Postdoctoral Fellow – Soil Microbiology

About the role

The African Sustainable Agriculture Research Institute (ASARI) at Mohammed VI Polytechnic University is seeking a Postdoctoral Fellow to investigate microbial‑plant interactions in soils under African smallholder farming conditions. The research will focus on developing effective crop inoculants that can tolerate drought, salinity and other stresses.

Key responsibilities

• Review and synthesize scientific literature on soil microbiology and microbial‑plant signaling.
• Design and implement experimental approaches to evaluate biological agents for crop inoculation.
• Select and apply appropriate analytical methods for measuring microbes and delivery systems.
• Manage, analyze and interpret experimental data.
• Prepare research reports, conference presentations and peer‑reviewed publications.
• Supervise and train PhD, Master, undergraduate students, interns and visiting researchers.
• Oversee project logistics, including budgeting, equipment and material procurement.

Required profile

• PhD in Soil Science, Soil Microbiology, Plant Science or a closely related discipline.
• Strong background in agricultural research and microbial‑plant interactions.
• Experience working with soils under drought, salinity or other abiotic constraints.
• Motivated, able to work independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team.

Required skills

• Soil microbiology laboratory techniques.
• Molecular biology methods for microbial identification.
• Analytical methods for quantifying microbial inoculants.
• Data analysis and statistical interpretation.