ESCI-UPF, hosting the UNESCO Chair in Life Cycle and Climate Change, a research group accredited as consolidated by the Government of Catalonia, is seeking a full-time Postdoctoral candidate to develop research co-financed during two years by the ARECO Postdoctoral Fellowship on circular economy and the research projects KAIROS (national) and ECOTWINS (international).
Main activities and responsibilities in project communication may include:
The researcher will report to the UNESCO Chair Director and the KAIROS principal investigator. In addition, he/she will have to prepare and conduct periodic meetings with ARECO and with the KAIROS partners.
The fellowship lasts for two years and seeks to increase the knowledge on sustainability metrics for fruits and vegetable packaging, such as circularity, carbon footprint and life cycle assessment. In addition to this scientific input, there is an important interest in different communication alternatives of the methodology and the obtained results. Once finished, the candidate will have acquired experience for her/him to be accredited, to be able to lead a research project and to know how to present a project proposal successfully.
Production and consumption systems must set course for a resource-efficient and sustainable economy. The goal is a more innovative and low-emissions economy, reconciling demands for a sustainable agri-food sector, food and nutrition security, and the sustainable use of renewable biological resources for industrial purposes, while ensuring biodiversity and environmental protection. According to this, a bio-circular economy approach is necessary, which means preserving the value of resources that go into producing more nutrient-dense foods products for as long as possible, while also paying attention to prevention, resources efficiency, environmental performance, sustainable sourcing and consumer awareness. KAIROS is an opportunity to improve the agri-food sector in Spain under a bio-circular economy perspective.
In 2020, Ukraine’s agriculture sector generated approximately 9.3% of GDP. Given the importance of crop production, we have identified National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine (NUBiP), the leading agricultural university in Ukraine, as the country coordinating team to team-up with 3 advanced country partners from Denmark (UCPH), Sweden (SLU) and Spain (ESCI-UPF). UCPH brings on-board the expertise on agronomy and plant nutrition, SLU has expertise on organic cultivation and Fork-to-Plate system integration, whereas ESCI-UPF will carry out life cycle costing and assess environmental footprinting for holistic assessment of production systems for agronomic and environmental performance.
Having a PhD in the topic for post-doctoral positionor, alternatively, being able to have it during the first year of contract and having at least 3 years of research experience in the topic.
Fluent in Spanish and English languages.
Bachelor's or Master's degree in environment or agrifood or, alternatively, comparable degrees with enough experience in those topics.
Experience in writing research papers in scientific journals
Additional criteria
Having knowledge in life cycle assessment and software practice
Having knowledge on social networks management
Salary: commensurate with experience.
Cooperation on excellent European collaborative R&D&I projects with participation of leading European R&D&I organizations as well as SMEs and large industries.
Starting date: as soon as possible.
Deadline: Tuesday, 20 December 2022