The PhD will aim at modelling using multi-source Earth Observation data the use of landscape by domestic and wildlife animal populations to better characterize the contacts and their determinants and to estimate the risk of pathogen transmission. We propose to take as a model the contacts between domestic and wild herbivores on the periphery of protected areas in southern Africa, a region of the world with many national parks and where animal movements between natural and anthropic habitats are frequently observed in both directions.
Two diseases will be studied: foot-and-mouth disease and Rift Valley fever.
The thesis work will be based on telemetry data, surveys and epidemiology data already available, and will focus on the development of innovative spatial modeling methods for the simulation of animal mobility. The main methodological challenges that will be addressed are the assimilation of Earth Observation multi-sensor data in the models, and the modeling of mobility at different spatial scales.
Deadline for application: 1st June 2018
Start date: October 2018
University: Université de Montpellier, Ecole Doctorale : GAIA
Speciality: Biodiversity, Agriculture, Alimentation, Environment, Earth, Water