10 Aug 2026
Job Information
- Organisation/Company: Université catholique de Louvain
- Department: Earth and Life Institute (ELI)
- Research Field: Geography » Social geography; Geography » Economic geography
- Researcher Profile: Recognised Researcher (R2)
- Positions: Postdoc Positions
- Application Deadline: 2 Sep 2026 - 23:59 (Europe/Brussels)
- Country: Belgium
- Type of Contract: Temporary
- Job Status: Full-time
- Hours Per Week: 38
- Offer Starting Date: 1 Dec 2026
- Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?: Horizon Europe (other)
Offer Description
Projects description:
You will contribute to two complementary projects at UCLouvain, do Pasto ao Prato and DOMESTIC (https://landsystems-lab.earth/project/domestic/).
- do Pasto ao Prato is an open-data initiative which seeks to transform the sustainability of the meat industry in Brazil, by radically increasing transparency about the impacts hidden in supply chains.
- The DOMESTIC project seeks to map food flows in the Brazilian food system, revealing how cities are fed, how the footprint of food consumption varies among products and populations, and how public policy levers can address food security and sustainability goals.
The role:
You will analyse data on livestock supply chains in Brazil, tracing products from the municipality-of-origin through to retail stores across the country, producing data and insights which promote the sustainability of the livestock sector in Brazil. An example of conceptually similar work (for beef exports) is https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2003270117 and https://trase.earth/insights/brazilian-beef-exports-and-deforestation-2025. This will require processing, analyzing, and visualizing data about the procurement and sustainability performance of businesses across the livestock supply chain, including farms, meat-packers, dairy processors, distributors, and retailers. You will, for example, manipulate data sets on company assets (e.g. the locations of meat-packer facilities and stores, CNPJs) and supply chain logistics (e.g. animal movements, such as the "Guia de Trânsito Animal", and animal feed movements), and corporate sustainable sourcing commitments. You will write reports for the general public and businesses, disseminated through the media and project partners, as well as scientific (peer-review) articles.
We are a multi-institutional, multi-lingual team: you will be based in the university of UCLouvain, Belgium, working on a daily basis with colleagues in Brazil in our product development and stakeholder engagement teams. You will also have opportunities to engage with external stakeholders (e.g. NGOs, companies, universities, government ministries, and app users) including where feasible and appropriate through representation at external events and stakeholder dialogues, helping establish and strengthen do Pasto ao Prato as an independent, science-based provider of data and intelligence on the sustainability of the livestock sector in Brazil.
We seek curious, kind, and motivated persons with a Doctoral degree in geography, sustainability studies, economics, environmental science, land systems science, data science, or sustainable business. Outstanding candidates with a master degree would be considered for a PhD position, but must have relevant experience in civil society, government or the private sector and evidence of the ability to work independently and handle data. Our data munging and processing is historically based in R, Google Earth Engine and BigQuery, but with opportunities to build other software into data workflows. Knowledge of the Portuguese language is a strong asset for this position.
Salary and benefits:
50-70k EUR/year (gross salary), depending on the candidate’s diploma (Master or PhD) and level of experience. Contracts will be based on Belgian regulations, which includes 20 days of legal holidays, 6 days of conventional holidays and 10 days of public holidays, and the regular benefits of Belgian social security such as health coverage.
The office is commutable from Brussels, the metropolitan capital of Europe, or Louvain-la-Neuve, which offers a more laid-back lifestyle with access to mountain-bike trails and rail connections to the beautiful Ardennes and beyond. Public transport costs for commuting are paid for by the employer, and we will facilitate remote-working for parts of the year (for example to participate in events in Brazil and stay connected with family abroad).
How to apply:
Candidates should complete this application form before midnight on September 2nd. Any other questions may be directed to Professor Erasmus zu Ermgassen erasmus.zuermgassen@uclouvain.be.
You do not need to be a Belgian- or EU citizen, nor have a work/residence permit in order to apply for a job at UCLouvain. Your visa costs will be sponsored. We value diversity, inclusivity and creativity and we encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply.
The recruitment process for this position is intended to be as follows:
- Applicant screening based on the completed application form
- Round 1 interview of 45 mins (September 9-11)
- Round 2 interview of 45 mins (September 16-18)
This recruitment process will take place via video. Due to the volume of interest, we are unable to provide all applicants with individual feedback. Applications that do not follow the instructions and word limits will not be reviewed.
Starting date:
As soon as possible, aiming for December 2026.
Where to apply
Website: https://forms.gle/UNBUwFewSrtWVVpW6
Requirements
Research Field: Geography
Education Level: PhD or equivalent
Additional Information
Work Location(s)
Number of offers available: 1
Company/Institute: Université catholique de Louvain
Country: Belgium
City: Louvain-la-Neuve
Postal Code: 1348
Contact
City: Louvain-la-Neuve
Website: https://www.uclouvain.be/en/research-institutes/eli
Street: Croix du Sud 2, Box L7.05.05
Postal Code: 1348
E-Mail: erasmus.zuermgassen@uclouvain.be
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