To strengthen capacity-building efforts, the BrightSpace project has established the Agricultural Model Young Researcher Network (AMYRN). This initiative supports the development of a network of young researchers, particularly PhD candidates and early-career postdocs, who are interested in using modelling approaches to inform agricultural policies. Through AMYRN, researchers gain practical experience with key agricultural models such as AGMEMOD, CAPRI, GLOBIOM, MAGNET and FarmDyn, which are widely used for large-scale land use, biodiversity, climate change, and food security assessments. The program facilitates short-term research stays at BrightSpace partner institutes, collaboration with modelling experts, and participation in specialized training programs.
So far four applications for AMYRN fellowships were approved, supporting young researchers in their efforts to enhance modelling expertise and contribute to BrightSpace research activities.
Ninke Feenstra, PhD Candidate at Wageningen University (WU) – 3-month exchange at Wageningen Research (WR)
PhD candidate Ninke Feenstra will spend three months at Wageningen Research (WR) to develop expertise in the MAGNET model and link it to the microsimulation model she is developing. As part of this exchange, she will participate in the GTAP short course at Purdue University, USA, to build a strong foundation in the GTAP model, which underpins MAGNET.
During her research stay, she will collaborate with WR experts to develop new scenarios for MAGNET that explore the potential impact of agricultural policy changes in the EU. Within the BrightSpace project, Ninke contributes to Work Packages 7.1 and 7.2, which focus on improving the modelling of Safe and Just Operating Space (JOS) indicators related to income, employment, food, nutrition, and health. The exchange will enable her to refine the MAGNET model and integrate her microsimulation approach, allowing for a more detailed assessment of the heterogeneous effects of agricultural policies on income, food affordability, and food consumption.
Yan Jin, Postdoc at Wageningen University (WU) – 3-month exchange at Wageningen Research (WR)
As a postdoctoral researcher at Wageningen University, Yan Jin specializes in economic modelling. Through her three-month research exchange at WR, she aims to gain expertise in the MAGNET model and apply it to BrightSpace deliverables. Since understanding the GTAP model is essential for working with MAGNET, she will participate in the 31st Annual Short Course in Global Trade Analysis, which focuses on Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) modelling.
Yan’s work within BrightSpace involves advancing economic modelling methodologies. This exchange will provide her with the opportunity to work directly with MAGNET experts, enhancing her capacity to contribute to project deliverables and academic publications. Additionally, she plans to introduce stochastic elements to the MAGNET model, improving its robustness in policy impact assessments.
Damilola Tominsin Aladesuru, PhD Student at the University of Bonn (UBO) – 3-4 month exchange in Fall 2025 at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (UCSC), Italy
PhD candidate Damilola Tominsin Aladesuru will undertake a three-to-four-month research stay at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (UCSC) in autumn 2025. Her research focuses on field structural change and its implications for biodiversity and agricultural efficiency. She aims to analyse how investment subsidies influence field structures and technology adoption in Italy, particularly in relation to precision farming.
Her study will utilize farm-level data, including information from the Farm Accounting Data Network (FADN) and parcel data from the Integrated Administration and Control System (IACS). To manage the high-dimensional data and complex relationships, she will employ a mix of spatial and econometric methods, including multilevel regression and machine learning techniques.
The collaboration with UCSC, under the guidance of Prof. Paolo Sckokai and Dr. Alessandro Varacca, will enhance the methodological rigor of her research. The exchange aligns with BrightSpace Task 3.2, which investigates the drivers of field-scale structural change and its impact on biodiversity, as well as Work Package 4, which focuses on policy evaluation. Additionally, the exchange will support the development of her third PhD dissertation paper and result in a joint publication with UCSC researchers.
Hugo Scherer, Researcher at Wageningen Social and Economic Research (WSER) – 2-month exchange at the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission, Seville, Spain
Hugo’s research assesses the impact of increasing drought incidents on EU farm income using the IFM-CAP and FarmDyn models. His work explores complementarities between these approaches by simulating individual and typical farms, respectively. Policy scenarios will be simulated to estimate drought effects on farm income and adaptation strategies.
The research will use IFM-CAP input allocation for FarmDyn to improve model complementarities, develop EU-wide nitrogen and water response curves based on spatial and crop model data, and implement drought scenarios and assess irrigation options as policy-driven mitigation measures.
Hugo’s exchange will contribute to BrightSpace work packages 6 and 7, which focus on improving EU-wide simulations of typical farms, particularly regarding environmental indicators and farm-inequality aspects. His work will enhance SJOS modelling capacity at the farm level by refining yield responses to fertilizers and environmental impacts. The collaboration is expected to result in model improvements, a (spatial) database, and potentially a joint paper.
The AMYRN fellowships demonstrate BrightSpace’s commitment to fostering the next generation of agricultural modelers. By supporting these research exchanges, the project strengthens collaboration among partner institutes, enhances modelling capabilities, and contributes to the broader goals of sustainable agriculture and biodiversity conservation. These fellowships not only advance individual research careers but also reinforce the BrightSpace network’s collective expertise in agricultural policy modelling.
Source: WU
