We are looking for a PhD Candidate to join the Sustainable Field Crops Program team, based in Lleida (Catalonia, Spain) . We offer the opportunity to be part of an organization with a dynamic, collaborative work environment focused on professional development.

The position is embedded in HEROCROP, a Horizon Europe research project addressing crop resilience through interdisciplinary studies of plant adaptation, phenotypic variability and genotype × environment × management (G×E×M) interactions. The successful candidate will collaborate with an international consortium combining crop physiology, breeding, agronomy and advanced statistical analysis. The doctoral research will investigate the genetic and phenotypic determinants of crop performance and stability under contrasting environmental and management conditions, with a principal experimental emphasis on wheat and opportunities for cross-crop scientific collaboration. The work will combine field phenotyping, genetic information and quantitative analysis to assess and predict varietal performance across environments.

Tasks and Responsibilities:

- Contribute to the design, coordination and scientific evaluation of controlled and field-based experiments addressing crop responses to environmental constraints and management variation.

- Characterise phenotypic diversity and adaptive responses in selected crop genetic resources, using harmonised agronomic and physiological assessment methods.

- Apply and evaluate field-based and high-throughput phenotyping approaches to describe crop development, performance and responses to stress.

- Analyse genetic,



environmental and management sources of variation in crop performance, including genotype-by-environment-by-management (G×E×M) interactions.

- Integrate phenotypic, genetic, environmental and agronomic datasets to develop and evaluate statistical and predictive approaches for varietal performance and adaptation, using reproducible research workflows.

- Evaluate the reliability and transferability of phenotypic and genetic information for variety evaluation, crop improvement and breeding-oriented prediction.

- Work with HEROCROP partners on experimental harmonisation, research data stewardship, scientific interpretation and communication of results through papers and conferences.

Required qualifications and experience

- Master’s degree in agronomy, crop science, plant breeding, genetics, plant biology or a related discipline eligible for doctoral enrolment.

- Strong interest in quantitative genetics, crop physiology, plant adaptation, predictive breeding or quantitative agronomy.

- Ability to organise experimental work, collect reliable data and interpret research findings.

- Good written and spoken English; communication and scientific writing skills.





- Motivation to learn and apply statistical and computational methods (e.g., R or Python) in an international research consortium.

- Strong teamwork skills, ability to adapt to multidisciplinary environments and a focus on professional growth and development.

Desirable requirements

- Experience in field trials, experimental design, crop phenotyping, quantitative genetics, genetic-marker data or multi-environment experiments.

- Familiarity with genomic data analysis, genomic prediction, mixed models, remote sensing, field sensors or crop modelling is an advantage.

- Knowledge of crop responses to abiotic or biotic constraints and interactions with management practices.

- Experience with R or Python.

- Catalan and Spanish are valued.

Advantages of joining our team:

- Supervisor/s: Dr. Marta da Silva and Dr. Lin Tang.

- Contract: 4 years

- Gross annual salary in 14 payments:

- First and second year: 19,656,35€

- Third year: 21,060,37€

- Fourth year: 26,325,47€

Will be subject to the corresponding withholdings, pursuant to prevailing regulations, and to the collective employment agreement of IRTA. IRTA will also pay the fees of the doctoral school when receiving the enrolment.

- 37.5 hour workweek, with Friday afternoons off

- Intensive work schedule from 15/06 to 15/09

- 23 vacation days

- 3 days of family & work conciliation

- 45 hours of personal days

- Remote work 6 workdays per month

- Versátil Schedule for a good work-life balance.

- Continuous training and professional growth opportunities.

Please know that if you are the c

📌 PhD Candidate in Genetic and Quantitative Analysis of... (España)
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