Lead Institution

CCARBON – Center for Carbon Research in Tropical Agriculture (University of São Paulo)

Supervisor

Dr. Matheus Pinheiro Ferreira (USP) and Dr. Jerome Chave (CNRS)

Host Institution

ESALQ/USP, Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil

Fellowship

Postdoctoral fellowship funded by FAPESP

Stipend: R$ 12.570,00 per month

Duration

24 months (full-time dedication/40 hours per week)

Expected Start Date

Immediate

Project Title

URBANGREENOPT: The role of peri-urban and urban forests in climate change mitigation and adaptation

Main Context and Project Description and Objectives

The URBANGREENOPT project is recruiting a postdoctoral researcher as part of a broader initiative hiring five researchers to work on effective urban greening strategies in the São Paulo metropolitan region. The project focuses on identifying spatial configurations that enhance climate resilience and support sustainable transitions using ecosystem service modeling, socio-environmental risk assessment, climate adaptation analyses, and digital twins.

This specific fellowship will advance the understanding of forest cover dynamics in peri-urban regions of the state of São Paulo. Forests in these zones maximize human well-being due to their proximity to densely populated areas, presenting a critical balance between the supply and demand of climatic benefits.

The postdoctoral researcher will be responsible for:

• Assessing the spatio-temporal dynamics of forests using MapBiomas data and evaluating forest quality through state-level LiDAR remote sensing (processed by the LiDAR-SP project).
• Leveraging a multitemporal LiDAR dataset covering the city of São Paulo and its metropolitan region for a fine-scale analysis of forest growth dynamics and individual urban trees.
• Applying deep learning methods to map individual trees and investigate the dynamics of tree mortality and recovery over time.
• Quantifying carbon storage and integrating forest coverage/quality data with ecosystem services (e.g., slopes-landslides, riparian buffers, ecological corridors, and heat wave mitigation).
• Distinguishing contributions between remnant and restored vegetation to understand the benefits of natural climate solutions.
• Collaborating with other URBANGREENOPT researchers on atmospheric exchanges, digital twin modelization, social factors of peri-urban forests, and green space spatial configuration.

Candidate Requirements

Mandatory

• Education: PhD in areas related to forest resources, remote sensing, or computer and data science (obtained no longer than 7 years before the grant acceptance date).
• Soft Skills: Ability to work collaboratively in a group setting, including with non-academic stakeholders. Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Language: Good knowledge of English.

Desired (a plus)

• Technical Skills: Strong skills and experience in LiDAR data processing and analyses, as well as machine and deep learning methods applied to remote sensing data.
• Programming: Experience with programming languages and software (R, Python, or similar).

Application deadline

September 27, 2026, at 10 am (Brasilia Time, BRT, UTC -3)

How to Apply

Applications must be submitted through the following link: https://forms.gle/7Vq5gw8bAF9bnp1w6

Additional Information

For any questions, please contact us at: mpferreira@usp.br