What sets us apart

Good food, healthy environment

Agroscope is the Swiss federal centre of excellence for research in the agriculture and food sector. Its researchers work at a number of sites in Switzerland. Headquartered in Bern-Liebefeld (as of 2026: Posieux), Agroscope is attached to the Swiss Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research EAER.

PhD Student: Sustainable Management of Agriculturally Used Peatlands

8046 Zürich (mid-term 1725 Posieux FR) | 100-100%

In a nutshell

The Swiss National Science Foundation- supported project ’RiceClim’ (’Mitigating GHG Emissions by Wet Rice Cultivation in Organic Matter-Rich Soils in Temperate Climates’) aims to reduce the environmental impacts of the agricultural use of carbon-rich soils whilst maintaining agricultural productivity. The project is conducted in the ’Climate and Agriculture’ Research Group in partnership with Agroscope’s ’Molecular Ecology’ Research Group, as well as with a Postdoc.

• Planning and conducting experiments on CO2, CH4, N2O emissions from rice cultivation in mesocosms outdoors and in the laboratory by incubating various soils in order to evaluate greenhouse-gas mitigation measures
• Conducting molecular analyses to evaluate the microbial diversity of various soils using high-throughput DNA sequencing and quantitative PCR
• Measuring 13CO2 und 13CH4 fluxes in isotope-labelling experiments to quantify the contributions of various carbon sources
• Analysing measured data with available and self-written scripts
• Linking greenhouse-gas measurements, especially of methane, with soil properties and microbial communities
• Presenting your work at national and international conferences and publishing results in (peer-reviewed) scientific journals

• Master’s or equivalent university degree in Environmental Sciences, Soil Science, Biology, Ecology, Agricultural Sciences or a related field
• Initial experience in gas-measurement techniques and/or molecular analyses
• Strong interest in agroecological processes and in relevant experimental studies
• Experience with statistics and/or bioinformatics and programming skills in R an advantage
• Enjoyment of field and laboratory work (independently and in a team)
• Knowledge of two official Swiss languages and English

• Working for Switzerland

  We are committed to the successful Swiss model and work for the public good.

• Embracing diversity

  Thanks to equal opportunities, we draw on our expertise and contribute different perspectives.

• Staying healthy at work

  We support and advise our employees in the area of physical and mental health.

All benefits (https://www.stelle.admin.ch/stelle/en/home/bundesverwaltung/ihre-vorteile-auf-einen-blick.html'))

Additional information

The ’Climate and Agriculture’ Research Group explores options for reducing agricultural greenhouse-gas emissions from soils and fertilisers and through carbon sinks. The Group investigates the opportunities and risks posed by climate change for plant production and evaluates options for adaptation. It is also responsible for the Swiss Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Inventory.

In your application, please refer to

myScience.ch

and reference JobID66383 .