Job description

Purpose of the position

The REMSEM (Remote Sensing and Ecosystem Monitoring) team, part of the Operational Directorate Natural Environment (OD Nature) at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS), specializes in satellite remote sensing of coastal waters providing valuable insights for marine ecosystem management. We collaborate with various partners from universities and research centers across Belgium and Europe and our work spans both theoretical and practical aspects of this field, encompassing:

• Scientific algorithm development, including the atmospheric correction tool ACOLITE and ocean color algorithms (https://odnature.naturalsciences.be/remsem/software-and-data/acolite)
• Design and implementation of satellite validation networks such as WaterHypernet (https://waterhypernet.org)
• Supporting operational ocean color services such as the High Resolution Copernicus Marine Service (https://marine.copernicus.eu/)

As a member of the REMSEM team, you'll contribute to cutting-edge Belgian and European projects in operational ocean colour satellite data services. Your role will be instrumental in translating the state-of-the-art scientific results into practical, real-world applications that enable effective monitoring of the marine ecosystems. In this process, you will have the opportunity to continuously enhance your scientific expertise and technical skills as we stay committed to remaining at the forefront of remote sensing research.

Outcome areas

The main tasks include:

• Development of ocean colour satellite applications including setting up and maintaining automated processing pipelines combining different software packages in a python environment.
• Development of new ocean colour algorithms including but not limited to chlorophyll-a concentration, turbidity, phytoplankton functional types, mapping of benthic vegetation, detection of floating objects (e.g. vegetation, foam, plastics, mammals).
• Investigate the potential of Machine Learning techniques in ocean colour applications.
• Work in a small productive team in cooperation with European partners.
• Writing technical documentation and/or scientific publications
• Presentation of results in English

Employer

There is 1 position open in REMSEM, at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (address: rue Vautier 29 – 1000 Brussels, Belgium).

The activity group for the position is: I. Scientific research and experimental development

The REMSEM team uses satellite data to measure parameters of environmental relevance such as the concentrations of chlorophyll a (phytoplankton) and suspended sediments in marine environments. A description of our remote sensing activities can be found at http://odnature.naturalsciences.be/remsem/.

The Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences is one of the ten federal scientific establishments that are governed by the Belgian Science Policy Office (Belspo). It is involved in important scientific research activities and carries out public service missions. It is open to everyone through the Museum of Natural Sciences.

"To provide the scientific community, public authorities and civil society with relevant, high-quality science, useful advice and an attractive discovery of nature, its long history and its sustainable management".

This commits us to: 

• producing high-quality, relevant science: complex issues require well-founded, up-to-date knowledge;
• maintaining, enriching and making accessible our research infrastructures, such as collections, databases and models: reliable forecasts require certified long-term data;
• Linking research to action and governance as much as possible: increasing the impact of scientific results requires relevant and targeted communication, capable of providing independent advice at the appropriate level;
• to increase the knowledge and understanding of citizens, particularly through the Museum, so that they can make informed choices about their lives and their future.

Skills

Behavioural skills

• Enthusiasm for data science
• Ability to work flexibly in a team on multiple projects and interact with end-users
• Good communication skills (orally and by videoconference, web and social media content, written scientific reporting, etc.)
• Thirst for knowledge and the will to find elegant solutions to complex questions.

Technical skills

• Good knowledge of software design and software development, with a focus on Python and its data science and image processing modules, GitHub.
• Ideally experience, but at least great interest in ocean colour remote sensing and oceanography.
•  Ideally experience, but at least great interest in development of Machine Learning approaches to optimize the quality of the ocean colour products.
• Understanding of big data ecosystems: cloud processing
• Understanding of geospatial data-analysis: data science, GIS and algorithm development in Python are a plus
• A basic knowledge of either French or Dutch is desirable and a willingness to improve is essential.

Assets

• Good knowledge of English.

Conditions for consideration

Your profile

• You have a degree in Master of Science, Master of Bioscience Engineering, Master in Computer Science or equivalent.
• You have (good/excellent) knowledge of software design and software development, with a focus on Python and its data science and image processing modules (numpy, xarray, pandas,…)

Degree must have been conferred by the closing date for applications

/!\ Applicants who have a degree or certificate from a foreign institution who apply for a scientific position for which the tasks are not related to the permanent missions of the institution are exempt from the need for an academic equivalence evaluation.

Experience required

• Ideally experience, but at least great interest in ocean colour remote sensing and oceanography.
• Ideally experience, but at least great interest in development of Machine Learning approaches to optimize the quality of ocean colour products.
• Experience with Unix is required.
• Experience in Python coding for image processing is required
• Experience in version control and code management on GitHub is required

Job offer

Contract and category

Applicant recruited as category SW1

You will be hired under a fixed-term contact (2 year) as a trainee assistant on the SW1 salary scale.

