Dear all, 

Apologies for cross-posting

Please find enclosed in this mail a PhD position starting in September-October 2017 on soil macrofauna in permaculture at the University of Poitiers, France.
I would be grateful if you can transfer this PhD position to any interest person.

Keywords : soil biodiversity, biocontrol, crop auxiliaries, intercropping, bioindication, plant performance

Deadline to apply for this PhD position : March 10, 2017
Funding is in process. Co-funding application with ADEME is nominative and to be submitted before April 3rd.

Have a good week,
Best regards,
Julia Clause

PhD position (3 yrs),
UMR-CNRS 7267 EBI (University of Poitiers, France) :

Permaculture as an integrated approach : monitoring of the functional role of soil biodiversity in vegetable intercropping
Looking for a candidate for a nominative funding project, co-funded by the regional project SEBIB (Santé Environnementale: Biocontrôles et Interactions Biologiques) within the theme « Biocontrol and intercropping ».

Description: 
Sustainable farming practices should allow to respond to short and long term environmental and socio-economic issues by favoring yields of quality while avoiding environmental and sanitary risks associated with chemical inputs. To obtain yields that are economically sustainable and also gustative, clean and nutritious, we aim i) at optimizing the use of resources by plants to improve their productivity and ii) at regulating the spread of diseases and pests (biocontrol). Permaculture, which includes techniques such as vegetable intercropping and/or cultivation mounds. Proved to be economically viable in France (report of Guégan et al., 2015). However, the ecological impact of these practice is still seldom monitored.
This PhD project consists in monitoring the soil macrofauna of bioindicators and crop auxiliaries (terrestrial isopods, earthworms, carabids), biotic and abiotic parameters, the physiological response of crops and their productivity, and in describing the community of rhizobacteria and its functioning in the context of a vegetable small farm in permaculture located in the Landes region (Pontenx-les-Forges). Depending on conditions, the protocol might be extended to a second farm, closer to Poitiers, for a comparative study (e.g. different soil and territorial conditions).
The candidate will be responsible for fieldwork monitoring and species identifications and for laboratory analyses and experiments. (S)he will also have the possibility to develop his/her own complementary experiments within the project.
Protocols were built in concertation with the crop choices of farmers, and the results for the ecological monitoring will be linked with the farm’s socio-economic performances. (S)he will communicate his/her results to a scientific community but also to a non-academic audience.

Supervision: Julia Clause (EES), email: [log in to unmask], tel: +33 (0)549453607. 
Co-direction: Didier Bouchon + Collaboration: Nathalie Pourtau et Laurence Maurousset (SEVE)

Applicants: 
Candidates must own a Master degree (or equivalent) in biology, ecology or agronomy at the start of the contract and must show an interest in plant-soil interactions, entomology and/or ecology-society relations. (S)he has previous fieldwork experience and substantial background in statistical analyses (preferentially with R). Skills in GIS are a plus. (S)he has excellent writing and communicating skills and the capacity to work autonomously and in a team, especially with people outside academia. Some knowledge of the French language is an asset. (S)he will have to temporarily drive long distances and must own a driving license. 

Location: The position is based in the team Ecology, Evolution, Symbiosis (EES; http://ebi.labo.univ-poitiers.fr/ees/) of the UMR CNRS 7267 Ecology and Biology of Interactions (EBI) at the University of Poitiers, France, within the thematic axis « Environmental biodiversity and quality ». Within this project, the team EES is associated with the team SEVE (Sucres & Echanges Végétaux – Environnement) that studies pathogenic fungi- and/or rhizobacteria-plant relations and their impact on plant physiology (transportation, sugar remobilization).

Candidates will be selected upon their written application (which includes 1-2 referent(s)), followed by an interview: beg. of March in order to send application to the co-funding agency before April 3. 
Contract starting date: September-October 2017.
Co-funding: Region Nouvelle-Aquitaine (SEBIB Program; 50%) + ADEME (50%)