Postdoctoral position OT-22886
Postdoctoral position on video-based hydrometry
69100 VILLEURBANNE FRANCE
INRAE presentation
The French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food, and Environment (INRAE) is a major player in research and innovation. It is a community of 12,000 people with 272 research, experimental research, and support units located in 18 regional centres throughout France. Internationally, INRAE is among the top research organisations in the agricultural and food sciences, plant and animal sciences, as well as in ecology and environmental science. It is the world’s leading research organisation specialising in agriculture, food and the environment. INRAE’s goal is to be a key player in the transitions necessary to address major global challenges. Faced with a growing world population, climate change, resource scarcity, and declining biodiversity, the Institute has a major role to play in building solutions and supporting the necessary acceleration of agricultural, food and environmental transitions.
Work environment, missions and activities
You will be working in the River Hydraulics team of the RiverLy Research Unit, AQUA Department, INRAE Lyon-Villeurbanne site, France. The assignment is part of the "Velocimetry" project: development of video-based velocity and discharge measurement tools (research and development contract No. OFB-24-0511), a collaboration between INRAE and the French Office for Biodiversity (OFB), in partnership with IMFT, EDF and CNR.
The development of algorithms for calculating surface velocity fields and discharges from flow videos is very active, as this non-intrusive technique makes it possible to measure two-dimensional and instantaneous velocity fields in complete safety, including on complex flows (e.g. in a fish pass) and/or violent flows (e.g. during floods). Two open-source software tools are currently available:
- Fudaa-LSPIV developed by INRAE/EDF/CNR since 2009;
- ANDROMEDE developed by OFB/IMFT (first version in 2023).
Through a 20-month post-doctorate, this research project aims to make progress on the evaluation and operationalisation of the various video-based velocity and discharge measurement algorithms available in the two software packages, as a continuation of Guillaume Bodart's PhD thesis (2020-2023, EDF/INRAE), with in particular :
- the application of velocity result filtering tools,
- user intercomparison and sensitivity analysis using various cases of synthetic videos with a known velocity reference,
- and the quantification of uncertainties in the velocities and discharges produced, a delicate but important point, particularly in the context of Water Police operations.
The post-doctoral student will be supervised by Jérôme Le Coz (INRAE) and Hélène Roux (IMFT), and the work will be monitored by a committee comprising the project partners.
¡ You will be in charge of the following tasks:
- Phase 1 (2 months): Familiarisation with the project, methods and associated tools, bibliographical analysis.
- Phase 2 (5 months): Creation of a series of synthetic test cases (application of the Bodart et al. 2022 method) and real cases (collection and creation of in-situ comparative measurements).
- Phase 3 (2 months): Making the data available (metadata, open archive) and writing the report on the test cases, preparation of a data-paper.
- Phase 4 (4 months): Application of the various velocimetry techniques of the two software packages Fudaa-LSPIV and ANDROMEDE to all the test cases, writing of the report on the comparison of the velocimetry methods (application to the test cases), finalisation of the data paper.
- Phase 5 (5 months): Development of a methodology for calculating velocity and flow uncertainties applicable to the different techniques of the two software packages Fudaa-LSPIV and ANDROMEDE, support for software developers in its implementation, evaluation of the uncertainty calculation on the test cases.
- Phase 6 (2 months): Drafting of the report on the calculation of uncertainties, drafting of a methodological article.
Special conditions of activity: Travel may be required for scientific presentations (conferences, etc.), field visits and experiments, and exchanges between partners of the project.
Training and skills
- Recommended training: PhD thesis in image analysis and/or hydrology/river hydraulics
- Knowledge required: Programming languages (including Python), English language (and French basics), minimum knowledge of image analysis and metrology
- Appreciated experience: Scientific research work at Masters, PhD or even post-doctorate level
- Skills sought: Scientific rigour, autonomy, oral/written communication, taste for teamwork and operational applications.
INRAE's life quality
By joining our teams, you benefit from (depending on the type of contract and its duration):
- up to 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.
How to apply
I send my CV and my motivation letter
All persons employed by or hosted at INRAE, a public research establishment, are subject to the Civil Service Code, particularly with regard to the obligation of neutrality and respect for the principle of secularism. In carrying out their functions, whether or not they are in contact with the public, they must not express their religious, philosophical or political convictions through their behaviour or by what they wear.
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