Apply for our open PhD positions
Here you can browse and apply for 40 open PhD positions across DIWA Partner universities.
Application is open from 15.3. to 20.4.
You can browse different open positions across our universities below. You can find the requirements, application information, and contact details in each individual entry.
University of Oulu
Etunimi Sukunimi
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University
Etunimi Sukunimi
Facilisi viverra dictum augue eu lobortis elit. In et donec habitasse lacus mi commodo elementum.
University
Etunimi Sukunimi
Facilisi viverra dictum augue eu lobortis elit. In et donec habitasse lacus mi commodo elementum.
Aquatic modelling in boreal conditions
- Organisation: University of Eastern Finland
Water management is a crucial part of sustainability in modern sustainability both in Finland and throughout the world. In Finland water management issues are mostly linked to mining industry as well as pulp and paper industry. With stricter requirements especially from EU level, there is a clear need to be able to simulate the water...
Geographic information system for monitoring metal concentrations in environmental waters
- Organisation: University of Eastern Finland
Real-time water quality information is beneficial for effective management of environmental waters under different conditions. Field-operative and affordable techniques/devices are fostering the interest of the citizens in the conditions of their environment supporting the actions related to community-based monitoring. On the other hand, these approaches can also support industrial setups to prevent disturbances in water...
Modelling groundwater flow and dissolved carbon transport in a boreal peatland-aquifer-river ecosystem
- Organisation: University of Oulu
The accelerating climate change together with the intensified land use put major pressure on the groundwaters and carbon transport. Understanding the groundwater’s role in catchment scale element transport is thus essential in fostering sustainable land use practices and in climate change adaptation. So far northern groundwater resources are rarely linked to the transport of dissolved...
Spatial sub-arctic ecohydrology with high-resolution data and process models
- Organisation: University of Oulu
Sustainable land management requires a systemic understanding of the water and biochemical cycles from point to catchment scales. Hydrological connectivity, landscape heterogeneity, and changes in land use have a direct impact on the release and transport of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and on the catchment greenhouse gas budget. New methodological and numerical approaches are required...
Water quality control and tools for iron transport management in urban and peatland landuses
- Organisation: University of Oulu
Increased iron concentrations in surface waters have been observed in several studies during the last decades in the boreal zone. The excessive iron load has many effects on the aquatic ecosystem causing brownification with a direct impact on primary production and the entire food web, weakening the survival of fish and other aquatic organisms. The...
Integrating water quality crowdsourcing into hydrological modelling and prediction
- Organisation: University of Oulu
The importance of ensuring good water quality is important for many ecosystem services. Despite the vast infrastructure of sensory systems and remote observation technology, there are still gaps in reporting fine-grained details about water quality due to sparsity of observations and dynamic nature of water ecosystems. Crowd observations or citizen science in general contribute to...
IoT-based solutions for real-time water resources monitoring and adaptive management
- Organisation: University of Oulu
Over the past decade, the Internet of Things (IoT) has gained enormous interest both in the scientific and commercial sides. By expanding the traditional internet infrastructure, communication between machines, devices and even individual objects has been made possible. At the same time, the unit costs of sensors, processors, data storages and other digital equipment have...
Real-time River Ice Prediction through Integrated Remote Sensing, and Monitoring
- Organisation: University of Oulu
River ice holds significant importance across various disciplines, intertwining with engineering, ecology, sociology, and the lifestyles of nomadic peoples in profound ways. In engineering, river ice influences the design and management of infrastructures such as dams and bridges, necessitating solutions to mitigate the risks of ice jams and floods. Ecologically, the formation and melting of...
Water-Energy Model Coupling for Climate-Resilient Hydropower Assessment
- Organisation: University of Oulu
Hydropower has the flexibility to support the energy market during low and high seasons through daily and hourly energy demand. However, the future resiliency of hydropower is a function of two main drivers: climate change and power market demand. Most hydropower and their reservoirs have been designed based on the available hydro-climatology and energy market...
Identification, monitoring and control of ground water balance in agriculture and forestry
- Organisation: University of Oulu
Controlled water management allows agriculture and forestry to efficiently use water resources and adapt to changing weather conditions. The motivations for controlling the groundwater level are many, ranging from ensuring favorable growth of plants to scheduling of farming operations, efficient temporal and spatial distribution of water resources, and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and water...
Predicting methane emissions in northern peatlands by using in situ data of plant communities, remote sensing and ecohydrological analysis
- Organisation: University of Oulu
Climate change mitigation and political decision-making require a systemic understanding of the global carbon cycle and its primary regulators. Northern peatlands store approximately one-third of all terrestrial carbon and act as strong sinks of carbon dioxide (CO2) while releasing methane into the atmosphere. Currently, these peatlands represent one of the biggest natural sources of rapidly...
