We are currently seeking a PhD Candidate to join our Sustainable Field Crops Program and Sustainability in Biosystems Program teams located in La Tallada d'Empordà and Caldes de Montbui, 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 balancing production and environment in high-yielding arable cropping systems.

The selected candidate will assess agronomic performance, GHG emissions, soil quality and environmental sustainability of crop rotations as affected by fertilization type and crop diversification.

Tasks and Responsibilities:

• Performing literature review, data collection and management, data analysis and visualization.
  
• Conducting field experiments, sampling and measuring plant, soil, gas emissions and other environmental variables.
  
• Using and adjusting soil-crop simulation models, including GHG emissions modeling.
  
• Developing improved emission factors and their estimation methods.
  
• Performing quantification of environmental impact using life cycle assessment.
  
• Disseminating the research findings at national and international conferences.
  
• Writing papers for scientific journals and technical articles.
  
• Contributing to the teamwork environment and collaborations within the research group.

Required qualifications and experience

• Candidates must hold one of the following degrees: Agronomy, Biology, Environmental Science, Soil Science or related ones. Also they must:
  • Have a master in agronomy, agroecology, food biotechnology or related fields from environmental science or biology.
  • To be in a position to access a doctoral program 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.
  
• Proficiency in English.
• Strong teamwork skills, ability to adapt to multidisciplinary environments and a focus on professional growth and development.

Desirable requirements

• Motivation for sustainable agriculture.
  
• Good capacity for data processing and field work.
  
• Previous experience in research projects in agronomy, and/or in soil and plant measurements and monitoring (including gas emission).
  
• Experience in using gas emission equipment (chambers, laser, photoacoustic, etc.) and models to estimate emission.
  
• Good statistical skills.
  
• Knowledge on programming (e.g. R and/or Python).
  
• Experience in using crop models.
  
• Knowledge of relevant LCA software, databases, and emission models
  
• Analytical and organizational skills.
  
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present research findings clearly to both scientific and non-specialist audiences.
  
• Driving license.
  
• Catalan and Spanish are valued.

Advantages of joining our team:

• Supervisor/s: Jordi Doltra, Marta Ruiz and August Bonmatí
• 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.