Metropolitan Autonomous University

SusMaT-RC - Postdoc Position: Bio-based Materials for Sustainable Agriculture About Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) Located at the heart of the Green City of Benguerir, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) is an institution dedicated to world-class education, applied research, and innovation for Morocco and Africa. With state-of-the-art infrastructure and a vast network of academic and industrial partners, UM6P is committed to advancing sustainable development and building a thriving innovation ecosystem on the continent. About the Sustainable Materials Research Center (SusMat - RC) The Sustainable Materials Research Center (SusMat-RC) is a multidisciplinary research centre focused on the development of advanced materials from renewable bio-resources. Our mission spans from fundamental science, understanding structure-property relationships at multiple scales to applied engineering, creating sustainable solutions for key industrial and environmental challenges. We aim to drive the transition toward a circular and green economy in Morocco and across Africa through innovative material science. Job description An exciting opportunity for a highly motivated and talented Postdoctoral Fellow (PDF) to join the Sustainable Materials Research Center (SusMat-RC) at Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P). The selected candidate will contribute to a pioneering research project focused on developing advanced bioinspired, circular-economy-driven biobased functional materials for sustainable agriculture, with a specific focus on water–soil interfaces, water retention, fertilizer/nutrient-controlled release, and soil hydration using multi-source biomass feedstocks.  Job duties The successful candidate is expected to: Design, formulate, and characterize biobased materials such as hydrogels, polymers, and composites for agricultural applications. Develop and optimize protocols for the encapsulation and controlled release of nutrients. Investigate water-use efficiency, soil moisture dynamics, and nutrient availability in water-retentive and responsive systems, with relevance to arid and semi-arid agricultural conditions. Utilize a variety of analytical, spectroscopic, and microscopic techniques (FTIR, UV–Vis, XRD, DLS, SEM–EDS, TEM, TGA/DSC) for material characterization. Collaborate effectively within an interdisciplinary team. Maintain accurate and detailed records of all experiments, data, and findings. Prepare manuscripts for high-impact scientific journals and present research at national and international conferences. Contribute to the development of research proposals and seek external funding. Assist in the supervision of master's and doctoral students. Requirements To be considered for this role, ideal candidate is expected to have: A recently awarded Ph.D. in Chemistry, Polymer Science, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, or a closely related field. Demonstrated hands-on experience in polymer/hydrogel synthesis, biopolymer modification, development of water-retentive formulation, and characterization. Experience or strong interest in sustainable agriculture, controlled-release systems, soil science interfaces, or water management in water-limited environments is an advantage. Proven ability to conduct independent research with a strong publication record. Excellent organizational skills and the ability to work collaboratively in a team. High degree of motivation, initiative, and a focus on quality research outputs. Proficient oral and written communication skills in English. How to apply Please submit the following documents in a single PDF file: 1.    An updated Curriculum Vitae (CV). 2.    A one-page cover letter addressing: o    How your research background and skills align with this specific project. o    Your motivation for applying to this position and the SusMat-RC. 3.    Contact information for two professional referees. Please note: Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled. An early application is encouraged.

