진학프로석·박사 채용 접수 플랫폼

University of Thessaly is offering a Postdoc position in Microbial Ecology with expected commencement in November 2025. The position is offered in the frame of the project RATION, a Horizon Europe project. RATION is a 4-year project started at 1.11.2021 and involves 22 partners.

Brief Project Description
Low risk pesticides (LRP) including (i) plant extracts (ii) semiochemicals like pheromones and allelochemicals, (iii) microbial pesticides, are gaining ground in theglobal market, as substitutes of synthetic pesticides. In addition, new microbial solutions (phages, protists, microbial consortia) and ds-RNA pesticides are emerging,low-risk solutions expect to reach the market in coming years. Despite ongoing regulatory efforts by the European Commission, we are still lacking a concrete riskassessment (RA) scheme relevant to LRPs, a point which blocks LRPs reaching the EU market. RATION timely comes to address these regulatory constraints andaims to develop a novel RA scheme, supported by the necessary guidance on methods and tools, tailored to the specific characteristics of established and emergingLRP solutions. This main goal will be achieved through a series of interrelated WPs aiming (i) to map the current status of LRPs in Europe and identify mainregulatory constraints (WP1). In this quest it will be supported by a stakeholders forum composed of all relevant actors (industry, regulators, academics, famers,general public); (ii) to develop and validate, through a proof-of-concept exercise, innovative RA (and associated tools) for microbials (WP2), plant extracts,semiochemicals, pheromones (WP3) and, ds-RNA (WP4); and from there (iii) build a harmonized RA for all LRP and determine its socioeconomic impact (WP5), (iv) to effectively communicate and disseminate the new RA knowledge and its associated tools developed by RATION to relevant actors ensuring sustainability beyondproject duration (WP6). RATION will benchmark EU regulatory science, uplift blockers holding back LRP uptake by the EU market and motivate research innovationin plant protection. To achieve these goals 22 partners from academia, industry and regulatory bodies, representing 10 member states and 2 non-EU member states,will join forces in a multi-sectoral and multidisciplinary effort.

Principal Investigator: Prof. Dimitrios Karpouzas, dkarpouzas@uth.gr , +30-2410565294

Job description: The position is available for 4 months with a potential for extention for 2 more months if required. The main working tasks of the successful candidate will be:
- to determine the background levels of microbial pesticides in agricultural soils in Europe using metagenomics and q-PCR approaches
- To have good knowledge of soil microbial ecology
- To be able to collaborate with other researchers, understand biological scientific questions and provide analytical solutions to complex datasets
- To work closely with the PI, other researchers working on RATION
- To be able to right reports and scientific documents