Tätigkeit im wissenschaftlichen Bereich

Postdoctoral researcher (m/f/d) (TV-L E14, 100%) in the field of transformation of agriculture

In the context of the Horizon Europe project trans4num (Transformation for sustainable nutrient supply and management), the Department for Communication and Advisory Services in Rural Areas and the Hohenheim Research Center for Global Food Security and Ecosystems are setting up a dedicated team to implement the Euro-Sino research project. The project will be funded by the European Commission under Horizon Europe for the duration of 48 months, starting 1 Dec 2022.

The research project trans4num aspires to substantiate and broadly promote Nature-based solution innovations (NBS) for sustainable agriculture in Europe and China. In particular, trans4num will focus on nutrient management (bio-based nutrient sources, sustainable crop rotations, optimization of nutrient flows) and will 1) develop a differentiated understanding of NBS potentials for achieving sustainable agricultural practices, 2) study the complexities of applying NBS, 3) develop a dynamic and smart nutrient management tool to support regional decision making for optimum nutrient supply, and 4) assess the (net) impact of technological and social innovations as well as policies related to NBS.

The partners will be organized in 2 parallel consortia in Europe and China, with University of Hohenheim as coordinator of the European consortium.

YOUR TASKS

Your main tasks and responsibilities fall into two fields, scientific project coordination and integrative research on socio-ecological transformation around NBS. The former likely includes

• the preparation and monitoring of inter- and transdisciplinary tasks and activities in the project and the support of their documentation and evaluation according to the project’s documents of action, coordination and association agreements;
• a close follow-up of the NBS experiments on the study sites, of the development and test of the NBS decision support tool, and of the modelling of farm-level and sector-level NBS outcomes and impacts;
• the support to the design and the elaboration of content for the information of and the exchange and cooperation with political and administrative decision makers, AKIS and value chain stakeholders and other practitioners in all partner countries;
• the support to the preparation of content for public relations working closely with the project manager (position 3) and the other members in the coordination team
• the preparation and surveillance of the Data Management Plan
• as well as the self-organized and agile coordination work in the research consortium.

The latter will imply the cross-cutting analysis and assessment of NBS solutions and the prospects of their implementation at farm, regional, landscape and national levels for various socio-ecological contexts. Actually, the research part of the position can be tailored to a certain degree, depending on the candidate’s scientific profile and qualification objectives.

Expected outputs are

• scientific work on results and methods in the above-mentioned areas,
• scientific publications and contributions to international conferences,
• the co-supervision of the doctoral student in the project, and
• international scientific networking and collaboration.

YOUR PROFILE

• Excellent completion of a PhD in agricultural science with preferably a focus on socio-economics and/or sustainability assessment methodologies;
• Working experience in inter- and transdisciplinary research approaches;
• Working experience in EU projects or similar organizational settings;
• Good team work and international publication skills;
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English;
• Proficiency of Mandarin is highly appreciated;
• Experience in the cooperation with partner from China is a distinct advantage.  

Application deadline: 3 October 2022

•  Funding is available for 48 months. The project start is planned for 1rst December 2022.
• The splitting of a full-time position into two part-time jobs is generally possible.
• Please attach the following documents to your application: Letter of motivation, your curriculum vitae, a current list of publications, as well as references and certificates.
• The interviews will be scheduled for calendar week 41 (10-14 Oct 2022).
• The University of Hohenheim seeks to increase the proportion of women in research and teaching, and strongly encourages qualified female candidates to apply. With equal qualifications, preference will be given to candidates with disabilities.

The University of Hohenheim is a campus university located in the south of Stuttgart, Germany. Its primary areas of specialization had traditionally been agricultural and natural sciences. The University of Hohenheim has been ranked on Agricultural Research, Nutritional Science, and Food Science #1 in Germany and is among the best in Europe.

Bewerbungsfrist : 03.10.2022