We are looking for a PhD Candidate to join the Fruit Growing and the Efficient Use of Water in Agriculture program team, based in Lleida (Fruitcentre). We offer the opportunity to be part of an organization with a dynamic, collaborative work environment focused on professional development.
We invite applications from motivated candidates with passion and a strong interest in conducting research and innovation in digital twin development, particularly in areas such as crop modelling and sensing applied to precision agriculture, plant phenotyping, and computer vision. The applicant will contribute to the development and validation of a model, analyse the physiological basis of the carbon budget and water relations of irrigated apple trees, combining sensors and data analysis under varying environmental conditions (
PomaTwin project).
Supervisor/s: Jaume Casadesús and Jaume Lordan
Tasks and Responsibilities:
- Curate datasets for calibrating and validating the modules of phenology, C budget and yield of a model for an apple orchard.
- Maintain and process longitudinal datasets from field trials, including sensor data (3D, environmental, physiological) and management records.
- Coordinate and execute experimental trials involving different environmental conditions, irrigation strategies, training systems, and cultivar/rootstock combinations.
- Develop data processing pipelines and analytical tools for integrating sensor data, physiological measurements, and model outputs.
- Contribute to the development and validation of models for simulating the carbon balance and water relations of fruit trees under different environmental and management conditions.
- Contribute to the scientific outputs derived from the research activities of the project.
- Participate in dissemination and communication activities, including presentations at scientific conferences, stakeholder events, and collaborative workshops.
- To supervise bachelor’s degree students doing practices related to the project.
Required qualifications and experience
- Candidates must hold both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in one of the following fields: Agronomic Sciences, Biology, Environmental Sciences or related, Computer Engineering, Data Science, Bioinformatics or equivalent.
- To be in a position to access a doctoral programme according to the requirements of Catalan universities, i.e. accrediting between 60 and 120 ECTS credits at the official university master’s degree level or equivalent.
- Proficiency in English
- Strong teamwork skills, ability to adapt to multidisciplinary environments and a focus on professional growth and development.
Desirable requirements
- Programming skills in a suitable language (e.g., Pyhton) and experience in specialized libraries for Machine Learning and Deep Learning (Scikit-learn, Pytorch, TensorFlow or equivalent) will be valued.
- Knowledge and experience on the use of sensors.
- Willingness to conduct agronomic and field work.
- Dissemination skills: presentation/communication skills, and technical writing.
- Good written and oral English skills.
- Catalan and Spanish are valued.
Advantages of joining our team:
- Terms of appointment: 4 years
- Contract: The financial remuneration for the PhD Candidate contract will be 19,656,35€/gross per annum and for the first and second years. For this third year, it will be €21,060,37€/gross per annum and for the fourth year it will be €26,325,47€/gross per annum which will be subject to the corresponding withholdings, pursuant to prevailing regulations, and to the collective employment agreement of IRTA. IRTA will also pay the fees of the doctoral school when receiving the enrolment. (1)
- 37.5 hour workweek, with Friday afternoons off
- Intensive work schedule from 15/06 to 15/09
- 23 vacation days
- 3 days of family & work conciliation
- 45 hours of personal days
- Remote work 6 workdays per month
- Adaptable Schedule for a good work-life balance.
- Continuous training and professional growth opportunities.
Please know that if you are the chosen candidate and you are from a country which does not belong to the UE, IRTA’s People Department will support you to get the residence and working permits.
Instructions to Apply
If you wish to be considered for this position and believe you meet the requirements, please send your CV and motivation letter.
Equal treatment and equal opportunities are guaranteed for all candidates in the selection process, avoiding stereotypes, bias or barriers linked to gender, sexual orientation, origin, age, ideology, or any other potentially discriminatory condition. The organization also ensures inclusion commitment toward vulnerable groups, and the first round of the selection process is reserved for candidates with functional diversity.
Timings in the Recruitment Process
30 natural days: Publication and diffusion of the job advertisement on IRTA’s website and/or social media.
20 following working days: Interview and/or tests to the most suitable candidates based on the job position.
Start of contract: third quarter of 2026 (approximately)
(1) The financial remuneration of the PhD Candidate contract may not be less than 56% of the salary established for the category of Research Collaborator F of the Collective Agreement of the IRTA during the first two years, 60% in the third year and 75% in the fourth.