AIMEC Researcher or AIMEC Postdoctoral Researcher Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) in Japan

Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) and Tohoku University’s WPI-AIMEC are recruiting 6–7 researchers for a fixed-term, interdisciplinary marine ecosystem change program. The positions are open as either AIMEC Researcher or AIMEC Postdoctoral Researcher, with appointment at Tohoku University or JAMSTEC depending on the selected candidate’s background and research direction.

WPI-AIMEC focuses on understanding and predicting how marine ecosystems respond to environmental change, with an emphasis on planetary stewardship and the sustainable restoration of oceans and ecosystems. The center has defined five Grand Challenges and organizes its work through three cross-cutting research clusters: Climate-Ocean-Ecosystem Interactions, Coastal Marine Ecosystem Change, and Projection and Planetary Stewardship.

Relevant research areas include physical oceanography, meteorology, remote sensing, ecology, paleoceanography, biogeochemistry, isotope geochemistry, microbiology, marine data science, AI, machine learning, predictive simulation, marine biology, fisheries science, bioinformatics, Earth system science, marine policy, marine economics, disaster science, and environmental impact assessment. The post is especially suited to researchers working across observation, experimentation, modeling, and data-driven analysis.

Successful applicants will receive first-year research startup funds: 3 million yen for AIMEC Researchers and 2 million yen for AIMEC Postdoctoral Researchers. The package also includes a competitive annual salary, relocation support, commuting allowance, and standard insurance and welfare benefits. Some staff at Tohoku University may also have access to lodging and childcare support, subject to institutional assignment and eligibility.

Eligibility differs by title. AIMEC Researcher applicants must already hold a Ph.D. in a closely related area. AIMEC Postdoctoral Researcher applicants must have obtained, or expect to obtain, a Ph.D. in a related field by 2026-11-01, with an additional recency requirement for the doctorate. The appointment is fixed-term, with a first contract period beginning 2026-11-01; the overall term extends to 2031-10-31 for Researcher appointments and 2029-10-31 for Postdoctoral Researcher appointments, subject to renewals and project conditions.

Applications require a CV, a one-page research summary, a one-page research plan naming the desired cluster, a publication and achievement list with competitive funding records, up to two representative publications, and one signed recommendation letter. All documents a)–e) must be submitted as PDFs through the JAMSTEC recruitment portal, while the reference letter must be emailed directly by the recommender before the closing date. The deadline is 2026-09-06 at 23:59 Japan time.