Minimum pay: 45.525,72 EUR (gross annual salary, at the current index, legal benefits not factored in).

Benefits

We offer you an interesting job with a social impact, which comes with a number of benefits:

• A good work-life balance
• flexible working hours of 38 or 40 hours (with compensatory adjustment) per week
• option of taking compensatory leave for overtime worked
• offices closed between Christmas and New Year's Day
• possibility of working from home
• 26 days of paid leave (for a year of full time employment)
• easy commuting using public transport
• numerous opportunities for self-growth
• numerous opportunities for training and apprenticeship (during working hours)
• Financial benefits
• holiday and end-of-year bonus
• laptop provided
• possibility of receiving a bilingualism bonus
• hospitalisation insurance provided
• supplementary pension (occupational pension)
• free use of public transport for commuting between your home and the place of work
• meal vouchers (€6 per day)
• work from home/office allowance
• possibility of receiving a bicycle allowance for travel via bicycle
• Benefits and offers via the Benefits@Work card
• a range of fringe benefits (subject to conditions)
• free entry to the RBINS and other federal scientific institutions with the Belspo card (Royal Museums of Fine Arts, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Planetarium, etc.)
• 10% discount at the Museum shop and Dino Café
• Attractions & Tourism pass (subject to conditions)

Conditions for employment

If you are selected through this procedure, you must – in order to be hired – fulfil the following requirements on the date of selection:

• Enjoy full civil and political rights
• Have fulfilled military service requirements (only for people with Belgian nationality)
• Behave in a manner fitting of the requirements of the position
• Hold the necessary degree(s)
• Have the necessary skills and fulfil the requirements listed in the job profile

Procedure

Step 1 – Verification of the participation conditions

You will be considered in the selection procedure if you fulfil all of the required conditions. Verification will be carried out by the selection board on the basis of the application documents you have submitted. The board will decide whether the qualifications, awards and experiences you have submitted meet the requirements of the position. If they do, you will be invited to continue to the next step of the procedure.

Depending on the number of applications received, the selection board reserves the right to limit the number of applicants eligible for the next step by selecting those applicants it deems most suitable for the position.

Step 2– Interview

The interview will take place via Office Teams (online) or at the Institute (in person) depending on the location of the applicant. Further details will be sent to you by one of our employees via email.

The selection board assesses whether the qualifications, awards and experience you included in your application documents meet the requirements for the position.

If you fail to attend

If you fail to attend the additional evaluation and/or interview, you will be automatically excluded from the remainder of the selection procedure unless you provide evidence, within three days, that your absence was justified for one of the following reasons:

• illness
• emergency relating to a member of your household (= anyone who lives with the applicant) or family (= spouse or legal cohabitant of the applicant, parents or grandparents of the applicant)
• mandatory presence at your workplace
• disruption or delay to public transport of at least 30 minutes
• force majeure

If applicable, you may request, within 10 days of the interview date, to be interviewed by the board. A new date will then be offered to you.

Notification

If you are not selected in a step, the procedure will end and you will not be invited to any subsequent evaluations in the same selection procedure.

For each step, you will receive a notification of the result.

Equal opportunities and reasonable accommodations

The Federal Administration has an active diversity policy.

Do you live with a disability, with learning difficulties or an illness? If so, you can request accommodations for the selection procedure. Please contact the individual listed under the “Contact persons” section.

Facilities provided for people who are pregnant or breastfeeding

Are you pregnant or breastfeeding your child? If so, you can request access to the relevant facilities. Please contact the individual listed under the “Contact persons” section.

Final result

What happens if you are selected?

Following the selection procedure, an unranked group of applicants will be placed on a short-list. These applicants will be those deemed most suitable to fill the open position in accordance with the conditions for consideration.

How long will this list remain valid?

The short-list of selected applicants will be valid for 1 year, will be created.

Apply

Do you want to apply?  Send your application documents by email to jobsREMSEM2025@naturalsciences.be, including the selection reference in the subject line.

Your application documents must include:

• an updated CV
• a cover letter
• a copy (or copies) of the degree certificates with all associated annexes
• any other document proving relevant experience, such as:
• academic activities carried out with attestations as supporting documents (attestations issued by employers, authorities that provided grants, etc.)
• a list of any scientific papers published

The closing date for sending your application is 7/02/2025 (inclusive).

Applications that do not follow the indicated procedure will not be considered.

Contact persons

Concerning the position:

For more information about the position, please contact:

VAN DER ZANDE Dimitry – Remote Sensing Researcher – +32 2 627 41 30 – dvanderzande@naturalsciences.be

Concerning the selection procedure:

For more information about the selection procedure, please contact:

RICHARD Alexis – HR department manager - +32 2 627 42 56 – arichard@naturalsciences.be

If you want to request a reasonable accommodation for the selection procedure or access to facilities for people who are pregnant or breastfeeding, please also contact this person.