Collaboratore scientifico/collaboratrice scientifica in Agroecologia e coinvolgimento degli sta[...]

Institut for Alpine Environment

Eurac Research is a private multidisciplinary research centre located in Bolzano, in the heart of the Italian Alps. Founded in 1992, its mission is to find solutions to pressing societal challenges: keeping societies healthy, fostering an intact environment, promoting sustainable energy and developing well-functioning political and social systems. It currently employs over 700 people and is organised into 11 research institutes and 7 centres.

Within the Institute for Alpine Environment, we are looking for a dedicated and enthusiastic professional to work on two European funded projects (RESPOnD and TRANSFOrm), with the possibility to be involved in other tasks of the research group.

The ideal candidate will play a key role in the organisation of project activities and will lead data collection, analysis and dissemination activities, reporting directly to the Principal Investigator of the projects. The post will be based in Bolzano (Italy) with an ideal start date in early 2025.

The TRANSFOrm (Back to the future: Traditional agroforestry systems as NbS to face multiple societal challenges) project will start in early 2025 and is funded under the EU Biodiversa+ call "BiodivNBS - Nature Based Solutions for biodiversity, human well-being, and transformative change". Its overall objective is to harness the potential of traditional agroforestry systems (i.e. orchard meadows) as Nature based Solutions to jointly address major societal challenges facing Euro-Mediterranean agricultural landscapes, such as biodiversity loss, climate change, land degradation and food security. The project duration is 36 months.

The RESPOnD (Climate Resilient Alpine Wine Orchards) project started on 1 September 2024 and is funded under the Interreg Alpine Space Programme. Using participatory and collaborative approaches, the project aims to build capacity around Ecosystem-based thinking and Adaptation approaches (EbA) to address the multiple challenges facing traditional wine orchards and to build climate resilience and sustainability in the Alpine wine regions. The project duration is 36 months.

Tasks:

The selected candidate will work on research, development and training initiatives to promote agroecological adaptation strategies for more climate resilient and sustainable mountain agriculture. The overall aim is to better understand biodiversity mediated benefits in agroforestry and vineyard systems and to contribute to the development and testing of cost-effective and stakeholder-driven solutions to build climate resilience.

Collaborating closely with other research institutions, farmers, sector professionals and cooperatives, consortia, and public authorities, this will be achieved through:

1. an assessment and monitoring of key indicator species (e.g., birds, pollinators);
2. a comprehensive mapping of ecosystem services and benefits of agroforestry and vineyard systems, as well as climate-related threats;
3. co-designing and co-organising workshops and living labs with stakeholders to work on climate adaptation strategies;
4. developing a digital learning environment for targeted capacity building; and
5. producing presentations, project outputs and reports, as well as scientific publications.

Requirements:

• PhD degree in a relevant field such as Ecology, Geography, Agronomy, Forestry, Environmental Sciences or a closely related discipline
• Having conducted or gained experience in biological monitoring
• Very good knowledge of sustainable agroecological practices and good familiarity with the concepts of Agroforestry, Nature-based Solutions (NbS) and Ecosystem Services (ES)
• Proven experience in stakeholder engagement processes and initiatives for the co-creation of knowledge (i.e., workshops, living lab approaches)
• Advanced knowledge of spatial analyses (QGIS or ArcGIS), particularly in the context of mapping and assessing ecological conditions and services
• Excellent communication skills in German and English (minimum level C1), Italian is an advantage
• Good interpersonal and collaborative/organizational skills to integrate into an international working group and to interact with associated researchers from different institutions and countries, and with European and local stakeholders

We offer:

• Start date early 2025, based in Bolzano (Italy)
• Full-time (100%), fixed-term contract for an initial period of 1 year with the possibility of renewal for up to 3 years
• Competitive remuneration package commensurate with experience and qualifications, including extra-legal holidays, meal vouchers, childcare support, and private healthcare
• Family-friendly and flexible working hours
• Opportunity to work in a young international and interdisciplinary team. Attractive living and working conditions (Great Place to Work)

More information on the two projects is available at the following link: LINK

Interested candidates should submit their application (CV, motivation letter and 2 letters of reference documenting your previous work and project engagement) within 15.12.2024

Contact person: Lukas Egarter Vigl
Phone number: +39 0471 055 303
E-mail address: lukas.egarter@eurac.edu