Scholarship

Company Description

Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna is a historic public university that promotes inclusion, equity, and diversity as core values across all its activities. With five campuses, a branch in Buenos Aires, more than 260 degree programmes, and 51 PhD programmes, the University serves a diverse community of approximately 97,000 students and over 6,000 staff members.

Internationally recognised for excellence in teaching and research, the University of Bologna maintains extensive partnerships with academic institutions, businesses, and organisations across Europe and worldwide.

Role Description

A 12-month, full-time research position is available in the Agricultural Chemistry group at the Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences (DISTAL), University of Bologna.

The research will focus on the effects of composted soil amendments on soil organic carbon within medium-long-term agronomic field experiments funded by the Italian Composting and Biogas Association (CIC).

The successful candidate will contribute to:

• Management and analysis of experimental data collected between 2018 and 2026;
• Application of linear and mixed-effects statistical models;
• Multivariate analysis of soil and crop data;
• Development, calibration, and validation of soil carbon-balance models;
• Application of the RothC model to simulate soil organic carbon dynamics;
• Integration and interpretation of total organic carbon (TOC), permanganate-oxidisable carbon (POXC), and natural-abundance δ¹³C data;
• Preparation of scientific papers, technical reports, and contributions to national and international conferences;
• Collaboration with academic staff, research teams, and project partners.

The position offers the opportunity to contribute to research supporting European policies on soil health, climate-change mitigation, sustainable agriculture, and the circular economy.

Qualifications

• Academic background in agricultural sciences, soil science, environmental sciences, chemistry, biology, or a related discipline;
• Demonstrated experience with the RothC soil organic carbon model, including its parameterisation, calibration, validation, and application to experimental data;
• Interest in soil fertility, soil organic matter dynamics, and the processes controlling carbon accumulation and stabilisation in agricultural soils;
• Ability to manage, process, and interpret experimental datasets;
• Familiarity with statistical analysis, particularly linear models, mixed-effects models, and multivariate methods;
• Experience with statistical software such as R, or a strong willingness to develop advanced skills in this area;
• Strong scientific writing and oral communication skills;
• Organisational skills and the ability to work both independently and as part of a multidisciplinary research team;
• Good command of English; knowledge of Italian is beneficial for academic and administrative activities;
• Motivation to prepare scientific publications and present research results at national and international events.

Full details regarding eligibility requirements, application procedures, and the deadline are available in the official call:

🔗 https://lnkd.in/d9u9PFtz

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