Organisation/Company Fundació Centre de Recerca en Agrotecnologia-AGROTECNIO Research Field Agricultural sciences » Agronomics Researcher Profile Recognised Researcher (R2) Positions Postdoc Positions Application Deadline 31 Aug 2026 - 23:59 (Europe/Madrid) Country Spain Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Hours Per Week 37,5 Offer Starting Date 1 Oct 2026 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Other EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No
Offer Description The BIOCRAFT Horizon Europe project is seeking a highly motivated postdoctoral researcher to contribute to the development of next-generation climate-resilient, high-yielding, and resource-efficient rice lines. The project combines multiplex genome editing technologies, AI-driven phenotyping, multi-omics decision-making, and microbiome–plant interaction studies to deliver climate-smart crop solutions for European agriculture. The successful candidate will primarily contribute to research on plant–fungal interactions, with a focus on assessing the tolerance of genome-edited rice lines to Magnaporthe oryzae, the causal agent of rice blast disease. Prior hands-on experience with rice and/or Magnaporthe oryzae is advantageous but not essential, provided the candidate can demonstrate the ability to rapidly acquire the necessary technical skills and competently carry out the required experimental work.
Key responsibilities 1. Design, execute, and optimize pathogen infection assays to evaluate rice blast tolerance in genome-edited rice lines.
2. Perform phenotypic, molecular, and statistical analyses of plant responses to fungal challenge.
3. Contribute to the interpretation and integration of experimental results within the broader BIOCRAFT breeding pipeline.
4. Collaborate closely with other lab members and consortium partners working on plant biotechnology, phenotyping, microbiome research, and molecular breeding.
5. Contribute to project reporting, manuscript preparation,



and dissemination of research outcomes.
6. Maintain high standards of experimental rigor, reproducibility, and compliance with biosafety and research quality requirements.
Requirements Research Field Agricultural sciences Education Level PhD or equivalent
Skills/Qualifications 1. Degree in Biology, Biotechnology, or a related life science, and a PhD in Plant Sciences with experience in plant molecular biology and/or plant pathology.
2. Postdoctoral experience in plant pathology;
experience in (cereal-rice) fungal pathogens desirable.
3. Peer-reviewed publications in plant molecular sciences, including plant–fungal interactions;
experience in cereals is an advantage but not a strict requirement.
Specific Requirements 4. Good knowledge of English, both written and spoken.
5. Demonstrated ability to work independently, plan experiments, analyze data, and troubleshoot technical challenges.
6. Ability to quickly develop competence in new experimental systems, including rice-Magnaporthe oryzae assays, if not previously experienced.
7. Strong teamwork, communication, and collaboration skills in multidisciplinary and international environments.
Languages ENGLISH Level Excellent
Languages CATALAN
Languages SPANISH
Research Field Agricultural sciences Years of Research Experience 1 - 4
Additional Information Starting date-October 2026. One year contract that could be extended yearly upon satisfactory performance
Salary will be fixed according to candidate skills and experience
Eligibility criteria OTM-R Policy
Ensuring open, transparent and merit-based recruitment processes (OTM-R) is one of the main objectives at Agrotecnio. In order to comply with the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers,Agrotecnio has developedits OTM-R Policy, which guarantees equal opportunities for candidates and that the research staff recruited meet the conditions required for the position. Agrotecniohas developed a RecruitingPolicy based on the principles of the OTM-R.
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📌 Postdoctoral Postion Applied Biotechnology (Madrid)
🏢 Fundacio Centre de Recerca en Agrotecnologia-AGROTECNIO
📍 Madrid