The Machine Learning for Health team at the Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), University of Helsinki, is currently seeking a highly-motivated postdoctoral researcher to join our team. Project overview Healthcare systems collect vast amounts of heterogeneous data routinely through interactions with individuals. Our mission is to use machine learning and data science to find better ways to utilize this data in healthcare planning, personalized medicine and targeted recall-studies. In this position, you will be a part of an expanding team working on difficult and meaningful challenges together with clinicians. You get to work with multimodal nationwide Finnish health data from 7 million individuals including for example medication purchases, laboratory measurements, clinical notes and imaging. Your main project will involve building and studying multimodal health trajectories on a nationwide scale to catch increasing disease risk as early as possible. In addition, this data, and similar datasets from our collaborators across the Nordics, Baltics and Europe present a fantastic opportunity to pursue your own ambitious research goals. Our other research directions of interest include privacy of AI models trained on health data as well as training AI models on health data across national borders. Key responsibilities Design, implement and benchmark machine learning models for large-scale health datasets consisting of diverse information including structured medical history, demographics, clinical notes, laboratory measurements, omics and genetics. Collaborate closely with other team members, and national/ international collaborators. Assist other team members in experiment planning, data processing and interpretation of results. Contribute to writing scientific articles, conference presentations, grant applications and supervision of Master’s students and PhD researchers. Take part in open science and code sharing. Skills, expertise and qualifications A PhD degree in computational biology, machine learning, computer science, data science, bioinformatics, or a related discipline Demonstrated machine learning experience in form of high-quality scientific publications, experience working with real-world health data is a plus Proficiency in Python and experience working in Linux-based HPC environments or cloud computing platforms Proven experience with deep learning frameworks such as PyTorch, and familiarity with multimodal data fusion is highly desirable Ability to work independently, as well as collaboratively in interdisciplinary and international research teams Willingness to supervise junior researchers and develop your supervision skills Excellent command of spoken and written English Research group The Machine Learning for Health team focuses on applying artificial intelligence to derive meaningful insights from large, real-world health and biomedical datasets. The team is led by Dr. Tuomo Hartonen. We have active collaborations with leading researchers in the EU, UK and US, with opportunities for international research visits during the employment. We collaborate closely with several research groups at FIMM and at ELLIS Institute Finland. We work with diverse international datasets ranging from Finnish and French national health registries to biobank studies such as FinnGen (Finland), UK Biobank (UK) and All of Us (United States). Contract and salary The position is initially offered for two years, and can be possibly extended. A trial period of six months will be applied. The starting salary will be ca. 3900-4100 euros/month, depending on the appointees’ qualifications and experience, and is based on the University of Helsinki salary system. The University of Helsinki offers comprehensive services to its employees, including occupational health care, support in access to high quality sports facilities, and vast opportunities for professional development. Standard Finnish pension benefits are provided for university employees. Apply at latest by August 16th, 2026. The call may be extended until a hiring decision is made. How to apply: The application should include: A one-page letter stating the motivation for applying to this position. A maximum two-page CV. List of scientific publications. An official copy of the PhD degree certificate. Contact information of 2 references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and telephone number) who have agreed to provide a written statement on behalf of the applicant. Note that the references will be contacted only at a later stage of the process. To apply, please submit the application through the University of Helsinki electronic recruitment system by clicking on Apply for job. Internal applicants (i.e., current employees of the University of Helsinki) please submit your applications through SAP Fiori https://msap.sap.helsinki.fi. For further information on the position, please contact Dr. Tuomo Hartonen (tuomo.hartonen@helsinki.fi).  A diverse and equitable study and work culture is important to us. That is why we do our best to promote an inclusive university community. We encourage all qualified applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply for our positions. Click this link to read about accessibility and inclusivity at our University. JOIN US TO BUILD A BETTER WORLD – TOGETHER! #HelsinkiUniCareers The Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM) is an international research unit focusing on human genomics and personalized medicine at the Helsinki Institute of Life Science (HiLIFE) of the University of Helsinki - a leading Nordic university with a strong commitment to life science research. As part of Academic Medical Center Helsinki in Meilahti campus FIMM collaborates locally with the Faculty of Medicine, Helsinki University Hospital and National Institute for Health and Welfare. FIMM is part of the Nordic EMBL Partnership for Molecular Medicine, composed of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) and the centres for molecular medicine in Norway, Sweden and Denmark, and the EU-LIFE Community.

