Are you looking for a new post doctoral opportunity that will help improve the sustainability of UK farming? Are you a PhD scientist wanting to take the next step in your career that will build your track record in biological or environmental sciences? Rothamsted Research has an exciting opportunity to join a new international project called "One Crop Health".
The project will study alternative ways to reduce pesticide use. So you will be part of a research team that will be making a significant contribution to reducing the impact of agriculture on the environment. As the full time post-doc on the project, you will have responsibility for managing a field sampling campaign of fields across the UK. Working with a field team, you will be collecting data on pests, weeds and diseases and also studying the ecology of agricultural fields. You will also have the opportunity to work on Rothamsted's world famous long-term experiments. By understanding the role of soil health and biodiversity in sustainable crop protection, we aim to quantify the potential to substitute pesticides for natural capital.
Although based in the Agroecology group at Rothamsted Research in the UK, you will be part of an international team with partners at the universities of Copenhagen and Aarhus in Denmark. You will, therefore, be working in a vibrant, interdisciplinary team on large combined datasets of farmland ecology across the two countries. This will lead to high impact papers in world class journals. There will also be opportunities to travel to Denmark to attend project meetings.
We are looking for a motivated and creative post doctoral scientist to fill this role. You will have a PhD in a biological or environmental science discipline and:
- have a passion for the environment and an interest in sustainable farming.
- have experience of field sampling and analysis of biological data.
- have a track record in scientific writing and communication.
- be a collaborative team member.
The One Crop Health team includes PhD students and technical staff as well as senior researchers and you will have the chance to gain experience in management and student supervision. The Rothamsted Agroecology group provides a friendly and supportive environment for you to develop professionally and progress your career. We offer extensive training opportunities and your time working on One Crop Health will be valuable for building your skills and experience for the next step in your career.
This is a 5 year fixed-term appointment to 31/12/2030 with a salary in the range of £31,350-£32,315 p.a.
Closing Date: 21 October 2024
Interviews: 4-6 November 2024