Postdoctoral Scientist Opportunity - Climate Adaptation Modeling for Plant Breeding

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INRAE presentation

The French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food, and Environment (INRAE) is a major player in research and innovation. It is a community of 12,000 people with 272 research, experimental research, and support units located in 18 regional centres throughout France. Internationally, INRAE is among the top research organisations in the agricultural and food sciences, plant and animal sciences, as well as in ecology and environmental science. It is the world’s leading research organisation specialising in agriculture, food and the environment. INRAE’s goal is to be a key player in the transitions necessary to address major global challenges. Faced with a growing world population, climate change, resource scarcity, and declining biodiversity, the Institute has a major role to play in building solutions and supporting the necessary acceleration of agricultural, food and environmental transitions.

Based at the campus of L’Institut Agro in Montpellier at the INRAE Laboratory for Plant Ecophysiology under Environmental Stress (LEPSE), in partnership with the Laboratory of Quantitative Genetics & Evolution (GQE, team GQMS) at Le Moulon (Université Paris-Saclay). At LEPSE, you will join a multi-disciplinary team of plant ecophysiologists, modelers, geneticists, and computer scientists, contributing as a key member of the Modeling and Analysis of Genotype x Environment Interactions (MAGE) research team.

Montpellier, a dynamic city with a population of 270,000, is ideally located in the south of France on the Mediterranean Sea. Home to Agropolis International, the city is a renowned center for research in agriculture, biodiversity, and environmental sciences. With over 3,000 scientists, Montpellier is the largest European hub for plant sciences and agronomy, providing a stimulating environment for early-career researchers to engage in collaborative, impactful research and advance their scientific careers.

Work environment, missions and activities

We invite you to join the FUSIONES project, a new initiative combining quantitative genetics and plant ecophysiology to predict how climate change could shape future breeding potential, using maize as a model system. This project is a collaborative effort between the LEPSE and Le Moulon research units of INRAE, with the postdoc stationed at LEPSE while benefiting from short-stay mobilities at Le Moulon.

About the Position: As a postdoctoral researcher, you’ll have access to extensive genotype-phenotype datasets, experimental platforms and computing infrastructures, and the opportunity to make tangible impacts on plant breeding for climate resilience. In this role, you will:

• Develop New Models and Insights: Build and advance a scalable modeling system that bridges genome simulation of polygenic traits with a crop growth model to examine genotype-phenotype interactions and environmental adaptability across different scales.
• Collaborate and Expand Expertise: Work closely with a team of experts across labs and disciplines, leveraging shared datasets, experiments, and models to refine and validate the system. Project funding includes short-stay mobilities, offering training at Le Moulon and workshops with international partners.
• Communicate and Lead in Science: Present findings at international conferences and contribute to top-tier journal publications, fostering broad dissemination and collaboration in the field of plant science and climate resilience.

Join us to drive progress in climate-adaptive breeding and gain exposure to a thriving international research community!

Related publications

Drouault et al. (2024) bioRxiv 2024.07.10.602692;  Choquette et al. (2023) New Phytol 238:737;  Bouidghaghen et al. (2023) Nat Comm 14:6603;  Sanchez et al. (2023) PNAS 120:e2205780119; Choquette et al. (2023) G3 13:jkad141; Welcker et al. (2022) Nat Comm 13:3225;  Millet et al. (2019) Nat Genet 51:952;  Wisser et al. (2019) Genetics 213:1479; Parent et al. (2018) PNAS 115:10642;  Alvarez Prado et al. (2017) PCE 41:314;  Cabrera‐Bosquet et al. (2016) New Phytol 212:269;  Millet et al. (2016) Plant Physiol 172:749

Training and skills

Position Requirements and How to Apply

• PhD degree within five years of the start date.
• Doctoral training in quantitative genetics and breeding, computational biology, or related fields; experience with phenomics or crop modeling is preferred.
• Experience managing large, complex datasets from diverse sources or scales, with skills in statistics and data science.
• Scientific computing proficiency with strengths in genetic analysis and statistical programming; experience with high-performance computing is a plus.
• Demonstrated research potential, ideally with a record of contributions in peer-reviewed publications.
• Collaborative mindset, ready to engage in a multi-disciplinary team environment.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English, as the project involves international collaboration and publication.
• French language skills are not required initially, but candidates will have the opportunity to take French courses to aid integration and communication in France.

INRAE's life quality

By joining our teams, you benefit from (depending on the type of contract and its duration):

- up to 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.

How to apply

Submit your application package to Dr. Randall Wisser (randall.wisser@inrae.fr), including: (i) a 1-page letter of interest; (ii) a curriculum vitae; and (iii) at least three referees (including telephone and email). Applications will be received until a suitable candidate is identified.