The Agricultural University of Athens (AUA) is the 3rd oldest University in Greece (established in 1920) and has a significant contribution to the development of both the Greek and European primary sector by doing research in agriculture-related sciences and having been involved in nearly one-third of the agriculture-related research in Greece. In the EnTrust project, AUA will be represented by the Smart Farming Technology Group (SFTGroup), led by Professor Spyros Fountas (scientific coordinator), which belongs to the Department of Natural Resources and Agricultural Engineering. The SFTGroup has a considerable track of records with respect to contribution to educational/training programs for university courses and other International Training Programmes.
To read more about the Athens University of Agriculture, please check the website.

Eligibility Rules

The applicants need to meet several requirements to be eligible for this position.
Mobility rule: Researchers can be of any nationality, but they are required to undertake physical, transnational mobility (i.e., move from one country to another) when taking up their appointment. Consequently, applicants for this position will have to move their centre of life to the greater area of host beneficiaries’ country. Additionally, researchers shall not have resided or carried out their main activity in the country of their host organization for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to the recruitment date. Time spent as part of a procedure for obtaining refugee status under the Geneva Convention97 will not be considered for the mobility rule.

Doctoral Researchers (DRs) rule: Applicants at the date of recruitment, must be in the first four years (full-time equivalent research experience) of their research careers and have not been awarded a doctoral degree.

Criteria

• Hold a Master’s degree.
• Meet the admission requirements of the doctorate degree program of the corresponding university of this position.
• Language Skills: Applicants should have professional knowledge in (Scientific) English language and be fluent in the development and explanation of research ideas and methods, expressed in scientific manuscripts.
• Strong motivation to work in a group performing top quality research work and fluent personal communication skills including the capacity to clearly articulate and support ideas. Prior experience in research and academic publication record will be appreciated.
• Training: The candidate will need to attend supplementary training courses (after a suggestion of the supervisor) for the development of a skillset considered important for a successful PhD research undertaking (e.g., soft and research-related skills, use of software tools, etc.)
• Official documents recognized by the Greek Authorities. Details can be found here.

How to apply?

All Candidates must apply electronically and follow the instructions to fill the details and compile the documents in one pdf file, following the order:

• Completed application form (available at above online link)
• Cover Letter
• A detailed Curricula Vitae (CV) of maximum 3 pages
• Master’s degree transcripts that are validated
• Any additional documents that prove the eligibility for the corresponding doctorate degree program
• Proof of sufficient English language skills
• Two Letters of Recommendation
• Proof of current residency/residence country (i.e., official document with the applicant’s name, surname, and address).

Note 1: Please be informed that the application must be written in English.
Note 2: Applicants can apply for up to a maximum of three Doctoral positions.

Employment

All Entrust DCs will be internationally recruited for a period of 36 months, will receive full-time employment contracts, will be enrolled in a PhD programme and actively participate in the Entrust Training Programme. Entrust will provide training equivalent to 30 ECTS over the duration of the programme.
The candidate is supposed to study and pass successfully numerous of doctoral courses and to design and execute an advanced research project that will constitute the doctoral dissertation.

Supervisors

Professor Spyros Fountas, Athens University of Agriculture (AUA)
Associate Professor Thomas Bartzanas, Athens University of Agriculture (AUA)

Secondment Plan

1. Secondment to Singular Logic (Greece), in month 12 for 2 months, to explore barriers for farmers
2. Secondment to Webgenesys (Italy), in month 34 for 2 months, to create and evaluate the lock-ins/drivers

Intersectoral Secondment supervisors:

Dr. Stamatia Rizou – Singular Logic, Greece
Mr. Pierluigi Gallo, Italy

Contract Type: Fixed term- 36 months
Contact Term: Full-time