Job description:
The Center for Remote Sensing Applications (CRSA) at the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) invites applications for a position in Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Science (GIS) at the Assistant Professor level. The CRSA topical areas of interest are broad and could include land use/land cover change, resource management, soil cover assessment/mapping, carbon management and dynamics, food/agriculture, agricultural management practices, post-mining sites revegetation, climate change, and water, among others. We seek a candidate with a broad academic background and research experience in Remote Sensing and GIS applied to Soil Science, land use/land cover change, Agriculture, Forestry, Earth Sciences and Environmental Sciences; and whose research advances the frontiers of knowledge in environment, conservation, ecosystem services and evaluation, environmental degradation, or human-environment interactions at diverse scales using theories, methods, and tools of Remote Sensing and GIS. The successful candidate should combine independence, ambition and team work in the front line of research fields with a strong focus on innovation in both academic and applied research, in close collaboration with international academic and institutional partners. The position is open to individuals with a PhD degree from a recognized university and with substantial expertise in the target fields. Previous high impact research and teaching expertise will be well appreciated. Good oral and writing communication skills in French and English represent a significant benefit.
Key duties :
The successful candidate is expected to have the capacity to:
* Conduct scientific research in remote sensing and GIS applications to environmental ecosystems and natural resource management.
* Develop ambitious interdisciplinary research projects using multi-sensor remote sensing.
* Teach undergraduate and graduate students in Remote Sensing, GIS and spatial/data technologies and their application to environmental systems and problems.
* Contribute to the development of new Remote Sensing and GIS courses/programs.
* Create a vigorous, externally-funded research program focused on natural resources and environmental applications of Remote Sensing and GIS.
* Collaborate with other UM6P researchers/groups (i.e., International Water Research Institute, Geology & Sustainable Mining, Soil and Fertilizer Research in Africa) on multidisciplinary research projects with Remote Sensing and GIS components.
* Present research results at scientific meetings and publishing results in peer-reviewed academic journals.
* Pursue permanent trainings in order to improve up-to-date capacities.
* Supervise Master-students, PhD students and Postdoctoral fellows.
Criteria of the candidate :
General Criteria :
* PhD in Remote Sensing, Geomatics, Environmental Sciences, or related subjects.
* Postdoctoral research experience (2-3 years) with industry, government, and academic sectors in a field (s) related to the duties of the position.
* Experience in leading and conducting scientific research projects in Remote Sensing applications to multidisciplinary disciplines (e.g., agriculture, soil, forestry, earth sciences).
* Demonstrate understanding of operational requirements for a successful research project (such as satellite/UAV data acquisitions and processing).
* Ability to generate new ideas, links, and to build upon existing models to develop novel approaches in natural resources monitoring for soil and vegetation, among others.
* Contribute to the development of remote sensing-based tools and applications such as forest and agricultural soil carbon stock estimation, deriving soil attributes, and crop yield estimation.
Specific Criteria for Assistant Professor :
The ideal candidate will also be able to demonstrate proficiency in the following areas:
* Multi-sensors (e.g., multispectral, hyperspectral, and thermal) UAV remote sensing data.
* LIDAR data use (at least 3 years) to monitor vegetation and derive soil information.
* Publication of peer-reviewed articles in the field of remote sensing (at least 12 peer-reviewed papers and first author of a minimum of 8).
* Contribution and presentations in international conferences (at least 12 participations).
* Developing or contributing to research funding proposals (at least 5 proposals).
* Experience in collaborative research with university groups, international institutions, government labs and industrial partners.
* Experience in undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral fellows supervision.
Skills :
Research skills :
The appointee will be expected to demonstrate competency and relevant skills in the following areas :
* Multi-source/multi-resolution remote sensing analysis.
* Manipulation and processing of large multi-temporal and multi-resolution remote sensing datasets to monitor land cover/land use change over time.
* Relate derived from geospatial technologies relate to forest/agriculture management practices.
* Accuracy methods of products derived from remotely sensed data.
* Field application of proximal sensing technologies such as Ground Penetrating Radar and Electromagnetic and Spectrometry sensors for soil cover/attributes estimation.
* Planning field campaigns using ground and multi-sensor UAV measurements.
* Conducting UAV flight over agricultural fields for soil cover and crop cover research projects.
* Programming (e.g., R, Python)
* Machine learning, and geospatial predictive modeling approaches.
* Remote Sensing software (e.g., PCI Geomatica, ENVI, eCognition).
* GIS software (i.e., ESRI ArcGIS, QGIS).
* Drone Photogrammetry Software (e.g., Pix4D, Agisoft).
Teaching skills :
* Evidence of commitment to excellence in teaching
* Teaching experience in both traditional and alternative (e.g., online) learning environments
* Aptitude for teaching at undergraduate and graduate levels both in English and French.
* Teaching flexibility in a variety of formats (week-long and semester-long).
* Training of highly qualified personnel including graduate students.
