AgBS - Postdoctoral Position in Agronomy and Soil Microbiology

About UM6P:

At the heart of the future Green City of Benguerir, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), a higher education institution with an international standard, is established to serve Morocco and the African continent. Its vision is honed around research and innovation at the service of education and development. 

This nascent university, with its state-of-the-art campus and infrastructure, has woven a sound academic and research network, and its recruitment process seeks high-quality academics and professionals to bolster its research environment in the metropolitan area of Marrakech.

About AgroBioSciences (AgBS), College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences:

The AgroBioSciences (AgBS) program is a component of the Science & Technology pole of Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P). It constitutes a structure of higher education and practical-based research with a vision of solving real African agriculture challenges by leveraging up-to-date science and technology.

The AgroBiosciences Program Research Center leverages up-to-date technologies to address African agriculture challenges. It is a multidisciplinary research center that aims to conduct relevant, cutting-edge research that positively impacts African agriculture. It is based on the collaboration and synergy of several research programs targeting diverse disciplines of research in agriculture, such as 

Microbiome, Omics, Plant Physiology and Crop Improvement, Plant Pathology, By-products Valorization, Soil Sciences, Agronomy, and Sustainable Farming.

Job/Project description:

The AGBS at the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University seeks a dynamic and highly motivated individual to join our academic institution as a postdoctoral research staff member with skill in Agronomy and Soil Microbiology. The successful candidate will contribute to our institution's commitment to excellence in research and innovation in Agronomy and Soil Microbiology, mainly by conducting innovative research that allows us: (i) to characterize soil microbiome from African soils and (ii) participate in field surveys to generate samples for DNA extraction, amplicon, and shotgun sequencing tools. (iii) isolate and characterise microorganisms of agronomic interest, using phenotypic markers and molecular markers, and propose recommendations, (IV) conduct greenhouse assays to validate their benefits and develop recommendations.

Area of specialization: soil microbiome analysis, general microbiology, Molecular Biology, Agronomy and, Sequence dat analysis and R coding skills

Main responsibilities:

The selected candidate will be expected to:

• Conduct a field survey from farmer fields to obtain samples, and prepare a map of sampled areas within the project mandate, considering the landscape, field plots, and on-farm approaches.
• Prepare soil for physico-chemical property measurements
• Isolate beneficial microbial and conduct greenhouse and field assays to validate their benefits
• Analyses shotgun and amplicon data sequences from the project and reports.
• Prepare high draft quality manuscripts for submission
• Mentor master students and PhDs

Education, qualifications, and experience

• Applicants must have earned a doctorate in Agronomy, Soil Microbiology, or Soil Sciences with hands-on experience in Bioinformatics tools
• Strong knowledge in implementing statistics to analyse data from field studies, amplicon, shotgun, and whole sequences.
• Demonstrated experience in multidisciplinary research in the above research area.
• High-quality publications in relevant scientific journals demonstrate a strong record of research accomplishments.
• Experience in supervising undergraduate/graduate students.
• Strong communication skills in English and French, both written and verbal, to effectively engage with students, colleagues, and the broader scientific community.

Applications and selection procedure:

The application folder must contain:

• Cover letter indicating the position applied for and the main research interests.
• Detailed CV.
• Statement of research and teaching interests describing the candidates’ experience with the position field.
• 3 reference letters