Junior research scientist on the production of services by livestock systems

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INRAE presentation

INRAE, the French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food, and Environment, is a public research organization bringing together 12,000 employees across 272 units in 18 centers across France. As the world’s leading institute specializing in agriculture, food, and the environment, INRAE plays a key role in supporting the necessary transitions to address global challenges.

Faced with population growth, food security challenges, climate change, resource depletion, and biodiversity loss, INRAE is committed to developing scientific solutions and supporting the evolution of agricultural, food, and environmental practices.

INRAE is recruiting researchers by open competition and offering permanent position.

Work environment, missions and activities

The Herbivores joint research unit, located on the Theix site in Saint-Genès-Champanelle near Clermont-Ferrand, conducts research on herbivores and their farming systems in order to optimise their performance in the face of climatic, environmental and socio-economic challenges, in particular by favouring grassland systems and applying the principles of agro-ecology. Within this unit, you will be joining the multidisciplinary Comete team (Design, modelling and evaluation of herbivore farming systems), made up of around twenty INRAE and VetAgro-Sup staff, economists, zootechnicians and statisticians. The ‘Comete’ team uses a systems approach to understand, analyse and evaluate the multi-performance of grassland and mixed crop-livestock farms and the provision of ecosystem services in the context of agro-ecology.

As part of this team and by developing your network in France, Europe and abroad, you will be responsible for studying the production of services (in particular production and regulation services) by agroecosystems rearing herbivores, using resources that are not in competition with human food. Your starting hypothesis will be that circularity of flows (food resources, effluents, etc.) should be favoured in order to maximise the production of services in a given area, in conjunction with sustainable diets on the scale of this area. You will conduct your research project within the framework of agroecology, with the aim of designing and evaluating livestock systems that maximise animal/plant complementarity, with a view to producing services and reducing losses to the environment (including CO2 emissions in particular). 

Your work and results are therefore expected to contribute to defining the most effective ways of making the agro-ecological transition in current livestock farming systems. To do this, you will adopt a multidisciplinary approach by developing collaborations with colleagues from disciplines other than livestock farming, such as agronomy (crop systems), but also the social sciences.

Training and skills

The project requires skills in zootechnics of livestock systems, in the design and representation of agricultural production systems, and even in systems modelling. Depending on your previous experience and training, you will need to acquire knowledge of modelling, ecology and multi-criteria evaluation methods for agricultural production systems, through practical experience and possible training courses, in order to take charge of the project in the long term. 

The ability to work in a team and interact with agronomists, economists and modellers will be appreciated.
Fluency in written and spoken English is essential, as is long-term international experience: successful candidates who do not already have such experience will be required to spend some time abroad at the end of their placement year.

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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. 

How to apply

1. I download the applicant guide Application guidelines CRCN 2025 pdf - 3.93 MB
2. I write down the profile number CR-2025-PHASE-1
3. I apply GO