Postdoctoral researcher in geospatial agricultural biomass resource optimization and decision-support platform development

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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.

Work environment, missions and activities

You will be welcomed at BioEcoAgro (https://www.bioecoagro.eu/), based in Laon, France. The postdoctoral position is part of the Chaire de Professeur Junior (CPJ) research program led by Shule Wang at INRAE, which aims to develop an integrated territorial planning framework for future agricultural biomass mobilization and bioeconomy deployment. The project focuses primarily on agricultural biomass resources derived from crop modeling, in particular scenario-based outputs from agronomic models such as STICS, and seeks to connect these data with conversion pathway assessment, regional logistics, and decision-support tools for territorial and agricultural planning.

Your work will contribute to the development of a modular computational platform able to translate crop-model-derived biomass outputs into planning-relevant information. The platform will integrate spatially explicit agricultural biomass availability, pathway compatibility, transport and logistics constraints, and environmental, techno-economic, policy, and social considerations in order to support regional scenario exploration and optimization. Other biomass residue streams may be included as complementary inputs through existing external datasets, but the core of the project is future agricultural biomass and its role in regional planning.

The transition towards a sustainable and climate-oriented bioeconomy requires not only reliable projections of future agricultural biomass quantity, type, location, and temporal availability, but also robust methods to evaluate how these resources can be mobilized and allocated across competing end uses under realistic constraints. The postdoctoral researcher will therefore lead the computational integration and platform development aspects of the project, in close interaction with a PhD project dedicated to the detailed methodological development of key planning components.

You will be in charge of:

1. Developing a modular computational platform for territorial planning based on crop-model-derived agricultural biomass datasets; 
2. Integrating and harmonizing agronomic, spatial, logistical, and pathway-related datasets using Python and GIS-based workflows; 
3. Supporting the modeling integration of a PhD project by connecting its methodological components within the overall computational framework; 
4. Designing and implementing optimization models for biomass allocation, supply chain configuration, and regional scenario analysis, using approaches including but not limited to MILP and MINLP depending on the requirements of the final framework; 
5. Contributing to the representation and integration of environmental, techno-economic, policy, and social constraints within the decision-support framework; 
6. Contributing to scientific publications, project reports, and presentations at national and international meetings. 

Supervision: Shule Wang (INRAE, BioEcoAgro). The postdoctoral researcher will work in close interaction with colleagues and collaborators involved in agronomic systems modeling, spatial analysis, sustainability assessment, and territorial bioeconomy research within BioEcoAgro and partner institutions. Received applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and candidates are encouraged to apply early, as administrative procedures for the selected candidate may require additional lead time prior to the planned start date.

Training and skills

The applicant should hold a PhD in a relevant field, including but not limited to agricultural systems modeling, agricultural engineering, geoinformatics, spatial analysis, environmental systems engineering, operations research, bioeconomy systems analysis, or related disciplines. The candidate should demonstrate strong quantitative and computational skills, with experience in Python programming, spatial data processing/GIS, and model integration. Experience in optimization methods, such as MILP, MINLP, Gurobi, or related approaches, is highly desirable. Familiarity with agricultural systems, crop modeling outputs, biomass resource assessment, biomass conversion technologies, LCA/TEA or territorial planning would be considered an advantage. The applicant is expected to show a strong capacity for independent research, innovative thinking, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Excellent written and spoken English is required. French would be appreciated but is not mandatory.

Assessment criteria:

· The scientific quality and relevance of the candidate’s academic background and previous research experience; 

· The candidate’s quantitative and computational skills, especially in Python, GIS-based spatial data processing, and model integration; 

· Previous experience in optimization and territorial or resource allocation modeling, including approaches such as MILP, MINLP, Gurobi, or related methods; 

· The candidate’s capacity to work across disciplines at the interface of agricultural systems, biomass planning, logistics, and sustainability assessment; 

· Evidence of autonomy, innovative thinking, and the ability to contribute to the development of original scientific methods and publications; 

· The ability to collaborate within an interdisciplinary project and to contribute to the integration of modeling activities across the overall framework; 

·  Communication skills in English, both written and oral.

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

I send my CV and my motivation letter