PhD Decision Support for Agricultural Water Management

Zürich | 100-100%

Your contribution

• Development of model-based decision support tools for different actors
• Agro-hydrological modeling (at regional level and at field level)
• Target-audience-oriented presentation and publication of project contents and results
• Co-creation and communication with project partners and stakeholders

What makes you unique

• Completed university degree MSc (Agricultural Sciences, Environmental Natural Sciences, Geography or similar)
• Experience with plant growth models, soil water balance models, hydrological models
• Very good knowledge of scripting languages (Python, R)
• Very good analytical and communicative skills
• Independent, goal- and solution-oriented way of working
• Knowledge of two official languages and English

In a nutshell

The summer of 2026 has shown the great importance that the water resource has for agriculture in Switzerland and what conflicts can arise regarding resource use. As part of this dissertation, you can make a decisive contribution with us and the project partners to make agricultural water management in Switzerland more sustainable for the future. The dissertation is embedded in the resource project "Integrales Wassermanagement Thurgau".

What we offer

• Working for Switzerland We are committed to the Swiss success model and work for the benefit of the population.
• Lived diversity Thanks to equal opportunity, we develop our competencies and bring in different perspectives.
• Healthy at the workplace We support and advise our employees in the area of physical and mental health.

All benefits (https://www.stelle.admin.ch/stelle/de/home/bundesverwaltung/ihre-vorteile-auf-einen-blick.html)

Good food, healthy environment

Agroscope is the Federal competence center for research in the agricultural and food industry. The researchers carry out their activities at various locations in Switzerland. Headquarters is Bern-Liebefeld (from 2026: Posieux FR). Agroscope is located within the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research WBF.

Additional information

The Water Protection and Material Flows research group researches in the area of nutrient management, -flows and -dynamics in agroecosystems as well as the environment and connects current knowledge with practice and policy advice. The associated Earth Observation team develops spatial and non-destructive methods in the context of remote sensing to support these and other tasks of Agroscope in the future.

Questions about the position

Annelie Holzkaemper
Team Leader Water Protection
+41 58 46 87516

Questions about the application

Raphaël Brandt
+41 58 46 37782