PhD Position - CLIMASAT project

The selected candidate will obtain a PhD diploma in History of Science co-hosted by the Autonomous University of Barcelona and the Sorbonne University in Paris, co-supervised by Gemma Cirac-Claveras and Nestor Herran.

Our project aims to contribute to the socio-historical emergence of monitoring as a key practice in environmental sciences. Emerging in mid-20th century, environmental monitoring adopted the use of satellites to provide remote observation in many scientific fields. One major example is the production of data in earth sciences by Earth-orbiting satellites, from mapping faults and classifying hazards, to predict and forecast seismic activity and plan reparation actions after earthquakes. In doing so, research practices and research topics in seismology changed in the second half of the 20th century.

To better understand these developments, the selected candidate will combine approaches from the history of science, history of technology, science and technology studies (STS) and environmental history to study the building, maintenance and use of Earth-orbiting satellite monitoring systems -and the data generated with them- in the field of seismology and vulcanology. Questions to be explored include the dual use of these technologies, the agendas to commercialize the collected data, the emergence of new elites connected to data management and ownership, the politics of scale, the emergence of data-based sciences as epistemologically privileged approach in contemporary science, and the uneven power relations embedded in all these questions. The dissertation will indeed include a characterization of the current state of satellite-based seismic and volcanic monitoring.

Research will be conducted in close collaboration with the supervisors and the research teams of CLIMASAT and RISC, with no teaching obligations. The candidate is expected to take part in the scientific life of the hosting institutions, by collaborating in joint publications and helping to organize and participate in conferences, workshops, seminars and outreach activities of the projects.

 

Requirements:

• Master's degree and/or background in: History of Science and Technology; Environmental History; Science and Technology Studies; or related fields.
• Additional training in earth and/or environmental sciences will be valued.
• Excellent proficiency of English language. Good command of French language.
• 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, respectful, inclusive and productive research environment.

 

Application deadline: 11th April 2025

Application materials:

• Diplomas;
• CV (education, previous positions, teaching experience, list of publications) (3 pages max);
• Cover letter (qualifications and motivations for the position) (2 pages max);
• One letter of recommendation.

 

Please apply by uploading these documents to the UAB platform: https://seleccio.uab.cat

 

CLIMASAT and RISC foster a safe, respectful and inclusive working environment for all and encourage applications regardless of gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, nationality and/or disability, particularly where underrepresented in our workforce. We encourage you to apply for this position.

 

More information: UAB website, gemma.cirac@uab.cat and nestor.herran@sorbonne-universite.fr