Expected start date
January 2026
Job Description
The Computational Hydraulics Group GHC-TFD (http://ghc.unizar.es/) at the Institute for Engineering Research of Aragon (I3A) seeks highly motivated and proactive candidates to join the international project “EFHERA: Enhancing after-Fire Hydrological and Environmental Recovery of Agroforestry zones” This project is funded by the INTERREG-SUDOE program of the European Union and will run from 2025 to 2028, involving research teams from Spain, France, and Portugal.
Soil in areas affected by large wildfires (LWFs) undergoes intense erosion processes in the months immediately following the fire. Under climate change conditions, this degradation process is increasingly accelerated, and if recovery measures are not properly planned, hydrological and forest recovery of the area may be delayed or even fail to occur. The EFHERA project will develop a new digital platform for the optimization and monitoring of post-fire recovery.
This research contract focuses on applying high-performance computational (HPC) models to estimate soil erosion in areas affected by LWFs in Spain, France, and Portugal over the past three years. The candidate will evaluate the results produced by the soil erosion model under different scenarios of extreme rainfall, climate change, and erosion mitigation measures in selected pilot areas. Additionally, during the contract period, the candidate will make several funded visits to the pilot sites located in southern Portugal (Algarve), southern France, Castilla-León, and Aragon, together with other members of the international team.
The candidate must demonstrate strong work capacity, self-organization, and analytical skills, and be able to contribute effectively within multidisciplinary and international research teams. A medium/high level of programming knowledge in Python and C/C++ is required, along with experience handling GIS systems and georeferenced data (raster, vector, and satellite imagery). Knowledge of computational simulation models or erosion processes is an advantage.
The candidate will join a research team of recognized international prestige. The position is offered as a “Contract Associated with the Execution of Specific Scientific and Technical Research Projects” at the University of Zaragoza, with the following conditions:
- Category: Researcher with Experience N3.1 (Bachelor’s or Master’s degree) – Junior Collaborating Researcher N2 (PhD holders)
- Duration: 2 years (possible extension)
- Location: Torres Quevedo Building, School of Engineering and Architecture (EINA), University of Zaragoza, C/ María de Luna 3, 50018 Zaragoza (Spain)
- Salary: (N3.1) €24,384/year – (N2) €31,611/year
- Expected start date: January 2026
Selection Criteria
- Academic qualifications: Degree in Engineering, Geography, or Physics – Master’s in related areas – PhD in related areas.
- Strong work capacity, self-organization, and analytical skills.
- Intermediate to high level in Python and C/C++ programming.
- Experience with GIS systems and georeferenced data.
- Experience working in multidisciplinary and international teams.
- Intermediate to high level of English, Portuguese, or French.
Contact
Dr. Pilar García Navarro – pigar@unizar.es
Dr. Sergio Martínez Aranda – sermar@unizar.es