealing with risk and resilience of complex networks, present and future disaster risks in urban settings, socioeconomic assessment of disaster consequences, and the integration of research into a risk and resilience analysis platform.

Candidates will become a part of the team working in different projects within the research cluster, contributing to the interaction and productivity in collaboration with the other research clusters of CIGIDEN, Natural Systems and Processes, and Social Practices. Also, candidates will be encouraged to participate in the different outreach activities and programs of CIGIDEN with the objective of transferring the scientific knowledge to different communities in the country, such as professionals and practitioners, and K-12 education.

Required qualifications

• The candidate must hold a PhD degree obtained preferably during the last three years in an area related to the description above, with previous demonstrated experience in publishing in international indexed journals.
• The candidate should also be fluent in English. Conference publications and presentations, programing skills, and experience with geographic information systems will also be considered in the evaluation of the applicants.
• Experience in teaching, supervising of undergraduate and graduate students, engaging in outreach and transfer activities, participation in research projects, and other professional industry and research working experience are a plus.

Minimum expected achievements by the end of year 1

To allocate a 2^nd year postdoctoral funding from CIGIDEN, the researcher should have submitted at least one ISI-indexed paper to a scientific journal, and a research proposal to the CONICYT Postdoctoral program.

Application

The call is open between April 23^th and June 30^th, and the starting date should ideally be September 2018. Late applications may be considered until the position is filled, and special conditions may apply for the starting date. The duration of the position is for a minimum of 12 months and a maximum of 36 months.

To apply, please submit to Dr. Juan Carlos de la Llera (jcllera@ing.puc.cl) and Cc. to Paula Aguirre (paula.aguirre@cigiden.cl) the following documentation:

• Letter of intent/motivation
• Research proposal
• Extended CV
• Full digital archive of published ISI papers
• Two letters of recommendation

The successful applicant will reside in Santiago, Chile. She/he will receive a gross monthly salary of $ 1,800,000 Chilean pesos ( approx. 3,000 USD) plus additional expenses for start up research activities. The Center will also cover air ticket and allocation costs in Santiago and help will also be provided for obtaining a working visa.

For additional information, please contact Paula Aguirre (paula.aguirre@cigiden.cl, +56 2 2354 1805).