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POST DOCTORATE CONTRACT (12 + 6 months).
Develop new and evaluate existing models for
predicting CH4 emissions under various nutritional,
animal, and farm management scenarios.
The French National Institute for Agricultural Research is a public institution with more than
10,000 agents across the French territory. INRA is the first European agricultural research
institute and produces scientific knowledge and works for economic and social innovation in the
areas of food, agriculture and the environment.
JOB ENVIRONMENT
 Research unit :
UMR1213 Herbivores is a joint research unit associating Inra and VetAgro Sup. It contributes to the
design of sustainable farming systems for herbivores that seek to reconcile production efficiency, product
quality and socio-economic viability with environmental protection and valuation, and animal welfare.
UMR1213 Herbivores assesses both on-farm practices and predominant and alternative systems of
herbivore farming, and proposes innovative techniques with high environmental value. To achieve this
aim, UMR1213 Herbivores analyses and integrates the underlying biological mechanisms, and
establishes laws for animal responses with approaches ranging from high-throughput techniques to
modelling and decision support tools for various stakeholders (producers, consumers, citizens, and
policy-makers).
The Unit is divided into 5 research teams including DINAMIC team (Digestion Nutrient and Microbiology).
DINAMIC team’s research on the microbial digestion of animal feed and nutrient absorption is a decisive
link in animal diet and nutrition research. The team analyzes the principles and mechanisms underlying
ruminal digestion and synthesis and digestive absorption. Special focus is given to the fine-grained
characterization of the ruminal microbial ecosystem in terms of its hydrolysis, fermentation and
detoxification functions. The target outcomes form an array that extends from feed efficiency and
reducing production costs to establishing the nutritional quality and sensory properties of milk and meat
products, safeguarding livestock health, ensuring food safety and environmental protection (GHGs), and
back to production system traceability applications.
 Context :
Ruminant livestock production is a major source of anthropogenic greenhouse gases (GHG).
Fermentation and digestion of feeds in the digestive tract and in manure are the principle sources of CH4
and N2O emissions in ruminants. The Feed and Nutrion Network (FNN) group is part of the Global
Research Alliance (GRA). This group is leading a project, the Facce JPI project “Global Network” that
has 7 workpackages. This Global Network will coordinate activities between leading international
research teams and add value to research undertaken thus far through an extensive evaluation of
available experimental data.
In this project, the French National Institute of Agricultural Research (INRA) team will involve 3
scientists of UMR1213 Herbivores: Dr. Cécile Martin is the French representative in the FNN, Dr. Maguy
Eugène is the French representative for this project and Dr Anne Ferlay. Dr. Martin will be in charge of
WP3 aiming at validating markers of enteric methane (CH4) production in collaboration with Dr. Ferlay.
Dr. Eugène will be involved with Drs. Martin and Ferlay in both WP1 and WP6 (in collaboration with Dr.
Kebreab).
In WP1 the databases that will be created will contain various animal classes such as heifers, steers,
feedlot cattle, animals on pasture, dairy cattle of different parity, and sheep and goats, which will allow
developing of specific models for these groups of animals. In WP6, state-of-the-art statistical analysis will
INRA
be conducted in order to provide an international group of scientists with the best estimate of GHG and
NH3 predictive equations for various classes of animals and under various feeding management.
At INRA, the role of the post-doctoral fellowship will be to participate in the WP6 in the statistical analysis
of the database, following INRA’s modelling methodology to estimate methane (CH4) emissions related
to feed characteristics, to validate the models and to write a publication of the results.
 Website of the unit :
http://www1.clermont.inra.fr/urh/
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
Candidate skills : phD in animal nutrition, modelisation, statistical analysis, database management
 Reception conditions
 How to apply
 Research unit : UMRH 1213
Send a motivation letter and a CV to :
 Location : Centre de Recherches Auvergne
Rhone Alpes, St genès Champanelle
 Type of contract : Post-doctorate
Maguy EUGENE
[email protected]
 Phone number
(33) 04 73 62 40 77
 Duration : 12 months+ (6 months renewable)
 Starting date : 01/09/2016
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 Gross salary : 2398,50 € à 2611,49 €
 Deadline for application : 01/06/2016
INRA