PDRA in Data Science for Soil-Biomass & Sustainable Land Use

Full-time, Fixed-term Contract (24 months)

The closing date for applications is 23:59 on 6^th Sep 2026

Interviews will be held: 18^th Sep 2026 (including a short presentation)

By reference to the applicable SOC code for this role, sponsorship may be possible under the Skilled Worker Route. Applicants wishing to consider the SWR must ensure that they are able to meet the points requirement before applying. There is further information about this on the UK Visas and Immigration Website UK Visas and Immigration Website.

Applications are invited for a Postdoctoral Research Associate to join SOILBIOMASS+, a Horizon Europe project co-creating sustainable biomass production and soil-health restoration pathways across diverse European landscapes.

Based in the School of Agriculture, Policy and Development at the University of Reading, you will contribute primarily to Work Package 2, which focuses on soil-health and biomass indicators, land-management practices, land-suitability assessment and land-use scenario modelling. You will help develop reproducible, transparent and FAIR data products for downstream GIS-based land-suitability assessment, modelling and decision-support tools.

You will have:

• A PhD, or be near completion, in a relevant subject such as data science, agricultural or environmental economics, environmental science, geography, soil science, agroecology, land-use modelling, sustainability science, spatial analysis, or a closely related discipline.
• Data-science, quantitative or computational skills for analysing complex evidence or datasets.
• Programming skills in Python, R or related tools.
• Experience using computational or AI-assisted analytical tools.
• The ability to produce structured datasets, indicators, parameters and technical documentation.

Project-specific guidance on soil-health concepts, crop and biomass systems, and land-management decision contexts will be provided by the University of Reading team and SOILBIOMASS+ partners.

Informal contact details

Contact Name: Dr Jorge Campos-Gonzalez

Contact Job Title: Senior Research Fellow

Contact Email address: jorge.camposgonzalez@reading.ac.uk

We welcome applications from both external and internal candidates. As part of the University’s ongoing commitment to professional development, this role can be considered on a seconded basis for existing staff members. Internal candidates should discuss this with their line manager prior to applying.

The University is committed to having a diverse and inclusive workforce, supports the gender equality Athena SWAN Charter and the Race Equality Charter, and champions LGBT+ equality. We are a Disability Confident Employer (Level 2). Applications for job-share, part-time and flexible working arrangements are welcomed and will be considered in line with business needs.

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