POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER IN CROP DOMESTICATION EFFECTS ON PLANT AND SOIL ECOLOGY FOR THE SUSTAINABILITY IN BIOSYSTEMS PROGRAM

IRTA is currently seeking an enthusiastic and motivated Postdoctoral Researcher with a PhD related to Biology, Ecology, or equivalent to join the Sustainability in Biosystems Program. We invite applications from ambitious candidates with relevant research experience and passion to conduct research and innovation activities on plant and soil ecology in the ERC-funded project ‘WILD-ROOTS’.The main goal of the WILD-ROOTS project is to uncover how crop domestication has influenced belowground traits and processes, across a wide variety of crops and their wild relatives. This understanding will then be applied to enhance the drought resilience of agroecosystems. Our work integrates methods from soil ecology, plant ecophysiology, microbiology, and metabolomics.Tasks and Responsabilities:Contribution to the design, set-up, and running of large-scale experiments (greenhouse, field and lab).Measurement and analysis of a wide variety of plant and soil parameters, relating to plant performance, root morphology and physiology, and the soil and rhizosphere microbial community.Performance of advanced statistical analysis (including multivariate analysis), and interpretation of results.Literature review and writing of scientific articles for publication in international peer-reviewed journals.Seek opportunities to collaborate with other IRTA researchers, as well as other external academic and industrial partners active in the measurement of plant-soil interactions and sustainable agriculture.Assistance in supervision of students working on related projects.Ensure timely execution of all tasks and participate in the respective technical meetings.Contribution to the teamwork and team-spirit in the Sustainability in Biosystems research program, fostering collaboration and integration activities.Required qualifications and experience: PhD in Biology, Ecology, or a related discipline. Proven experience analysing ‘omics’ data, e.g. genomics or metabolomics datasets.Strong quantitative and data-handling skills, using the R Statistical package.Experience measuring plant and soil traits in experiments or in the field.Proven knowledge of plant-soil interactions, crop domestication and/or agroecosystems.Experience in writing high quality scientific (peer-reviewed) articles.Strong organizational capability and ability to learn and successfully work within multidisciplinary teams.Teamwork skills and ability to establish and build relationships that will allow pursuing the objectives of the R&D activities.Desirable requirements:Track record of publications with a significant omics component.Experience performing field campaigns in challenging conditions. Capacity to work in a multidisciplinary group, and a cooperative nature. Ability to work efficiently and complete tasks within agreed timeframes.Curiosity and energy to work independently and find novel approaches and solutions.Driver license.Languages:Proficiency in English, both spoken and written.Knowledge of Spanish and/or Catalan is valued.Application process:If you wish to be considered for this position, please, apply via our Recruitment Platform to the job post with reference 189/24 and upload your CV and motivation letter until 08/01/2025. All information will be treated in the strictest confidence.