Researcher Profile: First Stage Researcher (R1); Recognised Researcher (R2); Established Researcher (R3)

Positions: PhD Positions

Application Deadline: 4 Sep 2026 - 00:00 (Europe/Rome)

Country: Italy

Type of Contract: Temporary

Job Status: Full-time

Hours Per Week: 40

Offer Starting Date: 1 Oct 2026

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?: Horizon Europe

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?: No

Offer Description

The successful candidate will conduct scientific research on developing methodologies to assess changes in soil health by advancing EU soil monitoring and indicator development. The candidate will also develop methods to assess and report the evolution of soil health against the Soil Mission specific objectives. This research will not only deepen our scientific understanding of changes in soil health but would also propose new tools as AI agents for policy support and decision-making. In addition, the candidate would provide scientific evidence and technical advice for the implementation and evaluation of policies aimed at advancing soil health at Member States.

We offer high-quality working conditions in a dynamic environment and in a multidisciplinary and multicultural team. The JRC encourages a collaborative workplace culture and interactions with policy makers, academics and other leading stakeholders active in the field are foreseen. The job includes participation in (international) conferences and (hybrid) workshops, as well as occasional travel

Where to apply

Website: https://recruitment.jrc.ec.europa.eu/vacancy/3039

Requirements

Research Field: Agricultural sciences » Soil science

Education Level: PhD or equivalent

Skills/Qualifications

A PhD in soil sciences, Earth sciences, environmental sciences, biology, ecology, agricultural sciences or related issues. Alternatively, a university degree in those fields and at least 5-years proven job-related experience in a field relevant to the position.

• Previous research or professional experience in the field of soil indicators development, soil health assessments, soil monitoring and modelling. The experience should be proven and cover at least 1 year of activity.
• Extensive knowledge/experience in geospatial data processing (e.g. ArcGIS or similar open source) / database skills and programming/scripting capacity (e.g. R, Python)
• Experience in developing Dashboards and composite indicators
• The candidate must have experience in writing policy briefs, science policy reports or technical reports relating to soil science.
• Excellent knowledge of oral and written English (C1).

Desirable assets are:

• Machine learning, deep-learning, artificial intelligence, advanced statistical inference;
• A solid record of research activities, including relevant publications in international peer-reviewed journals.

Languages: ENGLISH

Level: Excellent

Research Field: Environmental science » Natural resources management

Years of Research Experience: 4 - 10

Internal Application form(s) needed

Vacancy notice-5.pdf (English, 175.06 KB - PDF)

Additional Information

Website for additional job details: https://recruitment.jrc.ec.europa.eu/vacancy/3039

Work Location(s)

Number of offers available: 1

Company/Institute: European Commission - Joint Research Centre (JRC)

Country: European Union

State/Province: Italy

City: Ispra

Postal Code: 21027

Contact

City: Ispra

Website: https://esdac.jrc.ec.europa.eu/euso

https://joint-research-centre.ec.europa.eu/index_en

Postal Code: 21027