Do you want to be part of the BETA team?

Senior Postdoctoral Researcher in the Field of Sustainable Agricultural and Food Systems

Reference:

26FUBPDIBETACITCI20319

Vacancy type:

New Position

Area:

Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems

Call end:

26/07/2026

Job description

The BETA Technology Centre is made up of a young, multidisciplinary team of over 140 researchers and is looking to recruit a dynamic individual keen to join our team.
We are seeking an experienced senior postdoctoral researcher who has worked on climate change mitigation and adaptation activities relating to the study of regenerative agricultural practices and sustainable crops to prevent the loss of natural and agricultural biodiversity, as well as on strategies to improve plants’ biotic and abiotic resilience and increase their nutritional value.
The successful candidate will participate in various European and national projects relating to the agricultural application of activities concerning climate change adaptation and the mitigation of its effects.
Specifically, they will play a key role in the Horizon Europe projects SEACURE and COUSIN, where they will work on regenerative agricultural practices in horticulture (SEACURE) and on the study of wild crops as precursors of natural and agricultural biodiversity (COUSIN), and how these can be a valuable resource for improving resilience to the effects of climate change.

 

Functions and duties:
• Technical management of European and national projects, with a particular focus on managing the Horizon Europe SEACURE and COUSIN projects.
• Planning of biochemical, biotechnological and/or microbiological laboratory assays to assess the resistance of wild crops to biotic and abiotic stress.
• Planning and carrying out field experiments on regenerative agricultural practices in horticulture and on the resilience of wild crops.
• Developing new methodologies for the analysis and characterisation of wild crops.
• Development of strategies for assessing soil biodiversity and microbiology.
• Supervision of the technical support team in the execution of experimental tasks.
• Drafting of deliverables and technical reports.
• Participation in the preparation of new project proposals to secure further funding.

Requirements

Decree on recognition of qualifications of teaching and research staff and professional services staff

According to Spanish Royal Decree 889/2022, recognition of qualifications issued abroad qualifies for the exercise of regulated professions in Spain.

If you apply for a teaching and research staff (PDI) or 100% research staff (PI) post without official recognition of the qualification required in the call, you should submit a declaration of equivalence issued in Spain, together with a Spanish translation of your qualification. The application for this declaration is also valid, subject to a commitment to submit the declaration of equivalence itself within a period of 3 years at most. If the requirement is not met within this period, the contract will be terminated in accordance with Article 49 (b) of Spanish Royal Legislative Decree 2/2015, of 23rd October, approving the revised text of the Workers’ Statute.

If you hold a recognised Spanish master’s degree, you may qualify for hiring, but this will not exempt you from the requirement to submit a declaration of equivalence of the qualification in the call.

If you submit a non-university qualification, when call provisions allow for this, you should include recognition of the qualification in accordance with the specific regulatory framework of the country of origin.

  • PhD in the field:Agronomy, Biotechnology, Crop Production, Environmental Sciences or similar. (minimum 3 years since completion of the thesis)
  • Title: Bachelor’s degree in: Agronomy, Biotechnology, Crop Production, Environmental Sciences or a similar subject.
  • Certification of Level C1 in Catalan or commitment to obtain it
  • Accreditation of Level B2 English or commitment to obtain it
  • At least 3 years’ postdoctoral experience in the agricultural sector, having worked in the field of soil science, fertilisation, nutrient dynamics or a similar area
  • Experience in assessing resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses.
  • Experience with biochemical, biotechnological and/or microbiological methods.
  • Experience in field trials and collaboration with a wide range of stakeholders.
  • Scientific publications in the proposed field of research.
  • Good communication skills (written and oral) and the ability to work independently and with internal and external teams in multidisciplinary and multicultural environments.

Merits

  • Teaching experience at university level
  • Level B2 or more in languages other than English
  • Accreditation by an academic Quality Agency
  • Research experience
  • Knowledge of digital agriculture and/or precision agriculture and experience with GIS (e.g. ArcGIS, QGIs).
  • Previous experience in the preparation and implementation of competitive R&D projects (Horizon Europe, LIFE, Interreg, etc.)

Competences

  • Planning and organisation
  • Teamwork and cooperation
  • Organisation
  • Empathy
  • Learning and use of knowledge

This job offer includes

Inclusion in the professional group Research staff (PDI) in the category Postdoctoral Researcher II
Type of contract: permanent
Total work: full-time
Timetable a determinar
Gross salary: 35.981,40 €

– The option to combine on-site work with remote working. – Flexible working hours.