Project Assistant to SESAC

Lunds Universitet · Full-time

Box 117, Lund, Sweden

Lund University was founded in 1666 and is consistently ranked among the world's leading academic institutions. With approximately 46,000 students and 8,500 employees in Lund, Helsingborg, and Malmö, we are united in our mission to understand, explain, and improve our world and people's living conditions. About the Workplace This position is located at the Department of Cultural Geography and Economic Geography and is connected to SESAC – Swedish Competence Centre for Satellite Enabled Social Science Analytics. SESAC is financed by the Swedish National Space Agency and operated by Lund University in collaboration with Chalmers, Linköping University, and Karlstad University. The center's mission is to make satellite data and Earth observation useful for social science research – in sustainability, public health, urbanization, population development, and disaster preparedness – and to build bridges between academia, government agencies, industry, and civil society. You will work in a small, interdisciplinary environment where cultural geographers, physical geographers, remote sensing analysts, and data scientists work side by side across four universities. Your role is the center's hub: you coordinate practical and administrative functions, working closely with the center's director and research leaders (PI). Your primary location will be in Lund. We actively promote a good work environment through clear onboarding, regular employee meetings, an open seminar and meeting culture, and reasonable workload distribution throughout the year. Learn more about the center: www.sam.lu.se/sesac www.sesac.se What We Offer Lund University is a state agency, which means you receive special benefits, generous vacation, and favorable occupational pension. We also have a flexible working hours agreement that supports a good work-life balance. Learn more on the university's website about working with us: Jobba hos oss | Lunds universitet Tasks and Responsibilities This position combines coordinating the center's activities with qualified technical work with geodata. You will have particular responsibility for planning, structuring, and monitoring SESAC's activities in close collaboration with the PI. Your tasks will include: - Plan and implement the center's activities – conferences, workshops, courses, webinars, and hackathons – from invitations, registrations, and logistics to budgeting, execution, and follow-up - Coordinate collaboration between the four universities: convene meetings, prepare agendas and materials, document decisions, and ensure follow-up implementation - Structure the center's ongoing work with timelines, project overviews, and deadlines, and contribute to reporting to the funder - Support the PI in daily operations with background materials, presentations, and compilations - Manage parts of the center's external communication, such as web, newsletters, and social media - Serve as contact person for collaboration partners, visiting researchers, and guests - Compile, process, and quality-assure satellite and geodata, and create maps and visualizations - Contribute to documentation of data, code, and workflows to ensure they are open and reusable - Develop and maintain educational and demonstration materials for the center's courses and webinars The position includes travel within Sweden and occasional travel abroad. Qualifications Requirements for the position: - Master's degree in cultural geography, physical geography, GIS/remote sensing, data science, social science with quantitative focus, or other relevant field - Documented experience independently planning and implementing activities such as conferences, workshops, courses, or seminars - Experience structuring and coordinating work in projects with multiple partners, including scheduling, documentation, and follow-up - Strong skills in GIS and/or remote sensing, for example QGIS, ArcGIS, or Google Earth Engine - Experience with programming in Python and/or R for data processing and analysis - Very strong ability to express yourself in speech and writing in English - Good collaboration skills, as well as ability to work independently, systematically, thoroughly, and take own initiative Personal suitability will be weighted heavily. Merit Factors: - Experience working in a university or research environment, such as research administration or project economy - Experience with externally funded research projects and reporting to funders - Experience working with Copernicus/Sentinel, Landsat, or high-resolution satellite data - Experience with machine learning or AI applied to image data - Experience with version control using Git, reproducible workflows, and cloud-based data processing - Experience with scientific communication, web publishing, or editorial work for newsletters and social media - Experience with international collaboration - Driver's license category B Other Information This is a fixed-term position at 100% for one year, with start date as soon as possible or by agreement. Interviews are planned to be conducted in our offices in Lund during weeks 39/40. Contact: Ola Hall, Director SESAC, [email protected], 046-222 84 09. How to Apply Applications are submitted through the university's recruitment system. Your application must include a cover letter explaining why you are interested in this position and how your qualifications match the role. Your application should also include a CV, diploma or equivalent, and any other materials you wish to provide (copies of grades, reference contacts, recommendation letters, etc.). For the full job posting, see: https://lu.varbi.com/what:job/jobID:965152/