Organizational Setting

The Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications implements the IAEA's Major Programme 2, "Nuclear Techniques for Development and Environmental Protection". This Major Programme comprises individual programmes on food and agriculture, human health, water resources, environment and radiation technologies. These programmes are supported by laboratories in Seibersdorf, Monaco and Vienna. The Major Programme's objective is to enhance the capacity of Member States to meet basic human needs and to assess and manage the marine and terrestrial environments through the use of nuclear and isotopic techniques in sustainable development programmes.

The Joint FAO/IAEA Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture assists Member States of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the IAEA in using nuclear techniques and related technologies to improve food security, alleviate poverty and promote sustainable agriculture. The Joint Centre consists of five Sections, each with an associated laboratory (located in Seibersdorf, 45 km south-east of Vienna), in the areas of: animal production and health; plant breeding and genetics; insect pest control; soil and water management and crop nutrition; and food safety and control.

The Soil and Water Management and Crop Nutrition Section and Laboratory assist Member States in developing improved soil and water management practices for sustainable intensification of agricultural production systems, the conservation of natural resources and the effective use of external inputs through applied and adaptive research and development activities, technology transfer and capacity building.

Main Purpose

The purpose of the consultancy is to provide technical expertise and input to the Soil and Water Management and Crop Nutrition Laboratory in the development, testing and application of in-situ drone-based sensing technologies for monitoring soil fertility, soil moisture dynamics and crop–soil interactions in agricultural systems.

The consultancy will contribute to strengthening the laboratory's capacity to integrate proximal sensing and nuclear/isotopic techniques for improved assessment of soil functions, soil water dynamics processes and resource use efficiency under field conditions.
The consultant will provide technical expertise in data acquisition, sensor integration, calibration and interpretation, contributing to coordinated research and technical cooperation activities as well as training and technology transfer to Member States.

Functions / Key Results Expected

  1. Pilot deployment of drone-based sensing for soil moisture and soil fertility monitoring
    Provide technical guidance on the selection, integration and deployment of drone platforms and sensors (e.g. multispectral and thermal) for monitoring soil moisture status, vegetation performance and selected soil fertility indicators under field conditions.
    Design and implement at least one pilot field campaign, including development of practical protocols for flight planning, ground control and environmental considerations.

  2. Calibration and interpretation of drone-derived indicators
    Calibration of drone-derived indices using targeted ground measurements of soil moisture, soil fertility parameters and crop performance.
    Provide technical input to the establishment of pragmatic validation workflows integrating soil sampling, laboratory analyses and proximal sensing approaches, and — where relevant — linkage with fallout radionuclide or stable isotope measurements to improve understanding of spatial soil processes.

  3. Data processing workflows, knowledge transfer and technical recommendations
    develop basic workflows for processing and analysing drone datasets and demonstrate their potential integration into ongoing research activities and decision-support applications.
    Prepare knowledge transfer materials to staff and fellows through practical guidance during field deployment and data interpretation.
    Prepare a concise technical report summarising tested approaches, key lessons learned, limitations, and recommendations for further development and scaling within CRPs and TCPs.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

  • Soil and Water Management and Crop Nutrition

Qualifications and Experience

  • University degree (masters) in agriculture, soil science, environmental science, or related field.

  • Minimum five years experience in agricultural research, drone-based environmental or agricultural monitoring, including sensor integration, field deployment and acquisition of soil moisture and vegetation data and practical experience in field experimentation and applied research, preferably in soil and water management or land degradation monitoring, of which minimum two years experience in geospatial data processing and interpretation, including image analysis, spatial assessment of soil fertility indicators and calibration of remote sensing data with ground measurements.

  • Experience with proximal soil sensing techniques and/or environmental radionuclide or gamma spectrometry applications an asset.

  • Experience in international research, training or decision-support tool development an asset.

  • Good oral and written command of English. Knowledge of other official IAEA languages (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish) is an asset.

Remuneration

The remuneration for this consultancy is a daily fee of up to a maximum of € 250, based on qualifications and experience. In case duty travel is required within the assignment, a daily subsistence allowance (DSA) and travel costs are provided. Health coverage and pension fund are the responsibility of the incumbent.


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