OPEN COMPETITIONS CR-2024-BAP-2
Junior Research Scientist in plant improvement for environnemental preservation
80200 ESTREES-MONS
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INRAE presentation
The French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment (INRAE) is a public research establishment under the dual authority of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Research.
INRAE is recruiting researchers by open competition and offering permanent position.
It is a major player in research and innovation created on 1st of January 2020. INRAE is a research institute resulting from the merger of INRA and IRSTEA. It is a community of 12,000 people with more than 200 research units and 42 experimental units located throughout France.
The institute is among the world leaders in agricultural and food sciences, in plant and animal sciences, and is 11th in the world in ecology and environment. INRAE’s main goal is to be a key player in the transitions necessary to address major global challenges. In the face of the increase in population, climate change, scarcity of resources and decline in biodiversity, the institute develops solutions for multiperformance agriculture, high quality food and sustainable management of resources and ecosystems.
Work environment, missions and activities
The BioEcoAgro Joint Research Unit gathers several research entities on both sides of the French-Belgian border in the area of biological engineering applied to agriculture, biotechnology, agri-food and the environment (https://www.bioecoagro.eu/). The team in which you will be hosted, is interested in the genetic improvement of cultivated plants (miscanthus, peas) for the production of biomass and its valorization in bioecomomy and ecosystem services. It brings together research skills on plants (ecophysiology, enzymology, genetics, phenotyping as well as physiology) and consists of staff from INRAE of Estrées-Mons and the universities of Amiens, Lille and Liège.
In this context, you will develop research on genetic control and improvement of perennial species for biomass production and environmental preservation. It will consist in the development of a multifunctional approach in order to optimize the functions of production and quality of biomass simultaneously with services aimed at preserving the environment. The miscanthus, a dedicated perennial grass reputed for its biomass productivity, will be taken as a case of study. The working hypothesis is that this crop has positive environmental impacts that will be valued in order to preserve the environment, or even restore its quality. You will identify the ecophysiological processes involved in ecosystem services that are related to water, carbon and/or nitrogen fluxes in the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum, translate them into a combination of traits, study their relations with biomass production and study their genetic diversity according to a quantitative genetic approach.
In your research, you will adopt a multidisciplinary approach by developing collaborations with your colleagues specialized in plant genetics and breeding, ecophysiology, or agronomy. Your research work will be able to rely on ongoing research projects within the team, particularly in relation to ecosystem services (MisTigation https://mistigation.hub.inrae.fr/ and MisEauVert projects coordinated by the team). For its implementation, you can expect plant material created by the team (mapping populations, genetic backgrounds at different ploidy levels, etc.) that you can test in experimental or in silico approaches. You will also have privileged access to the various collective organized platforms in genomics (genotyping, sequencing, RNAseq, etc.), field experiments or controlled conditions (ecotron, culture chambers). These platforms are available at INRAE, locally or nationally, or in the partners of your future UMR.
You may be required to conduct experiments in the laboratory, in a growth chamber or greenhouse, and outside in the open field.
Travel to experimental sites is to be expected. Possession of a B license is recommended
Training and skills
Open to applicants with a PhD (or equivalent).
You will need to demonstrate solid skills in quantitative genetics with a good ability to obtain and analyze genetic and genomic data. Experience in genetics of complex traits and/or perennial species will be an asset. Knowledge in ecophysiology and/ or agronomy and an interest in the study of the plant grown in its environment will be appreciated.
Fluent English is essential to evolve in an international environment.
INRAE's life quality
By joining our teams, you benefit from:
- 30 days of annual leave + 15 days "Reduction of Working Time" (for a full time);
- parenting support: CESU childcare, leisure services;
- skills development systems: training, career advise;
- social support: advice and listening, social assistance and loans;
- holiday and leisure services: holiday vouchers, accommodation at preferential rates;
- sports and cultural activities;
- collective catering.
For international scientists: please visit your guide to facilitate your arrival and stay at INRAE.
All persons employed by or hosted at INRAE, a public research establishment, are subject to its internal regulations, particularly with regard to the obligation of neutrality and respect for the principle of secularism. In carrying out their functions, whether or not they are in contact with the public, they must not express their religious, philosophical or political convictions through their behaviour or by what they wear.