Photo by Anton Van de Putte licensed under CC BY 4.0

October 29, 2024

Job Advertisement

SCIENTIFIC COLLABORATOR ANTARCTIC AND SOUTHERN OCEAN BIODIVERSITY (m/f/x)

SCIENTIFIC COLLABORATOR ANTARCTIC AND SOUTHERN OCEAN BIODIVERSITY (m/f/x)

There is 1 vacancy at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, within the department of Biodiversity & Ecosystems Data & Information Centre (BEDIC).

The function’s activity group is: I – scientific research and experimental development

Context

The Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences is recruiting a scientific collaborator to support the implementation of a Virtual Research Environment for Monitoring and reporting on biodiversity changes in the Southern Ocean and Antarctic Region.

We are currently seeking a skilled and motivated Biodiversity Data Analyst with expertise in programming languages such as R and Python to expand our team further. As part of our team, you will play a key role in developing analytical workflows for biodiversity research using public data repositories like OBIS (Ocean Biodiversity Information System) and GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility).

This function is part of the BELSPO-funded Antarctic bioDiVersity dAta iNfrastruCturE (ADVANCE) Project. ADVANCE will work towards improved coordination and interoperability of diverse tools and facilities that operate worldwide and turn Southern Ocean and Antarctic biodiversity data into research and policy-relevant data products.

ADVANCE is a collaboration between SOOS, the Australian Antarctic Division, EMODnet, WoRMS, as well as GBIF, and OBIS to create a Virtual Research Infrastructure (VRI) for the Antarctic and Southern Ocean (ASO) region that will convert biodiversity data into research and policy-relevant data products.

ADVANCE supports the publication of all research cycle elements in accordance with open science principles like FAIR, TRUST, and CARE: Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR), Transparency, Responsibility, User focus, Sustainability and Technology (TRUST), and Collective Benefit, Authority to Control, Responsibility, and Ethics (CARE).

It will expand a well-established online data platform (the SCAR Antarctic Biodiversity Portal, www.biodiversity.aq) to meet the growing needs of the Antarctic and Southern Ocean biodiversity research community to access high-quality data, services, protocols, standards, workflows, and software/applications that integrate biodiversity data with environmental data from diverse sources and create research and policy-relevant outputs.

A key component will be the development of applications that allow data product creation from Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBVs), Essential Ocean Variables (EOVs), Essential Climate Variables (ECVs), and Ecosystem Essential Ocean Variables (eEOVs) will be crucial. These will be integrated into various international platforms including SOOS and SOOSmap.

Job description

  • Design and develop efficient, reproducible and scalable analytical workflows for biodiversity research.
  • Extract, clean, and process large-scale biodiversity data from public repositories such as OBIS and GBIF.
  • Implement data analysis techniques and statistical models using R and Python to extract meaningful insights from biodiversity datasets.
  • Collaborate with researchers and stakeholders to understand their analytical needs and provide solutions using programming tools.
  • Develop data visualization tools and reports to effectively communicate findings and contribute to scientific publications.
  • Stay up-to-date with the latest developments in biodiversity data management, open data repositories, and programming techniques.

Profile

  • Diploma: Master’s degree or PhD in a relevant field (e.g., Computer Science, Bioinformatics, Ecology, or related disciplines).
  • Technical qualifications:
    • Proficiency in programming languages such as R and Python, and experience in developing data analysis workflows
    • Strong understanding of biodiversity concepts, data structures, and ecological data analysis methods.
  • Generic competences :
    • You are quality-oriented, honest, creative and cooperation-oriented.
    • Excellent problem-solving and analytical skills, with the ability to work independently and as part of a team.
    • Good communication skills to collaborate effectively with multidisciplinary teams and present findings to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
  • Assets:
    • Experience in scientific writing and contributing to research publications is a plus.
    • Familiarity with public biodiversity repositories like OBIS and GBIF, and experience working with their data.
    • Familiarity with software development using version control and collaborative platforms such as GitHub.
    • Knowledge of data cleaning and manipulation techniques, statistical analysis, and data visualization.
    • Good knowledge of English.