Observing and modeling changes in snow properties and snowmelt runoff
- Organisation: University of Oulu
The accelerating climate change is influencing the boreal snow cover. Snow is exposed to new warmer conditions that alter its bulk properties and microstructure. Detailed analysis of the boreal taiga snowpack properties with novel techniques , and linking observed snow properties to process based snow modelling tools is needed to simulate and predict the changes...
Snow remote sensing applications for hydrological modeling and forecasting
- Organisation: University of Oulu
Northern areas are subject to accelerated warming due to global climate change, with Arctic areas experiencing temperature increases up to four times compared to equatorial regions. Warming temperatures have resulted in changes to the duration and distribution of seasonal snow cover through earlier spring melt but also changing precipitation patterns in winter. Satellite data records...
Use of image processing for estimation of snow water characteristics
- Organisation: University of Oulu
Snow water equivalent and snow characteristics are critical in many applications. Traditionally, water and snow depths are measured manually in snow lines or recently using e.g. locally embedded sensory technologies such as sonar and ultrasound, respectively, which call for development of alternative technologies to deal with remote or inaccessible areas. Satellite images have been suggested...
Catchment water source variation drives aquatic microbial processes and trace gas climate feedbacks
- Organisation: University of Oulu
Background: Arctic and Boreal freshwater ecosystems are rapidly changing due to heightened warming in northern regions compared to lower latitudes. These changes, driven by climate-induced shifts in the Arctic water cycle, can alter hydrological regimes of northern catchments. For instance, changes in the seasonality of snow melt and rainfall patterns might shift microbial community composition...
Totally decentralised and digital twin based automation of water treatment and supply
- Organisation: Aalto University
Water supply systems are critical infrastructures facing challenges like environmental uncertainties and security threats. Traditional centralized automation systems are vulnerable to single points of failure and cyber-attacks. To address these issues, there’s a growing need for decentralized automation architectures. Inspired by swarm intelligence principles, these architectures distribute decision-making across multiple nodes, enhancing system resilience and...
Accurate spatial modeling of agricultural field run-off within fields and the surrounding environment
- Organisation: Aalto University
Water balance is a critical aspect of agriculture. In irrigated fields it is important to know when and how much additional water is required. In non-irrigated fields knowing the water balance in the field is a critical aspect in estimating within field growth potential and thus, for example, guide the planning of future field operations....
Transformative water governance
- Organisation: Aalto University
Water is critically important for addressing the key sustainability challenges related climate change, biodiversity, and pollution, and there are high hopes that so-called Twin Transition (green and digital transition) will provide new, more sustainable and efficient ways of working also in the water sector. Yet, the thorny issues related to participation and decision-making power remain,...
Digital twin in integrated sanitation system management
- Organisation: Aalto University
Water and wastewater treatment are basic necessities in our welfare societies safeguarding health and prosperity by providing key assets for many services and industries as well as protecting the environment. The main focus of the wastewater treatment has been to meet the effluent requirements specified by the environmental permit while operating the process in a...
Hydrological modelling of biomass production area for flexible water management – computational tool for a digital twin
- Organisation: Aalto University
Agricultural water management is challenged by the climate warming, which is leading to transitions in field cultivation. The occurrence of extremes is affecting the operation of drainage/irrigation systems and increasing the need of short-term control. Modelling and simulation are viable tools to prepare for mitigation and adaptation against the changed conditions. Such modelling tasks are in...
Perception sensor data analysis for real-time target identification and sensor localization
- Organisation: University of Turku
Modern mapping systems such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and autonomous surface vessels (ASV) have witnessed significant advancements, but achieving effective decision-making in dynamically changing environments remains a huge challenge. Conventional mapping methodologies often rely on post-processing of the collected data, which can lead to unacceptable delays in getting the required information in quickly changing...
Coordination and control of mobile multi-robot systems in unstructured environments
- Organisation: University of Turku
Finland encompasses extensive maritime, fluvial, and coastal regions. The effective and dynamic evaluation of water resources, climate, and environmental conditions within these areas is essential for addressing the knowledge gaps crucial to modernizing agriculture, encompassing farming, animal husbandry, aquaculture, and forestry. This need becomes increasingly critical amidst global climate change, which dynamically affects various environmental...