About UM6P: Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) is an internationally oriented institution of higher learning, that is committed to an educational system based on the highest standards of teaching and research in fields related to the sustainable economic development of Morocco and Africa. UM6P is an institution oriented towards applied research and innovation. On a specific focus on Africa, UM6P aims to position these fields as the forefront and become a university of international standing. More than just a traditional academic institution, UM6P is a platform for experimentation and a pool of opportunities, for students, professors and staff. It offers a high-quality living and study environment thanks to its state-of-the-art infrastructure. With an innovative approach, UM6P places research and innovation at the heart of its educational project as a driving force of a business model. In its research approach, UM6P promotes transdisciplinary, entrepreneurship and collaboration with external institutions for developing up to date science and at continent level in order to address real challenges. The research programs are integrated from long-term research to short-term applications in linkage with incubation and start-up ecosystems. About CBS: The Chemical & Biochemical Sciences Green Process Engineering Department (CBS) is an entity of the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P). The main objective of CBS is to set up a distinctive research-teaching program of international level, in order to meet the research and teaching challenges of UM6P, in particular on green and environmental chemistry applied to all aspects of chemical sciences: organic and inorganic chemistry, analytical chemistry, chemical biology, biochemical and thermal reactions. Research at CBS is organized around several major areas, which aim to answer challenging industrial questions, from complex chemical and biochemical reactions to scale-up and validation of process engineering. CBS projects aim at an in-depth understanding of the molecular mechanisms of all transformations in order to propose new original alternatives in terms of efficiency, environmental friendliness and sustainability. Job Description We are seeking a highly motivated and skilled postdoctoral researcher in Fertilizer Science to join our research team at CBS, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), Benguerir, Morocco The candidate will play a key role in advancing applied research related to the development, characterization, and evaluation of innovative fertilizer formulations. The overall objective is to develop efficient fertilizer products designed to improve nutrient availability, nutrient-use efficiency, soil fertility, and crop performance under relevant agricultural conditions. As a successful candidate, you will be actively involved in multidisciplinary research activities including fertilizer formulation, physicochemical characterization, laboratory testing, greenhouse experiments, and agronomic validation. Key Responsibilities Develop and formulate new simple and complex fertilizer products Contribute to the optimization of fertilizer formulations to improve nutrient stability, homogeneity, physical quality, and agronomic efficiency. Characterize produced fertilizer formulations using physicochemical and analytical tools to assess their structure, composition, stability, and performance. Evaluate the physical quality of fertilizer products Analyze the chemical composition of raw materials, intermediate products, and final fertilizer formulations. Conduct laboratory and greenhouse experiments to assess fertilizer performance under controlled and relevant conditions. Evaluate plant growth responses, biomass production, root development, nutrient uptake, and mineral nutrition following fertilizer application. Contribute to soil and plant analyses to assess nutrient availability and fertilizer efficiency. Design experimental protocols, supervise trials, collect data, and perform statistical analysis of experimental results. Communicate research progress, technical challenges, and key results to the project team through reports, presentations, and regular meetings. Prepare scientific reports, technical deliverables, peer-reviewed publications, conference communications, and patent-related documents. Contribute to collaborative research activities with internal and external partners and support the coordination of project tasks. Qualifications  Ph.D. in Agronomy, Plant sciences, Soil Science, or a related field. Strong background in fertilizer formulation, plant nutrition, soil fertility, or agronomic evaluation of fertilizing products. Experience in designing, developing, and characterizing simple or complex fertilizer formulations. Good knowledge of techniques used to evaluate the physicochemical properties and physical quality of fertilizers. Ability to analyze the chemical composition of raw materials and finished products. Experience in planning, conducting, and analyzing laboratory, greenhouse, or field experiments. Good understanding of soil-plant-fertilizer interactions and nutrient-use efficiency. Experience with organo-mineral fertilizers, biostimulants, micronutrient formulations, or sustainable crop nutrition strategies would be considered an asset. Skills in plant growth assessment, biomass measurement, nutrient uptake evaluation, and interpretation of agronomic data. Excellent problem-solving skills, creativity, scientific rigor, and ability to work independently as well as collaboratively in a multidisciplinary team environment. Good publication track record in peer-reviewed journals. Application and Selection Detailed Curriculum Vitae; Cover letter along with a synthetic presentation of the background, research works, projects and activities, publications, and key achievements;