Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) in Benguerir, Morocco, is hiring an Assistant Professor in Atmospheric Chemistry and Air Quality for its African Research Center on Air Quality and Climate (ARC_AIR). The post is permanent and full time. You would build your own research programme on tropospheric chemistry, air pollution and climate, run field campaigns and instruments, win external funding and supervise master’s and PhD students. UM6P does not state a salary. The Deadline is 8 November 2026.
You apply through the Times Higher Education (THE) Unijobs form with a CV and a cover message, and you can attach extra documents. The listing names no contact person and says nothing about visas or relocation. Below I set out what this UM6P assistant professor job involves, the full list of requirements, how to write a cover message that fits ARC_AIR, and who has a real chance.
UM6P assistant professor in atmospheric chemistry: key facts
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Employer | Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) |
| Unit | African Research Center on Air Quality and Climate (ARC_AIR) |
| Location | Benguerir, Morocco |
| Job title | ARC AIR Assistant Professor in Atmospheric Chemistry and Air Quality |
| Contract | Permanent, full time |
| Salary | Not stated |
| Benefits, visa, relocation | Not stated |
| How to apply | “Apply now” form on the THE Unijobs listing (job 416402) |
| Required in the form | Name, email, CV and a cover message |
| File rules | .doc, .docx, .pdf or .rtf, maximum 1 MB per file |
| Advert posted | 9 October 2026 |
| Closing date | 8 November 2026 |
Keep each file under 1 MB
The THE form rejects any file over 1 MB. A CV with a long publication list, or a cover letter with embedded figures, can go over that limit. Save as PDF without images, or split your publication list into a separate supporting document.
What ARC_AIR does
ARC_AIR is a research centre inside UM6P focused on air quality, atmospheric chemistry and climate. The listing says it works on industrial emissions, urban pollution and the effects of climate change, through research, training and technology transfer, and that it works with national and international partners to support evidence-based policy. Its stated aim is sustainable development in Africa, which is why the listing hopes for candidates interested in air-quality problems in Africa and the Mediterranean.
Responsibilities
The post is research-heavy. The listing gives these duties:
- Lead research: on tropospheric chemistry, air quality and atmospheric composition.
- Combine methods: coordinate laboratory measurements, in-situ observations, remote sensing and atmospheric modelling.
- Run instruments: operate, maintain and calibrate measurement systems and keep data quality high.
- Work on solutions: develop methods to characterise pollutants and to mitigate, recover or sustainably manage them.
- Integrate data: analyse datasets from several instruments and models together.
- Go into the field: take part in field campaigns and deploy instruments.
- Win funding: lead national and international projects and bring external money to UM6P.
- Build partnerships: with universities, industry, government and international bodies.
- Supervise and teach: supervise master’s and PhD students and contribute to research-led teaching.
The listing does not name a line manager or a start date.
Requirements: essential and desirable
| Criterion | Status |
|---|---|
| PhD in atmospheric chemistry, chemistry, physical or environmental chemistry, atmospheric science, chemical engineering or a related field | Essential |
| Strong expertise in atmospheric chemistry, air quality or atmospheric processes | Essential |
| Experience with lab measurements, in-situ observations, remote sensing and/or modelling | Essential |
| Experience processing and integrating multi-instrument datasets | Essential |
| Knowledge of how pollutants form, transform, travel and end up | Essential |
| Experience in pollutant transformation, mitigation, recovery or sustainable solutions | Essential |
| Strong publication record and international collaboration | Essential |
| Experience developing and winning competitive funding, for example as project coordinator | Essential |
| Experience supervising students and early-career researchers | Essential |
| Project management, communication and teamwork skills | Essential |
| Interest in air-quality and atmospheric chemistry problems in Africa and the Mediterranean | Desirable |
Two of these points set the bar higher than many assistant professor adverts. The listing asks for experience securing competitive funding, ideally as a project coordinator, and experience supervising students. A new PhD graduate will struggle to show either. Someone with two or more postdocs who has co-written or led a grant fits much better.
Salary and pay context
UM6P does not publish a salary for this job, and I could not find a public pay scale for UM6P faculty. Other UM6P adverts on THE carry only tags such as “Competitive salary”. The only way to learn the figure is to reach interview and ask. When you compare an offer, check what it includes: housing support, a research start-up budget, travel funds, health cover and schooling for children if you have a family. None of these are mentioned in the advert.
Visa and work permit
The listing says nothing about sponsorship. Foreign nationals working in Morocco generally need an approved employment contract and a residence card. If you are not Moroccan, ask UM6P at interview stage whether it handles this for international faculty and how long it usually takes.
About UM6P and Benguerir
The listing describes UM6P as an internationally oriented university in Benguerir that focuses on research, innovation, education and sustainable development in Morocco and Africa. On THE Unijobs alone it currently advertises around 20 faculty and postdoc posts across computing, chemistry, materials, energy, geology, agriculture and pharmaceutical sciences, so it is hiring at scale. Benguerir is a small town in central Morocco, north of Marrakech. It is much quieter than Casablanca or Rabat, so if you are moving with a family, ask about schools and housing early.
How to apply for the UM6P atmospheric chemistry job
- Open the listing: go to THE Unijobs listing 416402 and click “Apply now”.
- Sign in or fill in your details: first name, last name and email. If you already have a CV saved on THE Unijobs, you can sign in and apply faster.