Machine learning based data fusion algorithms development
- Organisation: University of Turku
Environmental studies involve combining diverse data sources like national topographic maps, satellite imagery, and real-time sensor networks. Each offers unique insights, but they have their limitations. Satellite images might lack detail, while sensor data might be sparse. Combining them allows of creating a richer picture. Machine learning can address this by fusing different data sources....
A sensor fusion framework for intelligent navigation and control of autonomous robots
- Organisation: University of Turku
Modern robotic systems such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and autonomous surface vessels (ASV) have witnessed significant advancements, but achieving effective decision-making in dynamically changing environments remains a huge challenge. Conventional methodologies often ignore the dynamic nature of real-world scenarios, resulting in suboptimal performance. Sensor data fusion offers a promising avenue to merge diverse sensor...
Situational awareness for a reliable collaborative multi-robot system
- Organisation: University of Turku
Mobile robots are set to take on a key role in improving many services, both in the civilian and industrial domains. In particular, UAVs and USVs are already important for environmental monitoring and sensing in both urban, rural and remote environments. In this project, research investigates the underlying technologies in robotics and AI. The development...
Precise, robust, and resilient localization in a remote environment
- Organisation: University of Turku
Mobile robots are set to take on a key role in improving many services, both in the civilian and industrial domains. In particular, UAVs and USVs are already important for environmental monitoring and sensing in both urban, rural and remote environments. In this project, research investigates the underlying technologies in robotics and AI. The development...
Improved digital management of significant aquifers in Finland
- Organisation: University of Turku
Salpausselkä ice-marginal complexes (SSIMC) host the largest groundwater reservoirs in Finland. However, the hydrostratigraphy of SSIMC is complex and the heterogeneity of aquifers is hard to define for efficient use and management. Optimization of the management of groundwater resources would benefit from systematic digitalization and implementation of hydrostratigraphical models, which will further be integrated into...
Bed-form scale fluvial geomorphology of boreal rivers: effects of changing hydro-climatic regime
- Organisation: University of Turku
River bedforms, such as ripples, dunes, bars, and pools shape and control flow dynamics of the river and are essential part of the morphological evolution of the river channel. The bedform-scale fluvial geomorphology is important for many species in the aquatic ecosystem and the bed-form scale dynamics are directly connected to reach-scale changes and long-term...
Integrated hydrological modeling using physical-based models and physical informed neural networks
- Organisation: University of Turku
Integrated hydrological models are essential for sustainable water resources management, hydro-hazard assessment and water pollution risk assessment. The Nordic eco-hydrological system is complex by nature, and requires more integrated concepts and models to comprehensively understand the underlying processes of it, changes in the system, and the impact of climate and anthropogenic pressure. Current hydrological and...
Linking water quality, estuarine processes and sedimentation
- Organisation: University of Turku
Estuaries can efficiently trap catchment-derived nutrients, trace metals, organic carbon and microplastics through various processes. Hence, estuaries have potential to act as filters decreasing access of these harmful substances from coastal areas to oceans. This could further decrease the water quality in the systems suffering multiple environmental problems such as eutrophication, oxygen depletion and pollutants....
Co-benefits of nature-based solutions in urban water management applying participatory 3D digital environments
- Organisation: University of Turku
Nature-based solutions (NBS) in urban areas aim to provide multiple environmental, social and economic co-benefits to tackle effects of climate change and biodiversity loss in urban areas. NBS are crucial for flood as well as drought management and promoting biodiversity on the one hand but also for supporting quality of life and wellbeing for urban...
Climate change and land use effects on flow magnitudes and nutrient loads
- Organisation: University of Turku
Hydro-climatological conditions, together with the land use types and activities have a major effect on our water resources. In the Southern parts of Finland, climate change has already lowered the extent and duration of the snow and ice cover and increased the freeze-thaw cycles, winter-time flooding and the erosion of soils, intensifying the eutrophication and...
Flow characteristics and habitat mapping in littoral zone
- Organisation: University of Turku
Marine coastal ecosystems are significantly influenced by physical disturbances, with ferry traffic, in addition to natural wind-induced waves, emerging as a consistent long-term daily disruption, particularly in narrow and shallow passages. The Archipelago Sea, situated in the northern Baltic Sea, stands out as one of the busiest areas for cargo, tourist, and ferry activities. The...
Hydromorphological stage and river habitats classification
- Organisation: University of Turku
River-specific conservation limits (or spawning targets) for each individual salmon populations are based on subjective habitat evaluation and are currently used as the basis for salmon stock management. The set targets will be revisited, and a new, quantitative, data-based approach will be developed for their re-assessment including hydromorphological stage analyses and improved methods for bathymetry...