AIMEC Researcher or AIMEC Postdoctoral Researcher – Deadline 26 January 2025

As an alliance-type WPI research center by Tohoku University and JAMSTEC, we are soliciting applications for 12 positions of AIMEC Researcher or AIMEC Postdoctoral Researcher.
In the first year of the appointment, AIMEC Researcher will receive 3 million yen and AIMEC Postdoctoral Researcher will receive 2 million yen to cover research startup costs. (No further payments will be made after this.)

[Research Description]
(Immediately upon employment)

• Monitoring the marine physico-chemical environment from the coast to the open sea; developing analytical techniques for marine environmental restoration; and studying marine environment-ecosystem co-variation using environmental indicator organisms.
• Making observations and models to understand the state of ecosystems and biodiversity, and conducting theoretical and empirical research to clarify the principles that drive, maintain, and respond to ecosystems and biodiversity.
• Developing methods for assessing and analyzing marine ecosystems using functional genomics, etc., and elucidating the responses of coastal ecosystems and its services to human activities in coastal areas.
• Observing the seabed, including its hydraulic observations, to clarify ocean–solid earth change phenomena, and making observations and models to understand spatiotemporal oceanic changes to enable advances in underwater acoustic ranging.
• Studying the environmental response and adaptation mechanisms of marine organisms at the individual and community levels and developing evaluation and analysis methods; clarifying the mechanisms of regime shift phenomena, including mass outbreaks and mass mortality of marine organisms.
• Developing molecular biological techniques for analyzing marine microbial ecosystems; studying the dynamics of marine particles and material circulation and the response and adaptive mechanisms of microbial ecosystems to changes in the marine environment, and developing technology for this.
• Conducting research and technological development related to observations of the effects of circulation and microbial distribution on the distribution of substances in the ocean, maintaining automated oceanographic observation networks, and integrating the analysis (analyses?) of oceanographic observations and simulations.
• Conducting modelling research and applying artificial intelligence to marine ecosystems (including the physical and chemical environment of the surrounding ocean and atmosphere), and maintaining and developing the computer infrastructure.
• Developing equations that describe the structure of marine ecosystems and related biogeochemical cycles and their variability, and developing models of the response of marine ecosystems (including harmful toxic algal blooms) and their capacity to adapt to environmental changes in estuarine, coastal, and open ocean environments.
• Assessing the impacts and interactions of changes in marine ecosystems on human society and vice versa, and social and behavioral changes based on such assessments.

*Of the above 10 categories, priority will be given to the applicants who are engaged in research to elucidate nonlinear ecosystem change mechanisms using artificial intelligence (AI).

(The scope of possible changes)
The duties designated by WPI-AIMEC.

[Related fields of expertise]
Marine Physics, Marine Ecology, Geochemistry, Ocean Engineering, Geomicrobiology, Computer Science, Meteorology, Meteorological and oceanographic modeling, Earth Sciences, etc.

Job type

Researcher:
Researcher is expected primarily to conduct fundamental, originative or advanced research and development based on theories, observations and experiments related to research and development.

[Position]
AIMEC Researcher:
To contribute to the research and development of WPI-AIMEC, an AIMEC researcher is expected to independently conduct research and technology development and to share results through scientific publications and achieve technology innovation.

[Job Title]
AIMEC Postdoctoral Researcher:
AIMEC Postdoctoral Researcher is expected to independently conduct the research subjects which are authorized by the Director under the direction of a leader, and to improve their research qualities.

*The job title will be determined at the time of appointment.

Requirements

AIMEC Researcher:
Applicants must have completed a Ph.D. in a closely related field of research or technology development.

AIMEC Postdoctoral Researcher:
Applicants are required to have been awarded or expect to have obtained a Ph.D. in a related field by the effective date of employment. In addition, no more than 5 years can have passed between the last day of the fiscal year in which the applicants obtained a Ph.D. and the effective date of employment. (i.e., applicants who earned a Ph.D. after April 2019 are eligible. For those whose date of start is on after May 1,applicants who earned a Ph.D. after April 2020 are eligible.)

Work place

(Immediately upon employment)
a) Tohoku University
Aobayama Campus, 6-3, Aoba, Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8578, JAPAN

b) JAMSTEC
Yokohama Institute for Earth Sciences (YES), 3173-25, Showa-machi, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 236-0001, JAPAN

*Tohoku University: Measures to prevent passive smoking: No smoking on the premises, no work in areas where smoking allowed.
*Yokohama Institute for Earth Sciences: Measures to prevent passive smoking: No smoking on the premises (smoking areas are available outside), no work in areas where smoking allowed.

(The scope of possible changes)
The places designated by WPI-AIMEC (including a place for working from home)

Working Conditions & Contract Period

(1) Number of positions:
12 positions as AIMEC Researcher or AIMEC Postdoctoral Researcher.

(2) Type of contract:
Fixed-term employee

(3) Working Hours:
Discretionary labor system for professional work
*The determination of working hours allocation, including start and end times, as well as the method of carrying out research and development activities (including teleworking), is left to the discretion of the employee.

(4) Contract Period:
AIMEC Researcher:
The total period will be terminated on March 31, 2030 after 4 contract renewals.
The term of this position is 5 full years in the calendar year.

AIMEC Postdoctoral Researcher:
The total period will be terminated on March 31, 2028 after 2 contract renewals.
The term of this position is 3 full years in the calendar year.

*First contract period is from April 1, 2025 to March 31, 2026.
*Effective date of employment is negotiable.
*Contract period can be renewed depending on the performance and working attitude of the successful candidate.
*Contract period might change due to budget constraints of the project.
*On reaching the age of 65 during an employed fiscal year, the contract period will expire at the end of the same fiscal year. This bylaw may change.
*These positions fall under Article 15-2, Act on Promotion of Science and Technology Innovation.
*These positions are non-tenure-track, fixed-term employee positions.

Find out more information about this opportunity here.