Junior research scientist in multifunctional genetics for the preservation of the environment using miscanthus

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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 cross-border joint research unit BioEcoAgro brings together several research bodies on both sides of the French-Belgian border in the field of biological engineering applied to agriculture, biotechnology, food, and the environment (https://www.bioecoagro.eu/). The team within the unit you will join addresses more particularly the genetic improvement of cultivated plants (miscanthus, pea) for the production of biomass and its use in the bioeconomy and ecosystem services. It brings together skills centred on plants (ecophysiology, enzymology, genetics, phenotyping and physiology) and includes INRAE staff from Estrées-Mons and staff from Amiens, Lille and Liège Universities. On the Estrées-Mons site, the team conducts plant phenotyping experiments in close collaboration with the staff at the nearby INRAE experimental platform.
You will develop a research programme on the genetic control and ways of improving perennial species for biomass production and preservation of the environment. It will involve developing a multifunctional genetic approach to optimise the production of ecosystemic services at the same time as the functions related to the quantity and quality of the biomass. Miscanthus, a perennial grass known for its productivity, will be used as a study model under the climatic constraints of tomorrow. The working hypothesis is that this crop has positive environmental impacts that will need to be promoted for the sustainable preservation of the environment, and even restore its quality.
You will adopt a multidisciplinary approach in collaboration with the unit’s researchers specialising in genetics and plant breeding, ecophysiology or agronomy. Your research will involve expanding the bibliography to identify the ecosystemic services for which the genetic leverage will be the most significant and for which you will identify the ecophysiological processes linked to the fluxes of water, carbon and/or nitrogen in the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum. You will translate them into combinations of traits to search for those optimising the targeted ecosystemic services, and then dissect the genetic bases and optimise the selection according to a quantitative genetic approach.
To implement your research, your work will draw on the ongoing research projects coordinated by the team: Mistigation and MisEauVert, linked to ecosystem services. You will also have available plant study material created and being created by the team (diploid and triploid mapping populations, gene pools, at various levels of ploidy…) that you can use in experimental approaches and/or in silico. As miscanthus is a perennial plant, the prediction tools (genomic and phenomic) will be all the more necessary as our research has highlighted an increase in heritability with age for most of the traits of interest and that some traits are hard to phenotype. To conduct your experiments, you will have preferential access to various collective genomic platforms (genotyping, sequencing, RNAseq…), experiments in the field or in controlled conditions (ecotron, growing rooms), whether within INRAE, locally or nationally, or with partners of the cross-border joint research unit BioEcoAgro.

Training and skills

Competition open to candidates with a PhD (or equivalent).
Recommended training: A specialisation in plant genetics is highly recommended.
Desired knowledge: Solid foundations in quantitative genetics with a strong taste for ecophysiological approaches are highly recommended. A good ability to process phenotypic data, as well as genetic and genomic data, is highly desirable. Knowledge and/or a keen interest in agronomy would also be useful due to the context of application.
Desired experience: Doctoral or post-doctoral experience in the field of genetics of complex traits and/or experience in perennial plant genetics would be an asset.
Desired skills: You will join and interact with a research team, show autonomy and the ability to move towards designing research projects and drafting funding requests.
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-BAP-3
3. I apply GO