Post-Doctoral position: High-throughput phenotyping and performance prediction in a biological control parasitoid wasp

Post-Doctoral Position: High-throughput phenotyping and performance prediction in a biological control parasitoid wasp

INRAE Sophia Antipolis (France) is seeking a post-doctoral researcher to conduct research on high-throughput phenotyping and performance prediction in biological control, focusing on parasitoid micro-wasps of the genus Trichogramma.

The successful candidate will collaborate with teams involved in the TrichoPhenBio project jointly coordinated by the UMR Institut Sophia Agrobiotech (ISA, Sophia Antipolis, France) and the UMR Santé et Agroécologie du Vignoble (SAVE, Bordeaux, France). This project aims to develop innovative phenotyping tools for predicting field performance of Trichogramma wasps, key biological control agents used against the grapevine pest Lobesia botrana.

The post-doctoral fellow will:
• Analyze field performance data from several Trichogramma strains obtained during field experiments conducted in vineyards in 2025.
• Measure phenotypic variability in the laboratory using and developing video-phenotyping methods.
• Assess the potential to predict field performance based on laboratory-measured traits.
• Supervise students involved in laboratory experiments.
• Contribute to the dissemination of results through scientific publications, conference presentations, and methodological sharing within the biocontrol community.

Required Profile
• PhD in biology, ecology, entomology, agronomic sciences, or related discipline.
• Experience in behavioral ecology, phenotypic trait measurement in arthropods, and work with live organisms.
• Solid skills in programming languages (R, Python, or similar) and interest in applying them to image/video data analysis.
• Solid skills in data analysis and statistics.
• Motivation for experimental laboratory work and for image acquisition and analysis.
• Curiosity, creativity, and scientific inventiveness.
• Strong teamwork and collaboration skills.
• Excellent scientific writing abilities.
• Experience in molecular biology techniques would be an asset.

Contract Details
• Employer: INRAE (French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment)
• Location: Sophia Antipolis, France
• Duration: 12 months
• Starting date: January 2026
• Salary: According to the INRAE post-doctoral salary scale (monthly gross salary starting from €2,800, depending on experience)

Application procedure: Applicants should send a CV and a cover letter to silene.lartigue@inrae.fr
Application deadline: 4 weeks after publication.