Call for Applications: Postdoctoral position on the History of satellite data and climate knowledge

Call for Applications:

1 postdoctoral researcher – ERC StG – History of satellite data and climate knowledge

The CLIMASAT Project (Remote-Sensing Satellite Data and the Making of Global Climate in Europe, 1980s-2000s) at the Institut d’Història de la Ciència (iHC) of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona(UAB), funded by the European Research Commission (Starting Grant), is seeking:

  • 1 Postdoc (full time, 4 years, starting on February 1st, 2023, or as soon as possible thereafter) :  History of Satellite Data Economy

Led by Gemma Cirac-Claveras, CLIMASAT explores the origins of current climate discourses, practices and policies back in the 1980s and 1990s. It places the production, circulation and use of data generated with Earth-orbiting satellites at the centre of historical analysis. The goal is to understand how the ways in which satellite data were collectively negotiated, shared, maintained and used in different areas (science and technology; economy and finances; law and regulation; media and communication; international relations and diplomacy) were co-produced with the form of climate knowledge that we have inherited today.

As part of the project, the selected candidate will investigate the historical financial issues that permeated the production, circulation and use of satellite data, and how they impacted climate knowledge. These may include, but they are not restricted to: origins of the various forms of markets for satellite data, alternatives to data market economy, and effects of commercial data on the epistemological value of data, including the power relations that were built and maintained through data economics and how they impacted the production, circulation and use of climate knowledge.

The selected candidate will do research and dissemination with no teaching obligations. She/he is expected to take part in the scientific life of the iHC, especially at the meetings, seminars and workshops organized by CLIMASAT’s research team at the iHC and abroad. The final salary is to be determined later in the selection process.

Requirements:

  • PhD (awarded by the time of appointment) in Data economy; Economic history; STS; History of science and technology; Environmental history; or related fields.
  • Additional training in a relevant area of climate or environmental sciences is not necessary but will be valued.
  • Excellent command of English language. Good command of French and/or German will be an asset.
  • Research experience in relevant areas of the economy of environmental data will be favourably valued, especially, record for high-quality research publications, winning research grants, and international awards, appropriate to the applicants’s career stage.
  • Ability and commitment to work both independently and collaboratively as part of a research team.
  • Availability to travel to conference and fieldwork.
  • Ability to create and contribute to a well-functioning, inclusive and productive research environment.

Application deadline: 4 November 2022

Application materials::

  • Diplomas;
  • CV (education, previous positions, teaching experience, list of publications) (5 pages max);
  • Cover letter (qualifications and motivations for the position) (2 pages max);
  • Research proposal (2 pages max);
  • One letter of recommendation.

Please apply by uploading these documents to the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona’s platform: https://seleccio.uab.cat

CLIMASAT fosters an inclusive working environment for all and encourages applications regardless of gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, nationality and/or disability, particularly where underrepresented in our workforce.

More information: gemma.cirac@uab.cat




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