PhD Researcher (f/m/d)

at  LeibnizZentrum fr Agrarlandschaftsforschung eV

LEIBNIZ-ZENTRUM FÜR AGRARLANDSCHAFTSFORSCHUNG E.V. - HR

The mission of the Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF) as a nationally and internationally active research institute is to deliver solutions for an ecologically, economically and socially sustainable agriculture – together with society. ZALF is a member of the Leibniz Association and is located in Müncheberg (approx. 35 minutes by regional train from Berlin-Lichtenberg). The institute also maintains locations in Dedelow and Paulinenaue.
PhD Researcher (f/m/d)
The Agroecology4Climate project is co-funded by the Canadian New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF), the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the Brazilian FAPESP and will use a novel methodology to test the relationships between personal, political, and practical leverage points driving the (agroecological) transition towards diversified perennial systems (e.g. agroforestry) to support climate adaptation (improving resilience in livelihoods and food security) and mitigation (increasing carbon sequestration). We understand agroecological transitions as the intentional diversification of farming in collaboration with social networks to create landscapes that foster honored work, conservation of biodiversity, and climate resilience.
The Agroecology4Climate project builds on transdisciplinary research on agroecological transitions with climate-vulnerable farming communities in Canada (British Columbia Lower Mainland), Germany (Brandenburg), India (Kerala), and Brazil (São Paulo). The project works directly with farming communities, social movements, and policy makers to improve evidence-based decision-making to assess the potential of agroecological transitions for climate adaptation and mitigation. The project consortium includes as academic partners the University of British Columbia (UBC), University of Hohenheim (UHOH), State University of São Paolo (UNESP), Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) and the Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), as well as farming associations and/or cooperatives in all four case study regions.
The project has 3 main objectives: 1) evidence synthesis to test the relationships between personal, political, and practical leverage points driving the adoption of agroforestry and other diversified perennial systems, 2) field studies to test climate mitigation and adaptation outcomes across a diversification gradient, from low-diversity farming systems to perennial and agroforestry-based management systems, 3) scaling transformations through co-production of knowledge both locally within case studies and globally across case studies.
We are offering a PhD position (65% position) for three years, starting August 1st at our location in Müncheberg as PhD Researcher (f/m/d).

REQUIREMENTS:

• MSc in agroecology, geography, interdisciplinary environmental sciences, agricultural sciences or related field
• strong interest in sustainability issues as they pertain to the agri-food system
• good understanding of agri-food and/or socio-environmental systems. Knowledge about the Brandenburg context would be an asset
• experience with inter- or transdisciplinary sustainability research. Experience in conducting participatory, on-farm research and working with stakeholders would be a strong asset
• strong analytical skills
• existing knowledge of comparative and/or interdisciplinary quantitative and qualitative scientific methods, e.g. experimental design, field (soil, plant, biodiversity) sampling, above-ground carbon measurements, farmer surveys, focus groups, text coding and content analysis, statistics, GIS or land cover mapping
• experience working with agroecological data collection methods (e.g. TAPE) would be an asset
• knowledge of MAXQDA, Nvivo or similar software as well as experience with the software R is desirable, but not a prerequisite
• strong interest in working with a transdisciplinary and international project team
• as an internationally research institution, located in Germany we require good to very good written and spoken English skills and the willingness to take part in further training as part of the language courses in German offered internally
• commitment to contribute to a positive work environment and group learning processes
• organizational skills and ability to work independently. Organizational skills and ability to work independently

• independently carry out inter- and transdisciplinary research on agroecological transitions in Brandenburg that will result in a cumulative PhD thesis
• leading the field study in Brandenburg by conducting transdisciplinary research with project partners from the AbL and Demeter to carry out on-farm research together with farmers
• develop and deepen stakeholder networks with important actors for agroecological transitions in Brandenburg
• conduct qualitative interviews, mixed method surveys, and field sampling (e.g. soil carbon, above-ground carbon, creating land cover maps of farms)
• assess farmers’ management practices, farm productivity, and participation in agroecological movements
• discussing, integrating, and sharing results with project partners
• attending regular project meetings and workshopsLead the writing of scientific publications, as well as contribute to other research outputs, e.g., reports, and communication/engagement materials for local stakeholder