Agroecological Research Apprentice

Company Description

VakeWorks is a company that is dedicated to creating regenerative and resilient living systems that are economically profitable and beneficial to society and the planet. We conduct, facilitate, and enable production, research, development, teaching, and training activities through regenerative approaches to agriculture, aquaculture, forestry, agritourism, and health, as well as consulting and teaching activities in knowledge-intensive areas, including data science, data engineering, machine learning, mathematics, statistics, AI, natural resource management, and therewith compatible activities.

Role Description

This is an intern-level role for an Agroecological Research Apprentice. As a research apprentice, you will work closely with our team of experts on the field, contributing to ongoing research projects and developing new ones under the mentorship of senior members. The role requires living on-site in Thanjavur, working full-time alongside other researchers and staff. The agroecological system at the Kaviri Systems Field Station is a rare regenerative farm with six canopy-levels that is based on ancient Tamil principles. It is possible to adapt the role for undergraduate thesis work (at high school, Bachelors or Masters level).

Qualifications

• Ability to work independently and within a team
• Strong interest and/or experience in agroecological systems
• Knowledge/Fast learner of experimental design, data collection, and analysis
• Strong communication and critical thinking skills
• Ability to work outdoors and perform manual labor, including lifting up to 30 kilograms
• Skills in taxonomy of plants, insects, soil flora and fauna is desired but not required

Appointment Logistics & About VakeWorks

If you pass the online screening you will be invited to a first interview online (we are in Stockholm time zone and online interviews will be usually between 8 and 10PM Indian Standard Time). I you pass the online interview then you may be invited to the field interview with our Chief Farming Scientist, Mr. Balasubramanian Govindasamy, at the Kaviri Systems Field Station in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India. If you pass both interviews then you may start with a trial period of 2-4 weeks and then be considered for continuing your apprenticeship with possibilities for entrepreneurial operations jointly with the company. We strongly prefer candidates who can stay at the accommodation provided freely at our field station for better coordination with our senior researchers and other apprentices.

To determine if this position is a good fit for you, kindly watch the video outlining a business pitch of our international operations with a Swedish focus to get a deeper understanding of VakeWorks vision and mission:

https://vake.works/about

And peruse through the playlists on Natural Experiments at:

https://vake.works/openings

The operations at Kaviri Systems Field Station will commence shortly. English is generally the language of the company. Familiarity with Tamil or Swedish is desired but not mandatory as some of the existing researchers can translate between Hindi-Tamil-English-Swedish as needed.