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PhD POSITION | Predoctoral Researcher (PIF 2026)

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Tech4Agro – ICA-CSIC | Madrid, Spain

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SPAC-CRADLE Project | CRADLE-ROOTS

Are you interested in understanding how
water, carbon and energy move through the soil–plant–atmosphere continuum
? We are looking for a motivated
PhD candidate
to join the
Tech4Agro group at ICA-CSIC
, in Madrid, as part of the
SPAC-Cradle
project funded through the 2025
*Proyectos de Generación de Conocimiento*
call.

? About SPAC-Cradle

SPAC-Cradle
(
*Cascading dynamics of energy, carbon and water in the soil–plant–atmosphere continuum through an integrated observation and modelling system*
) develops an integrated framework, inspired by
Newton's cradle
, to investigate how energy, carbon and water cascade through the Soil–Plant–Atmosphere Continuum (SPAC).

? Your PhD

As a PhD candidate in
SPAC-Cradle
, your research will contribute to developing a robust scientific basis for
time-lapse geophysical soil mapping in complex agroecosystems




and for coupling geophysical and remote-sensing observations with hydrological/SPAC models through
data assimilation
.

You will work under the supervision of
Dr. Benjamin Mary
and
Dr. Héctor Nieto
, within a multidisciplinary and international team including forest engineers, geophysicists and remote-sensing specialists.

You will also collaborate with project partners and international researchers from
SpecLab-CSIC, Universidad de La Laguna, Sorbonne Université, University of Padova and CESBIO/Météo France
.

? Main research activities

Your work will include:
- Deploying and operating
geophysical monitoring systems
, including ERT, FDEM and EIT, across the pilot sites.
- Investigating
soil moisture, root water uptake and subsurface properties
.
- Developing
pedophysical relationships
linking geophysical measurements to soil hydraulic properties.
- Conducting field and laboratory campaigns, including soil sampling and validation against continuous monitoring data.
- Coupling geophysical and remote-

📌 ? PhD Position | Predoctoral Researcher (Madrid)
🏢 CSIC
📍 Madrid