Institute for Alpine Environment

Eurac Research is a private multidisciplinary research center located in Bolzano/Bozen (Italy), in the heart of the Italian Alps. Founded in 1992, it aims to find solutions to pressing societal challenges: keeping societies healthy, fostering intact environments, promoting sustainable energy and developing well-functioning political and social systems. Currently, it has over 650 employees and is organized in 11 Institutes and 7 Centers.

The Institute for Alpine Environment applies innovative approaches to assess biodiversity, ecosystem functions and ecosystem services in mountain areas, transferring the resulting knowledge from the local to the transnational level. The Institute plays a key role in biodiversity monitoring at both the local and European levels and, since 2019, has coordinated the long-term Biodiversity Monitoring South Tyrol programme, which surveys a wide range of plant and animal taxa across 440 sites.

Within the Institute for Alpine Environment, we are looking for an ambitious and motivated researcher to work at the science-policy interface, with a focus on biodiversity monitoring and nature restoration for the recently funded Horizon Europe Project BEAGLE (GA 101288886) and Alp-BiodivActionPlan (call for tender from BfN in support of the German Presidency of the Alpine Convention). The successful candidate will divide their working time equally between the two projects.

BEAGLE develops and tests methods such as automated sensors, environmental DNA and participatory science to fill information gaps and generate biodiversity FAIR data for both research and policy. The successful candidate will support the lead of Work Package 9 to integrate BEAGLE’s methods,



workflows and data products into already existing long-term monitoring strategies and infrastructures across Europe.

Key responsibilities
will include mapping and engaging relevant stakeholders in the European biodiversity monitoring landscape, conducting targeted surveys and interviews to assess their needs and identify barriers, and developing strategies to facilitate the uptake of BEAGLE outputs with the greatest potential for long-term integration.

Within the Alp-BiodivActionPlan project, the successful candidate will support Eurac Research in stakeholder mapping and engagement activities across the Alpine region.

Key responsibilities
will include developing and distributing questionnaires to collect information on ecosystem restoration initiatives, conducting one-to-one interviews with relevant stakeholders, supporting the organisation of workshops and events, and contributing to project communication and dissemination activities.

The place of work is Bolzano/Bozen (Italy), and the ideal start date is January 2027.

We offer
a full-time contract with possibility of tempo parziale based at the headquarters of Eurac in Bolzano/Bozen with an initial duration of 24 months and the possibility of extension up to 36 months.

Tasks:

- Stakeholder mapping and engagement: Identify, map and prioritise relevant stakeholders in biodiversity monitoring and ecosystem restoration, including public authorities,



research institutions, monitoring networks, private-sector actors and citizen science communities. Facilitate dialogue, collaboration and long-term engagement.
- Surveys, interviews and data analysis: Design, conduct and analyse questionnaires, targeted surveys and one-to-one interviews to assess stakeholder needs, priorities and barriers to uptake, and collect and analyse information on ecosystem restoration initiatives and practices across the Alpine region.
- Stakeholder engagement strategies and uptake: Develop strategies to support stakeholder engagement and the integration of BEAGLE methods, workflows and data products into existing biodiversity monitoring schemes and infrastructures, in collaboration with project partners.
- Workshops, communication and dissemination: Plan, organise and facilitate stakeholder workshops, meetings and project events to promote knowledge exchange and collaboration. Support project communication, outreach and dissemination activities, including the preparation of communication materials and promotion of project results.

Requirements:

- Bachelor’s or master’s degree in a relevant environmental field (e.g., Biology, Environmental Sciences, Environmental Law, Environmental Policy or Landscape Planning), with an interest in biodiversity monitoring, ecosystem restoration and environmental governance.
- Knowledge of stakeholder identification, mapping and engagement approaches, and familiarity with qualitative and quantitative research methods, including questionnaires, surveys and semi-structured interviews.
- Good analytical and organisational skills, with the ability to collect, manage and interpret data, synthesise

📌 Junior Researcher (Bolzano)
🏢 Eurac Research
📍 Bolzano