PhD Position: Agro-Economic Analysis of Legume-Cereal Mixtures (PhenoMix project)

PhD Position: Agro-Economic Analysis of Legume-Cereal Mixtures (PhenoMix project)

100%, Zurich, fixed-term

This doctoral student position is part of the project ’ PhenoMix: Multidimensional field phenotyping of crop mixtures ’, supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation. The position is hosted by the Crop Science group; a vibrant and interdisciplinary working group in the Institute of Agricultural Sciences at the Department of Environmental Systems Science at ETH Zurich. Our group’s phenotyping research focuses on the development of methods and models to determine traits of relevance for crop breeding and variety testing. The Agroscope research group Extension Arable Crops (Competence division Plants and Plant Products) develops ecological solutions for disease, pest and weed control and evaluates crop varieties for their suitability under Swiss conditions. It takes a holistic approach to create sustainable, cost-efficient, and climate-resilient arable farming systems.Please enter text here

Project background

PhenoMix is a joint project of four research groups at ETH Zurich, the Swiss Data Science Center and Agroscope. The overall objective of PhenoMix is to test the hypothesis that current high throughput field phenotyping technology in combination with plant physiological and ecosystem service assessments can provide a breakthrough to determine genotypes that can be successfully combined in agroecologically beneficial legume-cereal mixtures. Different varieties of legumes (peas, lentils) and cereals (wheat, oats, barley) will be grown in pure stands and in mixtures on the field phenotyping platform FIP of the Crop Science group, on a neighbouring experimental field and on farmer’s fields. The PhenoMix Work Packages address phenotyping, plant ecophysiology, data science, and agronomic-economic performance with four doctoral students, two postdocs and several technicians assigned to those work packages. The Agro-Economic doctoral student will establish and monitor on-site and on-farm field experiments investigating several lentil-cereal mixtures by assessing various ecosystem services.

Job description

This doctoral project will form an important cornerstone in the mosaic of the entire project with specific tasks and in alignment with the other PhenoMix doctoral students and postdocs for which recruiting is also going on currently. Overall tasks of the project include:

• Planning, conducting and evaluating field and post-harvest laboratory experiments
• Performing statistical analyses, including AI-based approaches
• Presentation of results at national and international events and publication in peer-reviewed and in practice-oriented journals
• Organisation of national workshops for growers, food industry and consumers
• Assistance in plot establishment, maintenance, monitoring, and harvest across all Work Packages of PhenoMix.

This full-time position is funded for four years. Salary and social benefits are provided according to ETH Zurich rules. The place of work will be at Agroscope in 8046 Zurich-Affoltern.

Profile

• A MSc degree in agricultural sciences, biology, ecology or in a related field.
• Strong interest in applied interdisciplinary research and enjoyment of complex field experiments
• Experience in planning laboratory and field experiments as well as in statistical analyses (e.g. R)
• Performance- oriented, team player and open-minded personality
• Excellent standard of written and spoken English
• Good writing skills
• Driver’s license
• Experience in niche crops and good oral communication skills in German are beneficial

Workplace

We offer

• Your job with impact: Become part of ETH Zurich, which not only supports your professional development, but also actively contributes to positive change in society
• You can expect numerous benefits , such as public transport season tickets and car sharing, a wide range of sports offered by the ASVZ , childcare and attractive pension benefits

We value diversity and sustainability

Curious? So are we.

We look forward to receiving your online application by 31 May 2026 with the following documents:

• Letter of motivation describing your background, motivation and qualifications
• CV
• BSc and MSc certificates with complete transcripts and a link to your MSc thesis
• Contact information of two referees

The desired starting date is 1 October 2026. We will start interviewing candidates by mid-June 2026. Please note that we exclusively accept applications submitted through our online application portal. Applications via email or postal services will not be considered.

For further information about the Crop Science group and the group Extension Arable Crops and PhenoMix please visit the respective websites. Questions regarding the position can be directed to Prof. Dr. Achim Walter ( achim.walter@ usys.ethz.ch ) and Dr. Susanne Vogelgsang ( susanne.vogelgsang@ agroscope.admin.ch ).

Please note that we exclusively accept applications submitted through our online application portal. Applications via email or postal services will not be considered.

We would like to point out that the pre-selection is carried out by the responsible recruiters and not by artificial intelligence.

ETH Zurich is one of the world’s leading universities specialising in science and technology. We are renowned for our excellent education, cutting-edge fundamental research and direct transfer of new knowledge into society. Over 30,000 people from more than 120 countries find our university to be a place that promotes independent thinking and an environment that inspires excellence. Located in the heart of Europe, yet forging connections all over the world, we work together to develop solutions for the global challenges of today and tomorrow.