IWRI- Postdoctoral position in the development of climate services to support risk reduction and adaptation in agriculture

About UM6P :

Located at the heart of the future Green City of Benguerir, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), a higher education institution with an international standard, has been established to serve 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. 

About IWRI:

UM6P-IWRI International Water Research Institute is dedicated to interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary education and research around water and climate.

The objectives are to conduct cutting-edge research where local themes are connected to global issues of water and climate, with a focus on:

• Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM)
• Development of water-related technologies (irrigation, water supply and sanitation, desalination, demineralization, treatment, and recycling for water reuse)
• Climate modeling, Climate Change and Adaptation
• Forecasting and Warning Systems
• Water in and for Soil, Droughts and desertification
• Water information, knowledge and decision systems
• Environmental Considerations and Sustainable development

Position Announcement

Job Title: Postdoctoral position in the development of climate services to support risk reduction and adaptation in agriculture

Job description :

The International Water Research Institute (IWRI) at Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) invites a highly motivated and dynamic postdoctoral researcher to join the climate modeling and services team. The selected candidate will contribute to development and the provision of user-tailored climate services to support risk reduction and adaptation of agriculture in Morocco and the African region.

The successful candidate will be responsible for developing a set of tailored climate services based on different observational and modeled data and considering the end-user requirements.

The ideal candidate should have a strong expertise in agroclimatology and climate services for agriculture (preferably in Africa) as well as a very good knowledge of climate models, data processing and ML techniques. 

Key duties :

The candidate is expected to:

• Carry out the evaluation and selection of climate models to be used for the development of climate services.
• Prepare and organize user consultation meetings and workshops to define user-tailored products and services.
• Define, develop, produce and assess climate products and services.
• Contribute to the development and setup of the climate service platform.
• Collaborate with colleagues and scientists in the UM6P-IWRI and partner institutions (including experts in climatology, meteorology, agriculture, hydrology, and other relevant disciplines) to develop innovative and integrated solutions.
• Prepare and present reports, scientific articles, and presentations for international conferences.
• Participate in workshops and seminars to present research results.
• Contribute to the management of research projects, including the writing of funding proposals and coordination with partners.

Criteria/skills of the candidate:   

• PhD in atmospheric or agriculture sciences or a closely related field.
• A very good knowledge of Moroccan (African) climate is highly required.
• A very good knowledge of Moroccan (African) agriculture and its dependance on climate are highly required.
• The candidate should have experience in climate model assessments and processing. .
• A strong programming background and use of HPC are required.
• A very good knowledge of statistical methods and tools is highly required.
• Good experience with AI methods is highly appreciated.
• Good communication skills, both verbal and written, are important. Fluence in French and English is required.
• Ability to travel for missions inside and outside Morocco.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a team in an interdisciplinary research environment.

Application : 

Interested candidates are invited to submit the following documents:

• A complete curriculum vitae including a list of publications.
• A detailed cover letter outlining their interest in the position and qualifications.
• Examples of relevant research work or publications.
• Contact details of two professional references.