Junior research scientist in agroecology of tropical multi-species cropping 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 Tropical Agrosystems research unit (UR ASTRO) is a cross-disciplinary unit (agronomy, bioclimatology, chemistry, genetics, pathology, economics) bringing together 40 permanent staff members, and located in Guadeloupe island (French west indies). The unit generates knowledge, tools, and innovations to assist the agroecological transition of agricultural systems in tropical island environments. As part of the unit’s project, the design and assessment of multi-species agroecological systems will help define the theoretical framework and methodological approaches for the development of innovative agroecological practices adapted to the Caribbean context.
You will benefit from pre-existing data and knowledge on agroecological systems within the unit, as well as the unit’s resources in terms of agronomical experiments and scientific instruments. You will also benefit from ongoing local (other INRAE and CIRAD units), national (INRAE ABSys, Agronomy, AGIR units), and international (University of Florida, EEIH Cuba, CIAT Columbia) scientific collaborations on the topic.
The design of multifunctional, resilient agroecological systems adapted to the local contexts in which they are integrated remains a major challenge. Tropical island territories, marked by major challenges regarding food autonomy, reducing dependence on imported inputs, and agricultural resilience to climatic shocks, but also exhibiting contrasting soil-climate conditions, a diversity of farms, and specific local biodiversity, are highly relevant contexts for working on agroecological systems.
Your mission will be to design and assess agroecological and multifunctional cropping systems, taking into account climatic risks and the socio-technical context specific to tropical island territories. Your research will help identify the properties of interest of these agroecological cropping systems and the underlying principles, especially regarding the composition and combination of agronomic levers, and propose metrics adapted to the assessment of these systems. It will also help guide more mechanistic research conducted elsewhere on the key processes at the heart of the functioning of diverse cropping systems.
You will aim to define the rules for combining species and agronomic practices adapted to a variety of soil-climate conditions, in order to design agroecological cropping systems in a tropical setting. You will work on the indicators to be used to assess the systems, namely the characterisation of the functions of these systems and their resilience. You will use modelling to formalise the functioning of the cropping systems studied. Your main focus of investigation will be the cropping system. The farm and the territory levels will be considered as contextual elements to be taken into account (for example, using typologies defining frameworks of constraints and objectives) when combining species and agronomic practices for a wide range of situations.
To conduct your research, you will be able to draw on existing experimental facilities (KARUSMART facility, Godet experimental estate at the PEYI experimental unit). Subsequently, the experimental results produced could lead to system experiments and/or performance monitoring on a network of agroecological farms along an agro-soil-climate gradient to identify the impact of the diversity of management methods and the environments on performance levels and to assess the genericity of the design rules developed. A third phase, based on the biophysical modelling of multi-species cropping systems, could be developed to investigate the resilience of the systems studied in the face of climatic variations and food autonomy reachable territory-wide. Overall, you will use systemic agronomy frameworks and methods to conduct this research.

Training and skills

Competition open to candidates with a PhD (or equivalent).
Sound skills in systemic agronomy are highly recommended. Prior research experience in agroecological systems design would be desirable, as well as a good command of agrosystem analysis tools (agronomic diagnosis, agroecological experimentation, systemic modelling).
You have an interest in cross-disciplinary teamwork and interactions with non-academic partners. 
You are independent, curious and have a keen interest in or are sensitive to tropical issues. 
Candidates should have a good command of English, and long-term international experience would also be desirable. Successful candidates who have not yet acquired this experience abroad will be required to do so after their probationary period (1st year).

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 Guide for applicants 2026 pdf - 1.41 MB
2. I write down the profile number CR26-AgroEcoSystem-5
3. I apply GO