CESFRA - Postdoctoral Researcher in Soil Spectroscopy

Recruiter: Issam BARRA

About UM6P:

Located at the heart of the future Green City of Benguerir, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), a higher education institution with international standards, is established to contribute to the development of Morocco and the African continent. Its vision is honed around research and innovation at the service of education and development. This unique nascent university, with its state-of-the-art campus and infrastructure, has woven a sound academic and research network, and its recruitment process is seeking high quality academics and professionals in order to boost its quality-oriented research environment in the metropolitan area of Marrakech.

Job description:

The Center for soil and Fertilizer research in Africa at Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) is inviting applications for a Postdoctoral Research position in the field of Soil Spectroscopy. The successful candidates will join an interdisciplinary team to work on projects focused on the development of new easy, accurate, and low-cost tools for soil agricultural soils diagnosis based on the coupling of spectroscopic techniques (FTIR, NIR, Raman, …) with machine learning/ chemometrics.

Responsibilities of the Position
The Postdoctoral researcher is intended to support the soil spectroscopy research activities and digital soil mapping with specific responsibilities as presented below:

•  Conduct research on the development and application of spectroscopy methods such as near infrared and FTIR as alternatives to traditional methods of soil characterization, monitoring and management,
  • Organization of field campaigns, data collection and lab work,
  • Spectral data analysis, data processing, and model development,
  • ‘R’, Python programming / package development,
  • Co-supervise PhD and undergraduate students.
  • Be engaged in technology transfer.

Criteria of the candidate: 

Qualified applicants should have the following skills:

• Ph.D. in soil spectroscopy / Chemometrics/ analytical chemistry or related field.
• Experience in soil spectroscopy by using Fourier Transformed Infrared (FTIR), near infrared Spectroscopy and advanced programming skills in ‘R’, Python …
• Experience in Data analysis and chemometrics (PLS, SVMR, NN…)
• Excellent communication skills, and the ability to work both independently and in a team environment,
• The ability to work to high standards within deadlines,
• Excellent command of English and French,
• Proven ability to publish in high impacted scientific peer-review journals.

Application and Selection:

Interested candidates should submit the following documents:

• Curriculum vitae (CV) 
• Cover letter outlining research interests, relevant experience, and career goals.
• Contact information for three professional references.