Colcom - Postdoctoral Fellow in Multimodal Crop Analysis & Fertilizer Optimization for Sustainable Agriculture (decision-support systems) Mohammed VI Polytechnic University in

Position Overview: Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) in Morocco is offering a postdoctoral fellowship in multimodal crop analysis and fertilizer optimization for sustainable agriculture, with a focus on decision-support systems. The position is based at UM6P’s College of Computing, which is renowned for its research and innovation in Computer Science and its commitment to African development. The successful candidate will contribute to developing farmer-centric systems that integrate multi-modal remote sensing, soil, and phenology data to enable advanced crop classification and precise, customized fertilizer recommendations.

Research Focus: The project leverages cutting-edge machine learning and deep learning techniques for spatio-temporal data analysis, aiming to fuse optical, SAR, soil, and phenology datasets. The research will utilize satellite platforms such as Sentinel, Landsat, and Google Earth Engine (GEE), and geospatial tools including PyTorch, TensorFlow, rasterio, and GDAL. The goal is to build reproducible pipelines that support sustainable agricultural practices and environmental stewardship.

Eligibility & Requirements: Applicants must hold a PhD in Computer Science, Remote-Sensing/Geoinformatics, Agricultural Data Science, or a related field, with a strong track record in remote-sensing imagery, time-series analysis, and ML/DL for spatio-temporal data. Advanced Python programming skills and experience with relevant ML frameworks and geospatial tools are essential. Candidates should demonstrate the ability to work independently, produce reproducible research outputs, and communicate effectively in English. Preferred qualifications include postdoctoral or at least two years of research experience after PhD, first-author publications in relevant journals/conferences, experience with multimodal data fusion, satellite platforms, field/ground-truth experience, agronomic knowledge, or fertilizer-recommendation systems. French or Arabic language skills are advantageous for local engagement.

Appointment & Timeline: The appointment is fixed-term for 24 months at UM6P’s Benguerir campus. The selection process involves shortlisting based on research fit, technical skills, and interdisciplinarity, followed by a technical interview covering past projects, a six-month plan, reproducibility practices, and translation of research for farmer use.

Application Process: Interested candidates should submit a cover letter (detailing fit with CropID and available start date), CV with links (ORCID, GitHub), a research statement (1–2 pages) with a 12–18 month plan, up to three representative papers and links to code/datasets if available, and 2–3 referee contacts. Applications are accepted via the provided link. References to recent research in crop classification and fertilizer recommendation systems are included to guide applicants.

Institution & Location: UM6P is a leading research university in Morocco, with campuses in Benguerir and Rabat. The university fosters partnerships with industry and local stakeholders, advancing world-class research in computational sciences and sustainable agriculture.

Funding: No explicit funding details are provided in the position description.

Deadline: The application deadline is unspecified; candidates are encouraged to apply promptly.