Open PhD position in Geomatics/GIS at the University of Florida

Research area: Spatio-temporal analysis of crowd-sourced geoinformation

The Geomatics Program at the University of Florida is recruiting one PhD student to begin in either Summer or Fall 2023 semesters. The overarching research goal of the Geomatics lab is to advance the analysis of crowd-sourced geo-data to address a variety of societal questions and support informed decision making.

Crowd-sourced spatial data (e.g., tweets, sport app tracking locations, online reviews and news portals, drone images, collaborative maps, cell phone locations) are a widely used data source to detect events and analyze human behavior and sentiment across many disciplines (e.g., transportation, natural resources, tourism, disaster response). This field of big data analysis is rapidly evolving due to the rise of new data sharing platforms, social media apps, and location-based services. Advanced analytical methods (e.g., deep learning, artificial intelligence, data mining) of spatio-temporal contribution patterns in various database systems are needed to fully access, understand, and utilize the information scattered across these platforms.

The ideal candidate brings the following qualifications:
– A Master’s degree in Geographic Information Science, Computer Science, Statistics, or related quantitative discipline
– Versatile in computer programming/scripting (e.g., Java, R, Python)
– Experience with spatial databases (e.g., PostgreSQL/PostGIS) and GIS software (e.g. QGIS)
– Basic operating skills in Linux
– Familiarity with and/or interest in crowd-sourced data
– Solid communication skills in both spoken and written English

The PhD candidate will enter an established program leading to the degree of PhD within a time frame of four years. The University of Florida is currently ranked 5th among public universities in the U.S. The PhD research will be carried out at UF’s Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center (http://flrec.ifas.ufl.edu/) located in the southeastern coastal part of Florida (near Miami). The position includes an annual stipend, tuition waiver, and health insurance.