This postdoctoral position is part of the project "
PhenoMix: Multidimensional field phenotyping of crop mixtures", supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation. This position is hosted by the
Crop Science group; a vibrant and interdisciplinary working group in the Institute of Agricultural Sciences at the Department of Environmental Systems Science at ETH Zurich. Our group's phenotyping research focuses on the development of methods and models to determine traits of relevance for crop breeding and variety testing.
Project background PhenoMix is a joint project of four research groups at ETH Zurich, the Swiss Data Science Center and Agroscope. The overall objective of PhenoMix is to test the hypothesis that current high throughput field phenotyping (HTFP) technology in combination with plant physiological assessments and data science can provide a breakthrough to determine genotypes that can be successfully combined in agroecologically beneficial legume-cereal mixtures. Different varieties of pea and lentil as well as wheat, oats and barley will be grown under our field phenotyping platform
FIP, on a neighbouring experimental field and on farmer's fields. PhenoMix Work Packages address phenotyping, plant ecophysiology, data science, and agro-economic assessments with four doctoral students, two postdocs and several technicians assigned to those work packages. The postdoc for Phenotyping of Crop Mixtures will coordinate several overarching activities in the PhenoMix project and will contribute to collecting HTFP data, improving phenotyping workflows and developing a field robot for lean phenotyping.
Job description This postdoctoral position will form an important cornerstone in the mosaic of the entire project with specific tasks depending on skills, interests and alignment with at least one other postdoctoral position on data science and a doctoral student on Crop Phenotyping within the Crop Science group, for which recruiting is also going on currently.
Overall tasks of this project include:
- Co-design and coordinate field experiments and workplan for HTFP data collection
- Contribute to field work and to the collection of HTFP data from various phenotyping devices such as the FIP (multi-view RGB imaging), drones, handheld and manual devices
- Contribute to the design and/or establishment of a phenotyping robot that can acquire data from RGB cameras and potentially other sensors
- Generate modelling approaches to predict optimal cereal-legume combinations
- Supervise and mentor students from BSc to PhD-level
- Assist in the delivery of lectures or seminars for the Crop Science group
- Publish results in peer-reviewed journals; present at national and international conferences
- Contribute to international research networks and apply for funding
- The initial contract duration is two years with the possibility of extension to the full lifetime of this four-year-project, based on satisfactory performance
- Salary and social benefits are provided according to ETH Zurich rules
Profile - A PhD in agricultural sciences or a related field
- Several years of research experience in field crop phenotyping
- Good statistical and programming skills (e.g. in R or Python)
- Evidence of research excellence through peer-reviewed publications
- A strong desire for teaching, mentoring, teamwork and team coordination
- Driver's license
- Good oral communication skills in German are highly beneficial
We offer - Your job with impact: Become part of ETH Zurich, which not only supports your professional development, but also actively contributes to positive change in society
- You can expect numerous benefits, such as public transport season tickets and car sharing, a wide range of sports offered by the ASVZ, childcare and attractive pension benefits
> Working, teaching and research at ETH Zurich We value diversity and sustainability In line with
our values, ETH Zurich encourages an inclusive culture. We promote equality of opportunity, value diversity and nurture a working and learning environment in which the rights and dignity of all our staff and students are respected. Visit our
Equal Opportunities and Diversity website to find out how we ensure a fair and open environment that allows everyone to grow and flourish. Sustainability is a core value for us - we are consistently working towards a
climate-neutral future.
Curious? So are we. We look forward to receiving your online application by 15 May 2026 with the following documents:
- Letter of motivation (max. two pages) describing your background, motivation and specifying your experience in field crop phenotyping and other relevant qualifications
- Full CV, including a complete publication list
- Academic certificates and transcripts
- Two reference letters or contact information of two referees
The desired starting date is 1 August 2026. We will start interviewing candidates by mid-May 2026.
For further information about the
Crop Science group and
PhenoMix please visit the respective websites. Questions regarding the position can be directed to Prof. Dr. Achim Walter (
achim.walter@usys.ethz.ch).
Please note that we exclusively accept applications submitted through our online application portal. Applications via email or postal services will not be considered.
We would like to point out that the pre-selection is carried out by the responsible recruiters and not by artificial intelligence.
