Research Associate

The University of Kassel, Faculty of Organic Agricultural Sciences, Social-Ecological Interactions in Agricultural Systems group (Prof. Dr. Tobias Plieninger), offers the following position:

Research associate (m/f/x), EG 13 TV-H, part time, currently 26 h per week

This is a part-time position with 65% of the working time of a full-time employee and an initial fixed-term position until 31.08.2023 (§2 para 2 WissZeitVG). The position is integrated into a research project funded by the Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area (PRIMA): “ConServeTerra - Overcoming the physical and mental barriers for upscaling Conservation Agriculture in the Mediterranean”. ConServeTerra aims to facilitate wider acceptance and adoption of conservation agriculture principles in the Mediterranean region by tackling the mental, cultural and contextual realities surrounding farmers’ soil management decisions. The research associate will study how to determine the mental models and social determinants of farmers’ soil management decisions, particularly in respect to conservation agriculture and reduced soil disturbance. The research associate will work in case studies in Spain, Morocco, and Tunisia. Mental model analysis, placed-based research site comparisons, participatory workshops, and semi-structured interviews will be combined to elicit the knowledge, relationships, values, and limitations regarding conservation agriculture practices of different actors along the different case studies. The opportunity for a doctorate is given.