Four (4) Postdoctoral Positions, Institute of Agriculture & Food Research & Technology, Spain (2016)

RTA (Institute of Agriculture and Food Research and Technology) invites applications for 4 Postdoctoral Scientist positions in food processing, plant production, animal production and environment for management and analyses of Big Data. The positions are funded by the European Union within the framework of the Marie-Sklodowska-Curie Horizon 2020 Co-funding of Regional, National and International Programmes (COFUND).

The position on food processing is expected to cater the food sector with a data management tool that will facilitate innovation by means of data integration and analysis. Massive data from consumer trends, needs and expectations, market data as well as information related with food technology are available during the whole value chain of food products. The position on plant production will address the challenges post by climate change towards agricultural crops from a multidisciplinary point of view. The project will integrate data acquired through different approaches, including environmental factors, organism-related variables, and high-throughput genotype and phenotype data of novel plant material and genetic resources focused on improving productivity and resilience towards biotic and abiotic stresses. The position on Animal production will use a holistic approach to address challenges set by the growing demand for protein from animal origin and the need to focus on all steps of the productive chain to optimize productivity by minimizing environmental impact. Massive data on breeding and genomics, animal health, management and behavior, final product quality and consumer needs are available for identifying trends allowing to tailoring feed for high performance animal production. The project will also include the analysis and understanding of the GxE interaction. The position on Environment will address the sustainable management of agro-ecosystems. This multidisciplinary project will use nextgeneration DNA/RNA sequencing pipelines for the characterization of microbial community structure, biodiversity and function in environmental samples. Biological datasets will be related with managerial and environmental information and biotic and abiotic data will be integrated by direct gradient multivariate analysis techniques.

Fellows will further develop and consolidate: 1) discipline-specific knowledge, 2) excellent research skills, 3) communication skills, 4) leadership and management abilities, as well as 5) responsible conduct of research and ethics.

Candidate’s profile: A PhD in statistics, data science, or any area of the agro-food sector related with data analysis is required. The applicants must have experience in big data management, exploitation and usage in the food sector. Specific abilities and skills: independent thinking, good level of English (written and spoken), networking skills, good time management ability, resilience, presentation and communication skills, as well as leadership and management.

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