Junior research scientist in hyperspectral image processing

Back to campaign's jobs listing

INRAE presentation

The French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment (INRAE) is a public research establishment under the dual authority of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Research.

INRAE is recruiting researchers by open competition and offering permanent position.

It is a major player in research and innovation created on 1^st of January 2020. INRAE is a research institute resulting from the merger of INRA and IRSTEA. It is a community of 12,000 people with more than 200 research units and 42 experimental units located throughout France.

The institute is among the world leaders in agricultural and food sciences, in plant and animal sciences, and is 11^th in the world in ecology and environment. INRAE’s main goal is to be a key player in the transitions necessary to address major global challenges. In the face of the increase in population, climate change, scarcity of resources and decline in biodiversity, the institute develops solutions for multiperformance agriculture, high quality food and sustainable management of resources and ecosystems.

Work environment, missions and activities

You will be assigned to the ITAP (Technologies and methods for the agriculture of tomorrow) joint research unit. ITAP specialises in environmental metrology. You will report to the "Optical Sensors for Complex Media" (COMiC) team, which is one of the four ITAP teams. COMiC develops optical measurement systems and associated processing methods to characterize objects or media that are part of agricultural and environmental processes. The research conducted by this multidisciplinary team is mainly based on UV, visible, and near-infrared spectrometry and/or hyperspectral imaging technologies, as well as related processing methods. The media that the team studies are optically and chemically complex (vegetation, agricultural products, soils, waste, outdoor scenes...).

The COMiC team has developed know-how in the use and development of hyperspectral imaging systems in proxy detection to improve the characterization of the physicochemical properties of the media studied and to lower the detection limits. COMiC is a leading actor in the hyperspectral imaging and spectroscopy communities at both national and international levels. Moreover, as the team works directly with partners specialized in digital agriculture and agronomy, it can develop specifications in accordance with societal demands and effectively transfer the results of its research.

In this context, you will be in charge of:

- producing methods and algorithms dedicated to hyperspectral image processing (massive and heterogeneous data) to characterize biological media that are part of agro-bio-processes (vegetation, agricultural products, soils, waste),
- maintaining scientific monitoring in the field of hyperspectral imaging applied to issues with biological products, including those involved in agro-processes,
- maintaining scientific monitoring of methods of processing structurally complex data such as multi-block and multi-mode data,
- participating in ongoing research projects involving developments in hyperspectral imaging,
- setting up new scientific projects related to hyperspectral imaging, mainly in the context of digital agriculture
- publishing and participating in the publication, communication, and popularisation of the team's results,
- participating in the team’s teaching activities (Institut Agro Montpellier).

Training and skills

Candidates must have a PhD or equivalent.
Specialization in the field of imaging and/or multivariate analysis, or physics is highly recommended. You are sensitive to environmental issues.

You are motivated by operational and experimental aspects and are particularly interested in applied research and innovation.

A background in the following is highly recommended:
- theoretical concepts and methods of instrumentation, signal and/or image processing, and multivariate analysis (chemometrics),
- hyperspectral imaging and spectrometry,
- life sciences, especially agronomic sciences.

You enjoy teamwork and have good interpersonal skills. You show initiative and autonomy. Candidates should have a good command of English (both written and spoken), and long-term international experience would also be desirable. Successful candidates who have not yet acquired this experience abroad will be required to do so after their probationary period (1st year).

INRAE's life quality

By joining our teams, you benefit from:

- 30 days of annual leave + 15 days "Reduction of Working Time" (for a full time);
- parenting support: CESU childcare, leisure services;
- skills development systems: training, career advise;
- social support: advice and listening, social assistance and loans;
- holiday and leisure services: holiday vouchers, accommodation at preferential rates;
- sports and cultural activities;
- collective catering.

For international scientists: please visit your guide to facilitate your arrival and stay at INRAE.