Postdoc in Soil Microbiology

About the role

ASARI, the African Sustainable Agriculture Research Institute launched by Mohammed VI Polytechnic University in Laayoune in 2020, is recruiting a postdoctoral fellow to study the interactions between microorganisms and crop plants, with the aim of developing suitable crop inoculants for African smallholder farmers. The fellow must have an agricultural background and a Ph.D. in Soil Science, soil microbiology, Plant Science or a related field, and be familiar with state-of-the-art techniques for understanding soil microbiology and microbial-plant interactions.

Key responsibilities

• Evaluate, interpret and synthesize experimental results from scientific literature
• Design experimental approaches to study the scientific problem from the perspective of organisms of potential high value or impact in the African context
• Select analytical methods suited to measuring biological material and delivery mechanisms, and manage and analyse experimental data
• Lead the writing of research reports and communicate results for conferences and publications
• Supervise PhD and Master students, interns and volunteers, and take part in training and supervision of visitors
• Manage projects including budget, materials, equipment and staff
• Write research proposals for external funding, report writing, and manuscripts for refereed journals
• Maintain field and laboratory equipment, order supplies, and keep research plot records
• Travel frequently to experimental platforms, desert environments and farmers' fields at national and international level

Required profile

• Ph.D. in Soil Microbiology, Microbial-Plant Interactions or related fields
• Background in agronomy, agricultural sciences, environmental sciences or related areas
• Experience collecting and analysing data, and knowledge of genomic data assembly and analysis
• Publications record in refereed journals and experience mentoring students and personnel
• Fluent written and spoken English; French and Arabic are a plus
• Experience in a multi-disciplinary team and ability to obtain external grant funding

Required skills

• Proficiency with graphical and statistical packages
• Desirable: working knowledge of statistics and database management
• Desirable: additional languages such as Arabic and French