Midsenior researcher in data systems and digital governance

About the role

The objective of this position is to strengthen the team's capacity to develop and apply data-driven and systems-based approaches across water, coastal and marine domains - including federated data systems, decision-support tools and geospatial analysis - while contributing to project leadership and new funding opportunities. The researcher will work across the team's three pillars and multiple projects, bringing methodological coherence to data-intensive work and reducing dependence on the team lead for analytical coordination. The Water, Coasts and Ocean Team works across three thematic pillars: Resilient Infrastructures, One Water and Blue Economy. Across these pillars, the team addresses increasingly complex challenges involving data integration, cross-sectoral cooperation and digital decision-support - from freshwater systems and coastal resilience to offshore infrastructure and critical national services. Several funded projects now require integrated capacity in data (systems, modelling and governance). Recruiting a researcher with strong expertise in data systems is a strategic priority for delivery, proposal development and analytical leadership.

Responsibilities

• Lead and contribute to data systems work: integration, interoperability, security and application in decision-support tools across sectors
• Apply and promote FAIR data principles (Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability, Reusability) and related standards in project data management
• Develop and implement digital and data-driven approaches for infrastructure risk assessment, resilience planning and coastal and marine management
• Contribute to SAFEWIN's development of federated learning approaches for cross-sectoral data cooperation in sensitive infrastructure contexts
• Contribute to KRAFT's analysis of data management challenges and cascading risks across critical infrastructure systems
• Engage with Swedish and international stakeholders, including public agencies, research partners and practitioners
• Translate complex data and modelling outputs into policy-relevant insights, project reports, publications and stakeholder-facing materials
• Contribute to proposal development and fundraising for new projects
• Support project coordination and supervision of junior researchers where relevant

Requirements

• Essential
• PhD in data science, environmental informatics, computer science, infrastructure systems or a related field; candidates without a PhD must demonstrate equivalent independent research experience, including a track record of securing funding
• Strong experience with data integration, modelling, spatial analysis or the development of digital decision-support tools
• Experience eliciting user requirements and translating them into analytical methods, digital tools or decision-support products
• Experience working with data from complex, multi-sectoral or infrastructure-related contexts
• Working proficiency in at least one programming or scripting language (e.g. Python, R) for data analysis or tool development
• Ability to lead analytical work packages within interdisciplinary research projects
• Familiarity with data governance, metadata standards, interoperability frameworks and data architectures supporting the sharing and use of data across organizations or sectors
• Experience contributing to or leading research funding proposals, with a track record of securing funds at a scale commensurate with career stage
• Strong publication record or equivalent output in applied research settings
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English
• Desirable
• Experience with federated learning, privacy-preserving computation or cross-sectoral data governance
• Familiarity with GIS and geospatial data tools
• Background in or demonstrable familiarity with critical infrastructure systems, offshore energy, marine monitoring or defence-adjacent data environments
• Working proficiency in Swedish
• The role sits at the technical-policy interface that characterizes SEI's comparative advantage. We are not looking for a pure engineer or a pure policy analyst, but s

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