Research topic: Estimating sources and pollen allergy risk in urban environment (Prof. Dr. C. Traidl-Hoffmann)

Doctoral Candidate: pollen allergy risk in urban environments (m/f/x) (Entg.-Gr. TV-L)

18.11.2024, Wissenschaftliches Personal

The Research Training Group “Urban Green Infrastructure - Training Next Generation Professionals for Integrated Urban Planning Research” aims to conduct inter- and transdisciplinary research into innovative approaches for liveable, sustainable and climate change resilient cities through green infrastructure. We are looking for a candidate for a 0.75 or 1.0 position (limited to three years) to be filled as of April 1, 2025 as part of a DFG-funded Research Training Group.

Urban green areas provide vital services that help control adverse conditions for life in cities. However, some tree species can cause asthma or allergic sensitization in the population. In addition, global warming is affecting the timing and intensity of flowering of many tree species in temperate climates, which will have effects on respiratory allergies and, indirectly, on the global economy.

In this changing scenario, monitoring flowering trends of allergenic plants is crucial for public health, but in situ phenological and pollen production databases are scarce. This study aims to develop: I) a model of the thermal requirements and climate conditions of common trees in urban areas of Central Europe using aerobiological data, pollen production and phenology information, II) a model that shows the interaction among different pollutants in the cities, pollen and fungal spores, and III) to make future projections under various climate change scenarios to predict and address future potential health risks associated with changing environmental conditions.

A field campaign will be conducted to collect data on the geographic, biological and phenological characteristics of several urban green areas, with the possibility of urban laboratories along an urbanization gradient. In the laboratory, pollen production of several individual will be determined. Airborne pollen concentration data will be also sampled.

LiDAR data for each urban area will also be used from public GIS databases. Digital surface model (DSM) and a digital elevation model (DEM) from these files could be obtain and measure UGI structural parameters such as building shape and height, tree height, street width and number of traffic lanes, etc. The analyses will be performed in GIS software (ArcGIS or QGIS) or in a statistical programming language (R or Python). The obtained UGI parameters will be combined with the biological parameters collected in the fieldwork to estimate allergenicity. Geospatial interpolation methods or machine learning-based approaches will then be used to interpolate the estimated allergenicity index to other areas within the city that were not sampled. This analysis will be performed in statistical programming software (R or Python).

The outcomes of this research would allow a better assessment of allergenic potential in cities but are also closely related to the other PhD projects of the RTG, especially those focusing on the study of tree mortality, crown calculations and urban microclimate.

Your profile:
-Completed university degree (Diploma/M.Sc.) in geography, forestry, landscape ecology, biology or related disciplines
-Knowledge of data analysis, statistical methods and GIS in connection with biological and/or climate data
-Laboratory skills are an additional advantage
-Ability to work both in a team and independently
-Very good communication skills in German and English are required
-High motivation to contribute own skills and expand own knowledge to develop innovative approaches to clinically relevant research questions

The gender- and diversity-balanced filling of doctoral positions is a particular concern of ours.

Interested?
Send us your informative application documents (letter of motivation, CV, certificates) including a brief description of your previous activities as a single PDF file (file name: Research Topic_Lastname.Surename.pdf) to rtg.lapl@ls.tum.de

For technical and organizational questions about the Research Training Group, please contact the spokesperson:
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Stephan Pauleit, pauleit@tum.de
If you have any questions about the various research topics, the professors mentioned will be happy to answer them.

Note on data protection: In the course of your application for a position at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), you will transmit personal data. Please refer to our data protection information in accordance with Article 13 of the General Data Protection Regulation (DSGVO) regarding the collection and processing of personal data as part of your application. By submitting your application, you confirm that you have taken note of TUM's data protection information.
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Kontakt: rtg.lapl@ls.tum.de

Mehr Information

https://www.gs.tum.de/en/grk/urban-green-infrastructure/cluster-and-subprojects/cluster-2/subproject-9-health-and-disease/