Research engineer : Scientific collaborator in the European project AgroServ

Back to jobs listing

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.

Work environment, missions and activities

You will work in the Herbivores joint research unit (UMR). The mission of this unit is to produce, integrate and disseminate knowledge, and share expertise to design multi-performing herbivore farming systems that meet the challenges of global change (environmental, socio-economic and digital transition). The unit has 118 permanent staff and welcomes 70 non-permanent staff each year. It is organized into 5 research teams, a management team and a support team.

You will work in the team DINAMIC, with the scientist who coordinates INRAE activities in the AgroServ project. AgroServ, led by AnaEE research infrastructure (Analyses et Expérimentations sur les Ecosystèmes continentaux), has started in 2022. The project gathers more than 70 partners, and is granted of 15M€ for a duration of 5 years, in order to boost the research for a resilient and sustainable European agriculture system, and the agroecological transitions. For that purpose, AgroServ provides access to a diverse array of research services across Europe for research projects that undergo a selection process.

Within AgroServ project, INRAE UMR Herbivores is in charge of the WP4 “Access quality management & Ethics” and of the coordination of the SmartCow research infrastructure that is distributed among eight countries and 10 partners: France (INRAE), Germany (FBN), Denmark (AU), The Netherlands (WU and WUR), Belgium (CRA-W), Spain (IRTA), Ireland (Teagasc) and United Kingdom (University of Reading and SRUC).

Your mission will be to monitor and analyse the awarded projects during their implementation and after their end. From the questionnaire filled by the researchers and the facility mangers, and from targeted interviews, you’ll investigate the quality of their implementation and the benefits of the projects for a resilient and sustainable European agriculture system, and the agroecological transitions.

You will be more specifically in charge of:

1. The realization of the task “Access quality management and research project monitoring” in the AgroServ project. Appropriate KPIs will be defined according to ESFRI (European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures) roadmap recommendations. For the implementation stage, the quality assessment will cover both predictable (technical, administrative, etc.) and unpredictable (weather conditions prevent from installation of experiment, etc.) issues, how they are addressed, as well as prospect the scientific potential of the results and the publication plan envisaged by the users. Once the projects are finished, the researchers will be contacted to monitor the actual publication of the results and identify user cases on which to perform the satisfaction surveys.
2. Complementary to the main task, assistance to the WP4 leader in the WP management (organization of WP meetings, note-taking and report writing) and coordination of SmartCow research infrastructure activities within AgroServ (assistance to the facility managers with the implementation of the selected research projects)

The main activity will be carried out in oral and written English. Participation in videoconference meetings and occasional travel in Europe.

Training and skills

Recommended training: Master’s degree or PhD in agricultural science

Desired knowledge: Fluent written and oral English

Appreciated experience: Field experience in animal production and agronomy, Ethics, Quality Insurance

Skills: Writing ability, autonomy, capacity of initiative 

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.

The site Theix is served by two shuttle buses for INRAE staff, which link the site to the Clermont-Ferrand agglomeration in the morning and evening, and by a transport-on-demand service. It also has parking facilities and services for cyclists.

How to apply

I send my CV and my motivation letter