Institut für Geoinformatik der Universität Münster

45,000 students and 8,000 employees in teaching, research and administration, all working together to shape perspectives for the future – that is the University of Münster (WWU). Embedded in the vibrant atmosphere of Münster with its high standard of living, the University’s diverse research profile and attractive study programmes draw students and researchers throughout Germany and from around the world.

The Institute for Geoinformatics (ifgi) in the Faculty of Geosciences at the University of Münster, Germany, is seeking to fill the position of a

Postdoctoral Research Associate
Wissenschaftliche/r Mitarbeiter/in
(salary level TV-L E 13, 100 %)

for the externally funded project “Erasmus Mundus Master in Geospatial Technologies”. We are offering a fixed-term full-time position to be filled by 1 March 2024 and continuing until 31 August 2027.

The project “Erasmus Mundus Master in Geospatial Technologies” (https://mastergeotech.info) is a joint European master’s programme run by three university partners in Portugal, Spain and Germany. WWU is coordinating the programme. The advertised position will contribute towards the implementation of this programme. The candidate will join the situated computing lab at ifgi, which conducts research in areas such as location-based services, smart cities and human-computer interaction in the context of solving spatial problems. The position also provides opportunities to further your own academic development andoffers great freedom with regard to your own research, teaching and proposal writing.

More information and the complete job discription can be found here
 

The Institute for Geoinformatics (ifgi), University of Münster, Germany, is one of the world-wide leading institutions in geospatial information science (GI Science) research. The MSc in Geoinformatics and Spatial Data Science will enable students to further develop their problem-solving skills, to acquire analytic capabilities, and to learn about  innovative and creative scientific research methods. ifgi also offers Master students the opportunity to get personally involved in cutting-edge research projects. The medium of instruction is English.

ifgi provides a four-semesters scholarship (April 1, 2024 – March 31, 2026) to one international student (nationality and residence in the 3 years before the application deadline in South- or Central-America). Applicants need to hold a Bachelor degree in Geoinformatics or a similar topic. As for course contents, requirements, and application procedures, please see https://master-geoinformatics.com.

The ifgi scholarship includes

• A monthly scholarship lump sum of 1.000 € per month (April 1, 2024 – March 31, 2026)
• Coverage of semester fees for four semesters 
• Travel costs to Germany, up to 1.800 € according to actual and documented costs
• Pre-arrival and after-arrival support by ifgi

Applications are requested by November 30th, 2023

• using the same application procedure as for regular non-EU students, see https://master-geoinformatics.com/apply.
• BUT: Additionally, provide as "other document" a proof of residence of the last three years before the application deadline
• If your nationality is from America AND you provided the proof of residence, we will automatically assume that you apply for the scholarship. If you do not provide an additional document "proof of residence of the last three years", we will automatically assume that you do NOT apply for the scholarship.

Study program coordinator: Prof. Dr. Edzer Pebesma, edzer.pebesma@uni-muenster.de

The Institute for Geoinformatics (ifgi), University of Münster, Germany, is one of the world-leading institutions in geospatial information science (GI Science) research (http://www.uni-muenster.de/Geoinformatics/). The Graduate School for Geoinformatics at ifgi this year offers up to three full PhD scholarships for open topics linked to one of the research groups (labs Pebesma, Kray, Schwering, Risse) at ifgi (applicants should specify the research group/professor that their topic is linked to).

The ifgi PhD scholarships include

• A monthly scholarship lump sum of 2.000 € per month (three years, starting April 1, 2024)
• Coverage of the semester fees for six semesters
• Travel costs to Germany (in case of not living in Germany), up to 1.200 € according to actual and documented costs
• Pre- and post-arrival support by ifgi.

Applications are requested by December 3, 2023, via email to the ifgi secretariat, ifgiorga@uni-muenster.de. Questions regarding the open topic can be sent to the corresponding group lead/professor.

Further information: https://www.uni-muenster.de/Geoinformatics/en/Studies/study_programs/PhD/ 

Geoinformatiker der Westfälischen Wilhelms-Universität Münster haben gemeinsam mit Kolleginnen und Kollegen der Universitäten Sheffield, Toulouse und Edinburgh eine neue Methode basierend auf Künstlicher Intelligenz (KI) entwickelt, mit der sie Insekten in ihrer natürlichen Umgebung präzise untersuchen. Die Methode wurde am Beispiel von Wüstenameisen angewandt, um zu verstehen, wie diese Insektenart in ihrer Umgebung nach Futter sucht, Orte wiedererkennt und den Weg zurück zum Nest findet.

Mithilfe eines Datensatzes von 151 Videos, in dem einzelne Ameisen vom Verlassen ihres Nestes auf der gesamten Futtersuche verfolgt wurden, hat das Forschungsteam neue Erkenntnisse über das Verhalten der Ameisen entdeckt: Die Insekten lernen sehr schnell und prägen sich die Route zurück zum Nest nach nur einer erfolgreichen Wegstrecke ein. Zudem entwickeln die Ameisen verschiedene Wegstrecken über die Zeit, was darauf hindeutet, dass die Tiere unterschiedliche Strategien zur Erkundung ihrer Umgebung verwenden. Außerdem ermöglicht die hohe Präzision des Verfahrens, sogenannte oszillierende Bewegungen der Ameisen zu untersuchen, die für das menschliche Auge nahezu unsichtbar sind. Die Studienergebnisse sind in dem Fachmagazin Science Advances veröffentlicht.

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