Aymen Zegaar

KU Leuven is advertising a research opportunity on food security through crop yield estimation and satellite data assimilation . The project focuses on high-quality research in crop forecasting , remote sensing , Earth observation , data assimilation , and crop modeling , with an emphasis on turning scientific results into publications and developing open-source code and operational crop modeling systems. The call includes two possible tracks : a fully funded PhD scholarship for 4 years and a postdoctoral researcher position for 2 years with a possible 1-year extension. The PhD track includes support and training through the Arenberg Doctoral School . The postdoc track offers a competitive salary, career development support, and a multidisciplinary international environment in Leuven, Belgium. PhD applicants should hold an MSc degree in Bioscience Engineering, Civil or Environmental Engineering, Hydrology, Meteorology, Remotely Sensed Earth Observation, Physics, Mathematics, Computer Sciences, or an equivalent field. Desired strengths include motivation to work on soil-plant processes, remote sensing and modeling, programming experience in Matlab, Python, IDL, GrADS, R, or similar, interest in open-source distribution such as GitHub, strong grades, independence, creativity, and excellent English communication. Postdoctoral applicants should hold a PhD in a related engineering, hydrology, meteorology, remote sensing, physics, mathematics, or computer science field. Preferred experience includes land surface, atmosphere, or crop process modeling; remote sensing and large datasets; statistics and data assimilation; programming in Python, Matlab, IDL, GrADS, R, Fortran, or C; high-performance computing in Linux; and a strong publication record. Git/GitHub experience is an advantage. The post is associated with Aymen Zegaar of the Research Laboratory in Subterranean and Surface Hydraulics , Université Mohamed Khider de Biskra, and the work is linked to KU Leuven. The start date is negotiable but should be no later than September 2026 . Students graduating with an MSc in summer 2026 are encouraged to apply. Applications should be submitted through the official KU Leuven job link provided in the post.