PhD - Measurement and Modeling of Urban Verticality in Africa

About the role

EPFL, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, is recruiting a full-time (100%) PhD student within the VERTICAF project, funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation. The project analyzes the dynamics of verticalization in African cities and their implications, combining spatial analysis, political science, architecture and urban studies. The work is based in Switzerland (EPFL) with fieldwork assignments in Dakar, Kigali and Luanda, with a start date of February 2027 and a 48-month contract.

Key responsibilities

• Build a harmonized database of urban verticality for the three cities (Dakar, Kigali, Luanda) since 2000.
• Develop a data processing pipeline to extract building heights at different points in time.
• Conduct targeted photogrammetric analyses and integrate geolocated crowdsourced images (Flickr, SenseCity) to supplement satellite data at the meso level.
• Compile building profiles (quantitative approach): height, density, footprint and temporal evolution for about 10 buildings per city.

Required profile

• Master's degree (or equivalent) in geomatics, geography, data science, environmental engineering, quantitative urban planning or a related field.
• Strong interest in African cities and sustainable urban development.
• Excellent writing skills in English; knowledge of French is required.
• Sensitivity to gender equity issues and North-South research dynamics.

Required skills

• Remote sensing: satellite image processing, GIS and photogrammetry.
• Geospatial programming in Python (rasterio, geopandas, scikit-learn) or R; Google Earth Engine experience is a plus.
• Open-source tools (QGIS, GRASS GIS, GDAL) and spatial databases.

Applications, in French or English, must include a cover letter, CV, master's transcript, a recent academic paper showing spatial analysis skills and two academic references. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis and must be submitted through the online portal; shortlisted candidates must also apply to a specific EPFL doctoral program (EDAR or EDCE).