Lead Institution

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

Supervisor

Prof. Dr. Paulo G. Molin (UFSCAR/USP)

Host Institution

ESALQ/USP, Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil

Fellowship

Technical Research Fellowship (Level B), Carbon Countdown_BR – FEALQ

Grant: R$ 6.200,00 per month

Duration

12 months (full-time dedication/40 hours per week) + 12 renewable

Expected Start Date

October 2026

Project Title

Carbon Countdown – A baseline for soil and vegetation carbon stocks in Brazil

Abstract

Carbon Countdown_BR is one of the largest scientific initiatives ever undertaken to quantify soil and vegetation carbon stocks across Brazil. Bringing together researchers from leading Brazilian institutions, the project aims to establish the first nationwide baseline of carbon stocks across all six Brazilian biomes, generating the scientific foundation required for carbon markets, climate mitigation strategies and evidence-based environmental policies. The project combines extensive field campaigns with cutting-edge technologies, including forest inventories, destructive biomass sampling, terrestrial (TLS) and airborne (ALS/UAV) LiDAR, soil sampling, remote sensing and machine learning. By integrating these datasets, Carbon Countdown_BR will quantify carbon stocks under natural vegetation, agriculture, pasture and planted forests, identify the environmental drivers controlling their spatial variability, and produce standardized reference datasets, predictive models and high-resolution maps to support carbon projects throughout Brazil. Beyond its scientific advances, Carbon Countdown_BR will establish standardized monitoring protocols, strengthen a nationwide research network and create one of the most comprehensive databases on soil and vegetation carbon stocks ever assembled for tropical ecosystems. The project offers a unique opportunity to work with multidisciplinary teams, state-of-the-art technologies, and large-scale environmental datasets while contributing directly to the future of climate science, carbon accounting, and sustainable land management in Brazil.

 

Project Description and Objectives

The selected professional will be primarily responsible for:

• Remote Sensing Field Operations: Plan, coordinate and conduct field campaigns integrating UAV-based LiDAR (ALS/UAV-LiDAR), drones and other remote sensing technologies for vegetation monitoring across Brazilian biomes.
• Field Team Leadership: Lead and supervise the Remote Sensing Team during field campaigns, ensuring compliance with technical protocols, operational efficiency, safety standards and high-quality data acquisition.
• Data Processing and Quality Assurance: Organize, process, validate and manage large volumes of LiDAR, drone and geospatial data, implementing quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) procedures throughout the data acquisition and processing workflow.
• Integration with Forest Inventory: Coordinate remote sensing activities with forest inventory, destructive biomass sampling and soil sampling teams, ensuring the spatial and temporal integration of field datasets.
• Technical Development: Develop, improve, and document field protocols for remote sensing data acquisition, processing, and management, while contributing to methodological advances in LiDAR-based vegetation monitoring.
• Training and Capacity Building: Train and supervise team members in the operation of LiDAR systems, drones, field equipment and data processing workflows, contributing to the dissemination of best practices within the project.
• Scientific and Technical Contributions: Contribute to technical reports, project documentation, data products related to forest structure, carbon stocks, remote sensing and geospatial analysis.

Candidate Requirements

Mandatory

• Bachelor’s degree in Forestry, Environmental Engineering, Geography, Cartographic Engineering, Remote Sensing, Ecology or related fields, combined with either a Master’s or PhD degree in a related area, or at least five years of demonstrated professional experience in LiDAR- and drone-based vegetation surveys.
• Proven experience in planning and conducting field campaigns using terrestrial LiDAR (TLS) and/or UAV-based LiDAR (ALS/UAV-LiDAR).
• Proven experience in drone operations for environmental data acquisition.
• Experience leading or supervising multidisciplinary field teams.
• Experience processing, organizing and performing quality control of remote sensing and geospatial datasets.
• Availability for extended field campaigns (typically 15 days or longer) in remote areas across Brazil.
• Willingness to reside in Piracicaba, São Paulo (Brazil).
• Advanced English proficiency for reading technical documentation and communicating in scientific and professional environments.
• Valid driver’s license.
• Ability to work collaboratively in multidisciplinary teams and solve technical and operational challenges in the field.

Desired (a plus)

• Master’s and/or PhD degree in Remote Sensing, Forestry, Geospatial Sciences, Ecology or related fields.
• Experience with forest inventory, forest mensuration or vegetation sampling.
• Experience integrating forest inventory and LiDAR datasets for vegetation structure and biomass assessment.
• Experience processing and analyzing terrestrial and airborne LiDAR point clouds.
• Experience with photogrammetry, GIS and LiDAR processing software.
• Experience working with large geospatial datasets and automated data processing workflows.
• Programming skills in Python, R or other languages for geospatial data analysis.
• Experience developing technical protocols and training field teams.
• Scientific publications or technical reports related to remote sensing, LiDAR, forest inventory or vegetation monitoring.
• Experience working across multiple Brazilian biomes or other tropical ecosystems.

– Application deadline

From July 31 to August 23, 2026

How to Apply

Applications must be submitted through the Link.

Additional Information

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