- Upload your CV: one file, .pdf recommended, under 1 MB.
- Write the cover message: this field is required. Paste a focused letter (structure below).
- Add supporting documents: optional, each under 1 MB. A research statement, a funding record or a publication list fit here.
- Submit by 8 November 2026: no closing time is given, so do not leave it to the evening.
- Watch for fraud: the listing warns that you should never be asked for bank details. Report anyone who asks to THE Unijobs.
How to write the cover message for ARC_AIR
- Opening: the post title and your current role in one sentence.
- Your research: the atmospheric processes you study and your main methods (lab, field, satellite or modelling).
- Evidence: two or three papers, a field campaign you ran and an instrument you operated.
- Funding: grants you led or helped win, with your role and amounts.
- Supervision: students you have supervised and what they achieved.
- Africa and the Mediterranean: a concrete idea for a research line at ARC_AIR, for example dust, biomass burning, industrial emissions or urban air quality in a North African city.
- Close: what you would do in your first two years.
A sample opening, for illustration only: “I am applying for the Assistant Professor post in Atmospheric Chemistry and Air Quality at ARC_AIR. I am a postdoctoral researcher at [institution], where I run [instrument] measurements of [pollutant] and led the [region] field campaign in [year].”
What to put in the optional supporting documents
The form only requires a CV and a message, but the optional uploads are where you can show the evidence the essential criteria ask for. I would send two short files:
| Document | What to include | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Research statement | Your past work, three research lines you would run at ARC_AIR, the instruments and models you need, and the partners you would bring | Two to three pages |
| Funding and supervision record | Each grant with funder, years, amount, your role (lead, co-lead, contributor); each student with level, topic and outcome | One to two pages |
The research statement is the place to show you have thought about Moroccan and African conditions. Useful angles include Saharan dust and its mixing with urban pollution, emissions from phosphate processing and other heavy industry, ozone formation in hot, sunny climates, and the shortage of ground monitoring stations across much of Africa, which makes satellite data and low-cost sensors more important. Pick the angles that match your own skills. A research line you cannot carry out will hurt you at interview.
Keep both files under 1 MB and give them clear names, such as “Surname_ResearchStatement.pdf”, so the panel can find them quickly.
What the selection process usually looks like
The listing gives no timetable. For faculty hiring like this, expect a screening of applications by the centre, an online interview, then a research seminar and meetings with the centre’s leadership, which may be online or on campus. Ask for the timetable if you are shortlisted, especially if you need a visa and have a notice period.
Common mistakes
- A long generic CV over 1 MB: it may not upload at all.
- A cover message that just says “please find attached”: the message field is required for a reason. Use it as your letter.
- Ignoring funding: the listing asks for evidence of competitive funding. If you have none, say what you contributed to grants others led.
- No Africa angle: ARC_AIR exists to work on African air quality. A letter with no link to the region looks like a mass application.
- Paying anyone: genuine university hiring is free.
Who should apply and who shouldn’t
Apply if you hold a PhD in atmospheric chemistry or a close field, have several years of postdoctoral experience with field or lab measurements, and can show grant and supervision experience. African researchers abroad who want to return to the continent, and European researchers interested in North Africa, both fit the profile.
Don’t apply if you have just finished your PhD with no funding or supervision record, or if your expertise is in climate modelling only with no measurement or air-quality work. A postdoc first, such as UM6P’s own postdoc in membrane and electrode technologies in a related field, or the funding routes in our list of scholarships for African students, may be a better step.
Similar roles to compare
| Role | Institution | Salary | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Professor in Machine Learning | UM6P, Morocco | Not stated | 20 November 2026 |
| Postdoctoral Researcher, Membrane and Electrode Technologies | UM6P, Morocco | Not stated | 15 November 2026 |
| Postdoctoral Research Associate, Onboard Carbon Capture | Durham University, UK | GBP 39,560 to 46,970 | 17 November 2026 |
| Postdoc in Computational Catalysis and Machine Learning | UM6P, Morocco | Not stated | 6 November 2026 |
FAQs about the UM6P assistant professor job
What is the salary for an assistant professor at UM6P?
UM6P does not publish it for this post. Ask at interview, and compare the whole package, including housing and research funds.
When is the deadline for the UM6P atmospheric chemistry job?
8 November 2026. Apply a few days early because the listing gives no closing time.
Can foreigners apply for UM6P jobs in Morocco?
Yes. The listing has no nationality limit, but it says nothing about visa support, so ask about work permits if you are shortlisted.
What documents do I need for the UM6P application?
A CV and a cover message are required in the THE form. You can add supporting documents, each in .pdf, .doc, .docx or .rtf format and under 1 MB.
Sources and updates
I checked this post on 29 October 2026 against the Times Higher Education Unijobs listing 416402 and UM6P’s employer page on THE Unijobs. UM6P’s own website could not be opened while I checked, so the description of ARC_AIR comes from the listing. UM6P has not published a salary, benefits, a start date or a visa statement for this post. I will update this page if the deadline changes.
I am Jude Chinecherem, a final-year MBBS student at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. I know what it feels like to want an education your family cannot afford. When my parents could not pay for my schooling, I had to learn how to find scholarships and work the system out on my own, with nobody to guide me. I came out the other side, and now I share everything I learned so the next student does not have to figure it out alone. This is the advice I wish someone had given me back then.
