Postdoctoral Fellow in Earth Observations of Land Cover and Vegetation Dynamics in the Middle East
More than a decade has passed since the war in Syria began in 2011. In the midst of this turmoil, a new venture has emerged in the form of the Autonomous Administration of Northern and Eastern Syria (NES), commonly known as Rojava. ECO-Syria is an interdisciplinary project where we study changes in vegetation dynamics and land use/land cover in the Rojava region as well as in neighboring areas, linking these changes to political and socioeconomic factors through spatio-temporal analysis.The main responsibility for the postdoctoral fellow is to conduct research within the ECO-Syria project together with other project participants. Research tasks will include programmatic analysis of large volumes (big data) time series of vegetation, classification of land use and land cover (LULC) using medium- and high-resolution data, and spatio-temporal analyses of LULC changes, analyzed together with ancillary data, such as nighttime lights and other spatial data. Tasks also include dissemination of results through high-quality publications in international scholarly journals and conference presentations as well as participation in outreach activates. Additionally, the fellow should actively seek external research funding and perform administrative tasks related to the work duties listed above.
Postdoctoral Fellow on Political Youth in Middle East Conflicts
The postdoctoral position will be part of a research project focused on the Middle East and youth in armed conflicts. The conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) since 2011 have resulted in two broad societal changes that challenge the political exclusion of youth: new spaces and institutions have opened up for youth action, allowing young women and men to assume new roles as political and social leaders. The UN Youth, Peace, and Security Agenda (YPS), based on Security Council Resolution 2250, has also been launched. The overarching aim of the project is to examine how, and in which ways, conflict has decreased or increased youth political empowerment in the region. It also explores how broad social and policy changes can be capitalized to ensure that youth are meaningfully contributing to political processes and sustainable peace. The project will assess youth grassroots political agency in conflict; evaluate the design and implementation of the YPS agenda; compare the YPS and the Women, Peace, Security (WPS) agendas; and evaluate the conditions for empowerment with a specific focus on sustainable peace. The countries of focus of the project are: Iraq, Syria, and Jordan.
Postdoctoral Fellow on Water Security and Sustainable Development in the Middle East
The postdoctoral position aims to study water security in the Middle East and North Africa region. The region is marked by increasing environmental challenges, population growth, and changing climate patterns, and faces pressing issues related to water security, scarcity and climate change. The overarching objectives are to assess water resources and analyze diplomatic efforts to resolve transboundary water disputes to achieve sustainable resource management practices in the MENA region, particularly addressing areas at risk and potential sources of water stress. The project also aims to explore how these factors affect political and social stability in the region. The research aligns with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with a particular emphasis on Goal 6 - Clean Water and Sanitation.
Postdoctoral Fellow in Geopolitics and Regional Cooperation in the Middle East
The postdoctoral position aims to study shifting geopolitical structures and regional power dynamics in the Middle East and North Africa. The MENA region is today witnessing a combination of upheavals, conflicts, and civil wars, but also increasing diplomatic activities and greater cooperation. The increased involvement of China and Russia, changing relationships between Arab countries and Israel as well as competition for regional leadership while the US is disengaging are examples of such changes. The project aims to explore this shifting geopolitical landscape, the ongoing and potential of wider multilateral cooperation initiatives in the MENA region. It will also identify risk and challenges in terms of regional power reconfiguration, political stability, regional security, and cooperation.
Postdoctoral Fellow in Water Resources Engineering with a Focus on Research Data Infrastructure for Middle Eastern Studies
The overarching aim is to initiate a data research infrastructure project where multidisciplinary data are collected, controlled, analyzed, and stored with a focus on the Middle East region and made available through the internet and computer systems to support research at the CMES and elsewhere. The research will be carried out on the development of high spatio-temporal hydro-climatic datasets using remote sensing and in-situ measurements and AI techniques. The objective is to provide valuable and high-quality data on the MENA region free-of-charge for international researchers and policymakers to utilize, and generate insights that lead to accurate policy decisions in the MENA region and allow for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.