🔗 Project Summary

PhenoMix addresses different aspects of agroecologically beneficial legume-cereal crop mixtures in the field. The project focuses on legume-cereal mixtures, including different varieties of pea and lentil as well as wheat, oats, and barley grown under an experimental field phenotyping platform.

The two doctoral students in our Work Package will assess differences in canopy microclimate and plant traits as well as ecosystem services between pure stands and crop mixtures. Based on stable carbon, nitrogen, and water isotope applications, they will determine light, nitrogen, and water use and assess complementarity in crop mixtures during three cropping seasons.

🌟 Why This Scholarship Stands Out

This PhD is unique because it combines plant ecophysiology, stable isotope analysis, and ecosystem services assessment in one project. You will work with legume-cereal mixtures – a classic agroecological practice that reduces nitrogen fertilizer needs while maintaining yields. The project is part of PhenoMix, a collaboration between ETH Zurich, the Swiss Data Science Center, and Agroscope, meaning you will interact with data scientists and agronomists across disciplines. The use of stable isotopes (carbon, nitrogen, water) to track resource use complementarity is a sophisticated technique that few labs master. ETH Zurich offers world-class facilities, and the Grassland Sciences group is led by Prof. Nina Buchmann, a leading figure in plant ecophysiology. For someone interested in sustainable agriculture, this is an opportunity to do rigorous science with direct practical relevance to reducing synthetic fertilizer use.

✅ Candidate Profile and Eligibility

📝 My Application Strategy

1. Emphasize stable isotope experience – If you have used IRMS or analyzed δ13C, δ15N, or δ18O, highlight this explicitly. If not, show willingness to learn
2. Highlight programming skills – R or Python experience is essential. Mention specific packages (tidyverse, lme4, vegan) or projects
3. Show understanding of crop mixtures – Read about complementarity effects, niche differentiation, and reduced nitrogen inputs. Cite recent papers in Functional Ecology or Field Crops Research
4. Acknowledge the field phenotyping platform – This project uses high-tech sensors. Show interest in working with proximal sensing data
5. Prepare a 3-minute explanation of why legume-cereal mixtures reduce environmental impact while maintaining yields

💼 What They Offer

🎓 Who Should Apply

This scholarship is perfect for a student with a background in plant ecophysiology or agroecology who enjoys fieldwork and data analysis. If you are comfortable spending days measuring canopy traits in the field and evenings coding in R, this project offers the best of both worlds. Candidates with stable isotope experience are especially encouraged. The ideal candidate is someone who thinks about crop mixtures not just as a yield story, but as a system where complementarity in resource use (light, water, nitrogen) drives ecosystem services.

Useful Links

• PhD Plant Fungal Interactions Sweden | Umeå University
• PhD Animals Forest Carbon Cycling Germany | KIT
• More PhD Positions