We offer

The Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences offers:

  • The employment contract will start as soon as possible and be of fixed duration of 1 or 2 years with the latest end date of December 2026, depending on the availability of funding prolongation and evaluation may be possible.
  • The salary is defined according to the standard scale for federal government scientists as published in the Moniteur Belge/Belgisch Staatsblad (http://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/cgi/welcome.pl) A.R./K.B. 2.6.2010 (publication 10.6.2010), for grade SW1 (master) with index and relevant work experience (e.g. PhD or other)
  • Minimum wage: 53.848,52 euros (gross annual salary at current index, excluding statutory allowances)
  • The nominal workplace is Brussels 1000 (29 rue Vautierstraat), with typically 15-30 days per year abroad for workshops, conferences and other meetings.
  • Some funds are available to support relocation to Belgium if required.

Benefits

  • flexible work schedules 38h or 40h (with compensation) per week
  • telework opportunities with telework and office allowance
  • offices closed between Christmas and New Year
  • laptop providing
  • 26 annual leave days (for one year of full-time employment)
  • meal vouchers (6€ per day)
  • workplace accessible by public transport
  • home-workplace free public transport
  • various training opportunities (to be followed during working hours)
  • vacation pay and end-of-year bonus
  • possibility to receive a language bonus
  • advantageous hospitalization insurance
  • social benefits (with conditions)
  • possibility to receive a bicycle allowance
  • benefits and reductions with Benefits@Work
  • free admission to the RBINS museum and also other federal scientific institutions with Belspo card (Fine Arts Museum, Central Africa Museum, Planetarium, etc.)
  • 10% discount in the Museum Shop and the Dino Café
  • complementary pension
  • Tourist Attraction Passport (with conditions)

Assignment conditions

If you are successful in this selection process, you must - in order to be hired - meet the following conditions on the assignment date:

  • have civil and political rights
  • be of good conduct and meet the requirements of the position
  • hold the required diploma(s)
  • meet the specific skills and requirements set out in the job profile.

Procedure

Step 1 - Verification of participation conditions

You will be admitted to the selection process provided you meet all the required conditions of participation. Verification is carried out by the selection committee on the basis of your application file. The committee decides whether the qualifications, merits and experience you present correspond to the requirements of the position to be filled. If so, you will be invited to the next stage.

Depending on the number of applications received, the selection committee reserves the right to limit the number of candidates going on to the next stage by determining those it considers most suitable for the position to be filled.

Please specify the purpose of the test concerned

Stage 2 - Audition

For practical details, you will receive an e-mail from one of our staff.

The selection committee assesses whether the qualifications, merits and experience you present in your application match the requirements of the position.

In case of absence

If you fail to attend the complementary test and/or interview, you are automatically excluded from the rest of the selection procedure unless you can demonstrate, within three days, that your absence was justified by one of the following reasons:

  • illness
  • emergency concerning a member of the household (= anyone living with the candidate) or family (= the candidate’s spouse or the person with whom the candidate is legally cohabiting, the candidate’s first- or second-degree relatives)
  • essential presence at work
  • public transport interruption or delay of at least 30 minutes
  • force majeure.

If necessary, you can ask to be heard by the committee within ten days of the audition date. A new date will then be proposed.

Notification

If you are unsuccessful at a particular stage, the procedure is terminated and you are not invited to any subsequent rounds of the same selection. At each stage, you will receive notification of the result.

Equal opportunities and reasonable accommodation

The Federal Administration has an active diversity policy.

Are you a person with a disability, learning difficulty or illness? You can ask to be accommodated during the selection process. Please contact the person listed in the “Contacts” section.

Facilities for pregnant or breast-feeding applicants

Are you pregnant or breast-feeding? In this case, too, you can request special facilities. Please contact the person listed in the “Contacts” section.

Final results

If you are successful?

At the end of the selection procedure, an unranked group of laureates is formed. It is made up of those who have been judged the most suitable for the position to be filled in accordance with the conditions of participation.

How long does this list remain valid?

The valid group of successful candidates is valid 1 year.

How to apply?

Applications, including a curriculum vitæ and a cover letter, should be addressed to Anton VAN DE PUTTE, and should be sent before 23:30 UTC (24 November 2024) by email to avandeputte@naturalsciences.be with the heading ‘ADVANCE - job application 2024’. Selected candidates will be invited for an oral interview in person, or by videoconference between the 9th-12th December 2024. If invited for the interview you will have to prepare a short assignment in preparation for the interview.

For all administrative questions, please contact the HR department: hr@naturalsciences.be.

Applications not complying with the above procedure will not be accepted.