18-month postdoctoral position in plant ecophysiology - microbial ecology interactions

INRAE; France; Sur place; EUR 30 000 - 40 000; Plein temps

Résumé du poste

A leading research institution in France is seeking a postdoctoral researcher specializing in plant ecophysiology and microbial ecology. This 18-month position will involve conducting experiments and supervising a Master's student while analyzing data related to plant-soil interactions in black-eyed peas. Candidates should have a Ph.D. and strong skills in molecular biology and data analysis, particularly with R software or Python programming.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in microbiology, microbial ecology or relevant discipline.
• Experience in molecular biology required; ecology, plant biology, or (eco)physiology experience welcome.
• Demonstrated good track record of publications.

Responsabilités

• Design and conduct experiments, analyze large datasets, and write publications.
• Supervise a Master student and coordinate with technical staff.
• Interact closely with researchers, students, and postdocs.

Connaissances

Data analysis

Molecular biology

R statistical software

Python programming

Teamwork

Time management

Fluent English

Formation

Ph.D. in microbiology, microbial ecology, or relevant discipline

Description du poste

Organisation/Company INRAE Research Field Biological sciences » Biology Environmental science » Ecology Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Country France Application Deadline 14 Dec 2025 - 22:00 (UTC) Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Offer Starting Date 2 Feb 2026 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

An 18-month postdoctoral position in the field of plant ecophysiology/microbial ecology is available (starting date February 2026) under the supervision of Dr. Romain Barnard and Dr. Marion Prudent in the Ecophysiology of Grain Legumes group at the French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food, and Environment (INRAE), Department of AgroEcology, Dijon, France. The applicant is invited to study plant-soil microbial interactions between black-eyed pea ecophysiological traits (morphological and functional traits, with a focus on rooting patterns) and soil microbial communities under contrasting water availability conditions using plant phenotyping and molecular microbiology methods.

Research. The adaptation of black-eyed pea (Vigna unguiculata L.) to dry climates, its large genotypic diversity, and the scarcity of investigations for its use in Europe makes it an excellent candidate for innovative crop diversification under future climate. Root system architecture and soil microbial community will be investigated in 50 Vigna accessions, selected based on seed availability and plant agronomical traits, and will be related to selected plant structural and functional ecophysiological variables under controlled conditions at the Plant Phenotyping Platform for Plant-Microorganism Interactions (Serres-4PMI, INRAE). Seed protein content will be assessed through the development of a high-throughput approach based on near-infrared spectroscopy.

The postdoc position is part of the recently EU-funded (Agroecology Partnership) international research project CoolFarmLAb (project CO-creation Of Pathways to foster agroecoLogical transition of FARMs driven by Living LAB approach).

Key duties. To design and conduct experiments, analyse large datasets and write publications. To supervise a Master student and coordinate with technical staff. To interact closely with the researchers, students and postdocs in the group.

Criteria. A Ph.D. in microbiology, microbial ecology or another relevant discipline. Experience in molecular biology is required, complementary experience in ecology, plant biology or plant (eco)physiology is welcome. Demonstrated good track record of publications. Excellent skills in data analysis, fluent use of R statistical software or Python programming, excellent skills in organization and time management, autonomy, teamwork. Good skills in English (both written and oral).