Postdoctoral Position - Fusion Of Ocean Observations And Simulations Using Scattering Transform M - F H/F - Ifremer

Join Ifremer, an ally of planetary well-being, to gain a better understanding of and better protection for the ocean.

From the abyss to the surface, from the coast to the open SEA, Ifremer is the French research institute that is wholly dedicated to the Ocean. Its teams carry out research, innovate and produce expert reports to protect the ocean, exploit its resources in a responsible manner and shares marine data.

Ifremer contributes its scientific expertise to throw light on public policies and develops solutions drawn from the ocean to meet the challenges of the ecological transition. Ifremer is the operator of France's oceanographic fleet with its shipbuilding subsidiary Genavir, and imagines, designs and deploys leading edge technological means to solve the ocean's mysteries.

Join our teams, made up of 1500 scientists and research support staff, present all along the coastal areas of France and French overseas territories.

www.ifremer.frClosure date for receipt of applications : 04/12/2025

Who are we?

The Laboratory for Ocean Physics and Satellite remote sensing (LOPS) is a joint research unit under the supervision of the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS www.cnrs.fr), the French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea (Ifremer www.ifremer.fr), the Institut de Recherche pour le développement (IRD www.ird.fr) and the University of Western Brittany (UBO www.univ-brest.fr). It is also a laboratory of the European University Institute of the Sea (IUEM). As a research unit, LOPS develops and participates in oceanography research programs that contribute to the development of knowledge on ocean dynamics at different timescales and spatial scales and that study the relationships between the ocean and other compartments of the Earth system, such as the atmosphere, continents, ice and living organisms. The Ifremer component of LOPS is part of Ifremer's Oceanography and Ecosystem Dynamics (ODE) department.

LOPS comprises four research teams, including the Coastal Ocean team, which conducts research on the dynamics of the coastal environment on metropolitan and overseas coastlines.

As part of the Coastal Ocean scientific team at UMR LOPS (ODE/LOPS/OC), you will lead an original research project on the dynamics of extreme events in coastal environments in the context of global change.

What will your mission BE?

Characterizing, understanding and anticipating changes in coastal oceans in the context of climate change and under pressure from human activities is a challenge for these ecosystems, which are vulnerable to such changes. Several approaches can be used to characterize these coastal regions, including various ocean observation systems (via satellite or in situ observation) and realistic numerical simulations of the coastal ocean at increasingly fine resolutions. These different approaches can be used to characterize the hydrodynamics, sediment dynamics, biogeochemistry and even biology of the coastal ocean.

In order to analyze and exploit these different datasets, the question of an integrated approach combining observations and modelling is at the heart of various research projects such as the RiOMar project (https://riomar.lsce.ipsl.fr/) and the LanSeaLot project (https://landsealot.eu/).

The objective of this postdoctoral position is to use the scattering transform method to develop a product that combines the simulated and observed spatio-temporal scales in these different products. The initial analyses will be conducted in the Seine Bay, a coastal region of interest under the influence of a major river, and may be extended to other regions. Several parameters may be considered, starting with ocean temperature and moving on to more complex parameters such as salinity, suspended matter and chlorophyll concentration. The scattering transform method approach will be validated against more traditional methods such as those based on neural networks.

The used in situ observations are collected either during dedicated sea cruises or within the framework of research infrastructures (e.g. ILICO Research Infrastructure - https://www.ir-ilico.fr) which develop and maintain observation networks such as COAST-HF (https://coast-hf.fr). These measurements enable the evolution of parameters to be described with high temporal resolution (a few minutes) but generally at fixed points on the surface or at the bottom. Time series from these observation systems will be considered in the products generated.

Satellite observations provide a view of the state of the ocean surface with relatively high spatial resolution (longitude, latitude) (on the order of kilometers in the absence of clouds) but with a temporal revisit time of a few days (variable depending on the platforms considered). Pre-selected satellite datasets (longitude, latitude, time) may be used.

The final product to be used for the application of the developed tool consists of numerical simulations from models used in coastal environments (CROCO code - https://www.croco-ocean.org/ and MARS3D code). Simulations (longitude, latitude, time, depth) exist and enable the Bay of Seine to be simulated with a resolution of 1 to 2.5 km (depending on the simulations) and fields saved every hour.

What will your activities BE?

As part of the LandSeaLot project supported by Horizon Europe and the RiOMar PPR project, you will be responsible for:

- Evaluating the possibilities of generating a product for the Seine Bay combining spatio-temporal information from satellite products, numerical simulations and in situ observations using the scattering transform approach.

- Evaluate the quality of the products obtained and the ocean processes present in the products.

- Apply the analyses to different ocean parameters (sea temperature, salinity, suspended matter concentration, chlorophyll-a concentration).

Who do you work with?

Internally:

Work carried out within the LOPS Coastal Ocean team in close collaboration with the LOPS SIAM (Satellites and Air-Sea Interface) team and the Coastal Ecosystem Dynamics unit (ODE/DYNECO).

Externally:

Work carried out as part of European (Horizon Europe LandSeaLot) and national (PPR RiOMar) projects and in collaboration with, among others, all stakeholders in the ILICO research infrastructure and the COAST-HF National Observation Network.

How are your activities organised?

12-month postdoctoral position

You will be based in Brest, at the LOPS laboratory in Plouzané.

You will have a workstation there.

Travel may be required.

Who are you?

PhD in physical oceanography or geophysical fluid dynamics.

Initial professional experiences in the field(s) are required.

/!\ The PhD must have been obtained less than three years prior to the date of employment.

You have the following skills, knowledge and experience :

- Scientific research skills in the field described in the job description.

- Knowledge of scattering transform methods or related mathematical methods.

- Knowledge of coastal physical oceanography would be an advantage.

- Skills in satellite and/or in situ and/or numerical modelling data processing and analysis.

- Strong writing skills (in French and English).

You have the following qualities :

- Research mindset and intellectual curiosity about understanding ocean processes,

- Interest in the scientific context and themes of projects related to the project,

- Ability to work in a team and engage in dialogue with colleagues from other disciplines,

- High degree of autonomy.