Temporary position OT-30654
Research Engineer in Global River Hydrology using SWOT Mission
Montpellier
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
The international Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite mission, jointly developed by CNES and NASA, provides unprecedented observations of continental surface waters at the global scale. In this context, the SWOT Hydrology Science Leads contribute to mission operations, coordination of the hydrology scientific community, improvement of SWOT hydrology products, user support, and the leadership of scientific studies based on mission data. The purpose of this position is to recruit a Research Engineer to provide scientific, technical, and organizational support for these activities. The successful candidate will work in a highly international environment and interact closely with the SWOT scientific teams.
Main Responsibilities
1. Support for the Improvement of SWOT Hydrology Products
The Research Engineer will contribute to activities related to the analysis, assessment, and improvement of SWOT hydrology products. They will participate in the processing of large datasets, implementation of algorithmic workflows for identifying product limitations or anomalies, product improvement through filtering or data densification approaches, product validation, and preparation of technical summaries for the Science Lead, the French space agency CNES, and relevant working groups.
2. Support for Scientific Studies
The successful candidate will contribute to global- and regional-scale studies focusing on the scientific exploitation of SWOT data. These studies may address, for example, river seasonality, regional hydrological dynamics, anthropogenic impacts on rivers, reservoirs and dams, climate teleconnections, and comparisons with global hydrological models. The expected contribution will primarily involve data processing and analysis, production and validation of results, as well as preparation of scientific material for publications, presentations, and reports.
3. Support to the SWOT Science Team and Data Users
The Research Engineer may provide occasional technical support to members of the SWOT Science Team and users of SWOT hydrology products. This support may include assistance with data access, preparation of targeted data extractions, clarification of product characteristics, development of processing scripts, or analysis of specific cases raised by the community.
4. Support for the Organization of SWOT Science Team Activities
The successful candidate will contribute to the logistical organization of SWOT Science Team Meetings, particularly when these meetings are hosted in France.
Working Environment
The successful candidate will be based at INRAE G-EAU and will work closely with the SWOT Hydrology PI, CNES teams, and collaborating members of the SWOT Science Team. They will interact with French and international partners, including CNES and the broader SWOT Science Team.
Training and skills
The position is intended for candidates holding Master or PhD degrees with strong expertise in satellite data processing, software development, and management of large datasets. Previous experience in environmental sciences would be a significant asset. The successful candidate should be able to work independently on algorithmic processing workflows and large databases while interacting regularly with a scientific and international team.
Technical Skills
- Strong expertise in scientific data processing.
- Strong programming skills, particularly in Python.
- Experience with tools for handling large datasets.
- Knowledge of parallel or high-performance computing environments.
- Experience with commonly used scientific data formats, including NetCDF, GeoPackage, shapefile, raster, CSV, spatial databases, and related formats.
- General knowledge of hydrology, river hydraulics, or remote sensing of continental waters would be appreciated.
General Skills
- Excellent organizational skills and ability to document work clearly.
- Ability to work independently, with rigor and initiative.
- Good written and spoken English.
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. > Find out more: fonction publique.gouv.fr website (in French)