We are currently seeking a PhD Candidate to join our Efficient Use of Water in Agriculture Program and Fruit Production Program teams located in Lleida, offering a great opportunity to work in a dynamic and collaborative environment within our organization.

We invite applications from motivated candidates with passion and a strong interest in conducting research and innovation activities on remote sensing for crop evapotranspiration.

This PhD project will focus on applying innovative remote sensing technologies to enhance the productive potential of almond and pistachio crops with different training systems by improving irrigation water use efficiency and characterizing the underlying physiological mechanisms from the tree to orchard scale. The research will leverage remotely sensed estimates of crop evapotranspiration (ET) using energy balance models, aiming to develop practical applications related to crop water use and productivity. The methodological approach will include imagery from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) equipped with RGB, multispectral, and thermal sensors; satellite data from Sentinel-2, Sentinel-3, and Landsat missions; machine learning techniques; and analysis of data from eddy covariance systems and sap flow sensors . While also considering the assessment of agronomic and physiological parameters of the two crops analysed

Tasks and Responsibilities:

• Maintain and analyse data from an eddy covariance flux tower and sap flow sensors.
• Conduct field-work to measure physiological and biophysical variables in almond and pistachio trials….
• Process high- and low-resolution imagery and model crop evapotranspiration (ET) with the Two-Source Energy Balance (TSEB) approach.
• Write and publish scientific manuscripts to be included in the PhD thesis.

Required qualifications and experience

• Candidates must hold one of the following degrees:
  
  • Higher education in Agricultural, Forestry Engineering, Environmental Sciences or similar, and
  • Master’s degree within a relevant field, such as remote sensing and/or GIS, digital agriculture, hydrology, water management or climate science; or
  • To be in a position to access a doctoral programme according to the requirements of Catalan universities, i.e. accrediting between 60 and 120 ECTS credits at the official university master's degree level or equivalent
• Not to have a previous PhD degree.
• Candidates who have been chosen for an interview with the Selection Committee, should bring or send –for the interview- a certified copy of the degree and/or master, as well as the academic record showing the marks of all subjects studied.
• Previous experience in remote sensing and GIS applied to agriculture/forestry.
• Programming skills – preferably in Phyton.
• Driver’s license.
• Proficiency in English.
• Strong teamwork skills, ability to adapt to multidisciplinary environments and a focus on professional growth and development.

Desirable requirements

• Experience or knowledge in climate data, modelling and remote sensing, particularly on the use of surface energy balance models to estimate ET.
• Competence with machine learning and statistical analysis.
• Experience from agricultural field work and knowledge on plant-water-relations.
• Catalan and Spanish are valued.

Advantages of joining our team:

• Supervisor/s: Joaquim Bellvert and Xavier Miarnau
• Terms of appointment: 4 years
• Contract: The financial remuneration for the PhD Candidate contract will be €1,363.10/gross per month (19,083.40./gross per annum) and for the first and second years. For this third year, it will be €1,460.46/gross per month (€20,446.44/gross per annum) and for the fourth year it will be €1,825.58/gross per month (€25,558.12/gross per annum) which will be subject to the corresponding withholdings, pursuant to prevailing regulations, and to the collective employment agreement of IRTA. IRTA will also pay the fees of the doctoral school when receiving the enrolment. (1)
• 37.5 hour workweek, with Friday afternoons off
• Intensive work schedule from 15/06 to 15/09
• 22 vacation days
• 3 days of family & work conciliation
• 45 hours of personal days
• Flexible Schedule for a good work-life balance.
• Continuous training and professional growth opportunities.

Please know that if you are the chosen candidate and you are from a country which does not belong to the UE, IRTA’s People Department will support you to get the residence and working permits.

Instructions to Apply

If you wish to be considered for this position and believe you meet the requirements, please send your CV and motivation letter.

Equal treatment and opportunities are guaranteed for all candidates in the selection process, avoiding any stereotypes, attitudes, or obstacles based on gender, origin, age, ideology, or other potentially discriminatory conditions. Furthermore, commitments to the inclusion of vulnerable groups are considered, with priority given in the first round to disabled candidates.

Timings in the Recruitment Process

45 natural days: Publication and diffusion of the job advertisement on IRTA’s website and/or social media.

5 following working days: Distribution of the pre-selected CVs to the Recruitment Committee for their evaluation.

20 following working days: Interview and/or tests to the most suitable candidates based on the job position.

Start of contract: Fourth trimestre of 2025 (approximately)

⁽¹⁾ The financial remuneration of the PhD Candidate contract may not be less than 56% of the salary established for the category of Research Collaborator F of the Collective Agreement of the IRTA during the first two years, 60% in the third year and 75% in the fourth.