Junior Research Scientist on communities’ ecology applied to parasitic complexes

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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 1^st 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 11^th 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

During their life cycle, crop plants are exposed - simultaneously or sequentially – to more than one pathogen. A truly integrated health protection thus imposes to manage pests and pathogens not one at a time, but as components of pathogenic complexes. This ambition, still seldom addressed, involves the understanding of the nature of ecological interactions within complexes, and their impact on both the spatio-temporal changes in the composition of these complexes and the expression of host resistance to one or the other member of these complexes. You will be recruited as a member of the Institute of Genetics, Environment and Plant Protection (Joint Research Unit (UMR) IGEPP INRAE, Institut Agro Rennes Angers, Université de Rennes), which deals with the interactions between crop plants and their pathogens and pests aux with the plant responses to biotic and abiotic stresses, with the aim to contribute to sustainable crop production systems. You will fuel the scientific project of the IGEPP ‘Multi-infections and Multiresistances’ team (MIR), by tackling several interconnected research questions about the evolutionary ecology of parasitic complexes : 1) which is the role of niche separation in the differentiation of life history traits between members of a single complex? ; 2) what are the consequences of the various types of competitive interactions (exploitation, interference, opportunism) on the dynamics of complexes and on their strategies to exploit crop plants? ; 3) what are the effects of these interactions (intra and/or interspecific) on host resistances ? ; 4) how to exploit these interactions to best manage parasitic complexes ? You will supplement the current skills of the team - population genetics, evolutionary biology, plant disease epidemiology – with theoretical and experimental contributions in community ecology, thus favoring the set-up of innovative, interdisciplinary projects.

At IGEPP, you will be part of a rich research scientific community (about 250 persons, including about 50 scientific permanent staff in genetics, microbiology, ecology and evolution, plant/stress interactions, applied mathematics and modeling, etc., direct connection to students from Institut Agro and Université de Rennes at the Masters and PhD levels), up to date infrastructures (recently upgraded laboratories in microbiology, molecular biology and plant pathology; new confined and non-confined greenhouses and climate rooms).

Training and skills

PhD or equivalent in community ecology and/or parasitic ecology and evolution.
Some skills, even basic, in plant pathology will be welcome.

Fluency, both written and oral, in English is desired. An international experience is also required: successful candidate who does not yet have this experience will spend a year abroad after the tenure training period.

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.