Bolsas
Confira as Vagas Abertas
This PostDoc opportunity is open to applicants of any nationality. The opportunity is linked to a FAPESP sponsored project that is part of a larger transnational project, “Integrated risk mapping and targeted snailcontrol to support schistosomiasis elimination in Brazil and Cote d'Ivoire under future climate change, promoted by Belmont Forum and with participating teams from United States, United Kingdon, Africa and Brazil. The postdoc fellow will be supervised by Dr. Antonio Miguel Vieira Monteiro, at National Institute for Space Research, INPE at São José dos Campos, São Paulo, in interaction with researchers and labs of the four countries.
Research Topic Description
We aim to use satellite images obtained mainly by the Earth Observation Satellites
Programas (Landsat-USA/NASA , CBERS-China/Brazil and Sentinel-EU/ESA) and
obtained by drones with Multiespectral and Laser Scanner embedded sensors, and other
multisource data bases in order to map areas suitable for the occurrence of schistosomiasis
resulting from patterns of interdependence associated with the natural and social
landscapes shared with the organisms involved in the schistosomiasis transmission cycles
in the micro-region of Ourinhos, São Paulo, Brazil. The micro-region of Ourinhos, on the
middle sector of the Paranapanema River, has a combination of environmental and social
factors (hidrology, vegetation, soil characteristics, land cover and land use, dams, an
agrarian dynamics, the health system services ) that has kept schistosomiasis transmission
active in the region. This scenario has been favouring the colonization of the Ourinhos
´freshwater collections by Biomphalaria glabrata, a snail species highly susceptible to
Schistosoma mansoni, which is associated with the transmission of schistosomiasis in
Brazilian regions of high disease endemicity.
Outside the Minas Gerais-Bahia axis, Ourinhos in São Paulo, is the only area that
has extensive focal points of the species. Therefore, it is an area with potential for
maintaining the disease at the local level and which has the potential its expansion to
disease-free areas in the regional space. In addition to B. glabrata, the Ourinhos´
freshwater collections are colonized by two other schistosomiasis-transmitting snails, B.
tenagophila and B. straminea, in addition to species that are refractory to the parasite, and
therefore it is an ideal site for the application of landscape classification methods with the
characterization of habitats favorable to the occurrence/non-occurrence of the
Biomphalaria species.
The regional development dynamics points to the environmental and social complexity
shaping the landscape of Ourinhos and its micro-region. The coupled interactions
amongst the the climate-environmental system and the land use and land cover changes
associated to the economic development pathways present in the region are, in fact, the
underlying driving forces for the expansion of the diversity of habitats favorable to the
species of snails related to schistosomiasis therefore being inseparable from the risk of
transmission of human schistosomiasis. This complexity encourages thinking about the
use of technological resources that enable innovative methodologies for integrating
information from heterogeneous data sources and at different scales enabling an
expanding the tools for capturing and describing the local occurrence of schistosomiasis
and its association with the landscape´s socio-environmental regional changes. The
outcome of this project should provide new cartographies for the mapping of an integrated
view of the shistosomiasis´ landscape ( patterns and its interdependence associated with
the natural and social landscapes shared by the organisms involved in the schistosomiasis
transmission cycles) in the region as an complementary tool for the local health
surveillance and control programs.
Qualifications
Ph.D. in Remote Sensing, Landscape Ecology, Geography, Geoinformation
Science, Data Science, Spatial Econometrics, Spatial Epidemiology, Biology,
Environmental Engineer or related fields (completed no more than seven years ago)
The candidate must be able to work independently, as well as with an
interdisciplinary team. Experience with techniques associated with remote sensing
images; Experience with census databases and health databases; Experience with
statistical analysis techniques and knowledge of spatial statistics; Experience with
Geographic Information Systems and open computational statistics environments. A good
command of the written and spoken English language is required.
Fellowship
The selected candidate will be awarded with a FAPESP Post-Doctoral fellowship.
It includes a monthly stipend of R$ 7,373.10 (Brazilian Real) plus a research contingency
fund of 15% of the annual value of the fellowship, each year. For more details, please see
https://fapesp.br/en/postdoc, modality (a)
The FAPESP process to which this fellowship is linked is 2019/23593-3.
The doctorate degree must have been earned no longer than seven years before the
beginning of the postdoc fellowship
The fellowship is yearly renewable, for up to two Years
The position is available immediately, with application subject to approval by FAPESP Interested candidates should send an email to miguel.monteiro, with subject “Belmont FAPESP Postdoc application", containing the following information:
- Short CV.
- A brief cover letter explaining research experiences, how research interests fit the goals of the project.
- The names and contact information of two to three references familiar with the applicant's research and academic work
For additional information, please contact Miguel Monteiro - INPE at miguel.monteiro and Roseli Tuan – SUCEN at roselituan.
Documents:
