Post-Doctoral Fellow: Atmospheric Water Extraction

The International Center for Biosaline Agriculture(ICBA) is an international, non-profit agricultural research center established in 1999 through the visionary leadership of the Islamic Development Bank (IDB), the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) Fund, the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFESD), and the Government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). ICBA is a unique applied agricultural research center in the world that is focused on marginal areas where an estimated 1.7 billion people live. It identifies, tests and introduces resource-efficient, climate-smart crops and technologies that are best suited to different regions affected by salinity, water scarcity and drought. Through its work, ICBA helps to improve food security and livelihoods for some of the poorest rural communities around the world. ICBA is an equal opportunity employer and appoints qualified staff regardless of race, creed, color, age, gender, religion or national origin. We demonstrate our commitment to each member of our team through a competitive benefits package designed to assist our employees to cover their needs and the needs of their immediate family members.

Job Summary

The researcher will work with ICBA team on testing several well-known technologies and methods for extracting water from humid ambient air that will be hosted at ICBA as part of the Atmospheric Water Extraction Platform. Research will focus on testing the feasibility of using different methods and technologies in terms of its suitability to the local conditions in UAE in terms of humidity, temperature, dust, generated quantities, the cost of production, the feasibility of using the generated water in agriculture and crop production. The research will produce potential map for the best locations in UAE suitable for harvesting water from air indicating the potential quantities that could be extracted.

Job Responsibilities
  • Conduct literature review on the best technologies and methods applied for extracting water from humid air
  • Monitor the quantities and quality of the generated water from hosted air technologies
  • Collect, analyze, and interpret the generated data
  • Develop tools and models to simulate the processes of condensation below the dew point
  • Determine and select the best applicable desiccant materials that could be used for extracting water from air
  • Conduct required analysis on humidity, temperature, dew point, rainfall, etc.
  • Generate map for the best locations in UAE suitable for harvesting water from air indicating the potential quantities that could be extracted
  • Prepare technical reports as specified by the project documents
  • Prepare research papers to submit to peer-reviewed journals
  • Prepare project proposals for external funding
  • Additional activities to support ICBA’s team
Qualifications and Experience

Essential

  • Doctoral degree in hydrology /climatology, mechanical or chemical engineering
  • At least 2 years’ working knowledge in atmospheric water research
  • Excellent skills in programming
  • International work experience
  • Fluency in written and spoken English

Desirable:

  • Working knowledge of meteorology and hydrology
  • Additional language skills, Arabic is desirable
  • Supervisory experience
Post Date
13 May 2018
Status
Closed
Vacancy Type
Full-time
Closing Date
7 June 2019
Location
Dubai, UAE
Report To
Section Head - Natural Resources Management Section
Job Number
ICBASNRM-PD-AWE-2018-012