PhD in Geography

The Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Division of Geography & Tourism at KU Leuven (Belgium) is seeking a full-time PhD candidate for 4 years in collaboration with the Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA). The PhD project focuses on monitoring and modelling the expansion dynamics of urban gullies in Central Africa (with examples and focus on the Democratic Republic of Congo). The work includes development and application of novel satellite remote sensing procedures to track gully expansion at high temporal resolution, analysis of gully expansion time series to identify rainfall thresholds and develop predictive models, and application of these models using current and future climate and land use scenarios to assess impacts. The project is co-supervised by Dr. Antoine Dille and Dr. Olivier Dewitte (Natural Hazards Unit, RMCA). Field missions to DRC for validation are foreseen. Expected starting date: 1st of March 2026 (negotiable). Location: KU Leuven, Arenberg campus, Leuven, Belgium; cooperation with the Royal Museum for Central Africa.