Senior Researcher from abroad - Environment/Ecology

Mendel University in Brno announces a selection procedure for a work-stay of

Senior Researcher from abroad in the field of Environment/Ecology

Research field: Environment/Ecology

Department: Agrochemistry, Soil Science, Microbiology and Plant Nutrition

Duration of mobility: 3 months

Estimated start of mobility: March/April 2023
The amount of work time during the period of mobility: 1,0 FTE (fulltime) on MENDELU with a place of work in the Czech Republic – Brno.
Application deadline: December 8th, 2022

Funding of the work stay will be fully covered by the European Union’s Operational Programme Research, Development and Education project “MENDELU international development II” (reg. no. CZ.02.2.69/0.0/0.0/18_053/0016930).

Research topics of the Senior Researcher at MENDELU: use of Biochar to Accelerate Microbiological Remediation of Contaminated Soils (main research topic)

What will you do?

• developing a new technique, namely functionalized biochar which can be used to accelerate the microbial remediation of contaminated soils
• preparation of functionalized biochar and its characterization
• evaluation in terms of their type, dosage, mode of application on the properties of remediated soil in the soil-contaminant-biochar-plant system
• investigation the biological effects of functionalized biochar in the soil- contaminant-biochar -plant systems
  functionalized biochar amendments for sustainable soil quality and soil health
• assessment the efficiency for agriculture and environment management

For the above announced mobility, 1 Senior Researcher will be selected. The Selection Committee decides on the selection of the particular candidate.

What do we require from you?

The person selected to participate in the mobility must, to the start of the mobility, simultaneously meet the following criteria:

• Be a Senior Researcher from abroad - A Senior Researcher shall mean a Researcher who was awarded a Ph.D. degree or similar (equivalent to Level 8 according to ISCED) 7 and more years ago and worked for at least 2 years over the period of the last 3 years in an organisation/organisations outside the Czech Republic in the field of research, with working time at least 0,5 FTE. Czech citizens are not excluded.
• Meet the following performance criteria of a Senior Researcher:
  H-index – minimum value of 10 (the Web of Science or Scopus is a source for evidence of required h-index value)
• a contribution in at least one international grant or national grant over the last 5 years as a solver or co-solver
  publication activity – in the last 5 years at least 3 publication outputs (see Definitions of the terms used at the end of this document).

The applicant for the selection procedure submits the following documents electronically, ideally in one zip file, byDecember 8th 2022:

1. Diploma (or recognition)

2. Professional CV with a reference to publication activity

3. Document(s) proving activities outside the Czech Republic for 2 years over the course of the last 3 years (can be submitted in the professional CV)

4. Evidence of the h-index value with applicant’s signature (an extract from the Web of Science or Scopus)

5. Motivation letter, where the link to MENDELU will be described – previous or current cooperation with the workplace at MENDELU where the researcher will work. The benefits of such cooperation will be considered

6. Short description of planned research activities on which the Researcher will work during the mobility including description of connections to research conducted before the mobility

7. Justification of the need for realization of the mobility considering the research field and a particular workplace where the mobility will be realized, as well as the relevance of the research. The objectives and benefits of mobility must be specific and clearly defined (e.g. the establishment of new or expansion of existing cooperation, establishing of contacts with the workplace, knowledge transfer, the transfer of research methods etc.)

8. Mobility schedule

Definitions of the terms used

International grants shall mean funds received by the researcher in international grant competitions, particularly in Horizon 2020, but also in other international programmes and schemes when an international or multinational institution decides on the selection of the grant beneficiary in the competition (e.g. European Commission, COST, European Science Foundation, foreign grant agency, foreign foundation awarding research grants etc.). At the same time, the International Grant must meet the following conditions: a) it is an international grant in the RDE field, b) projects from different states compete with each other, c) at least a portion of the funds received (private or public) originate from foreign sources.

Mobility shall mean a working stay of a Researcher from abroad in the Czech Republic.

National grants shall mean funds received by the researcher in grant competitions at the national level in the RDE field. Internal grants of individual organisations/institutions cannot be deemed national grants.

Publication activity shall mean an expert publication registered in Thomson Reuters Web of Science, Scopus or ERIH PLUS databases and at the same time, publications such as “articles”, “books”, “book chapters”, “letters” and “reviews”.