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Agricultural and Biological Engineering

Agricultural and Biological Engineering

Available Positions

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  • Assistant Professor of Agricultural Water Management - Everglades Research and Education Center

    This is a 9-month tenure-accruing position that will be 70% research (Florida Agricultural Experiment Station) and 30% extension (Florida Cooperative Extension Service), available at the Everglades Research and Education Center (EREC) within the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Tenure will accrue either in the Department of Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences OR the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering.

    The incumbent is expected to develop a program with a major focus on water resources and water quality in the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) and adjacent areas in south Florida. The EAA and adjacent areas have organic, sand, and transitional soils and comprise one of the nation’s largest suppliers of winter vegetables, while also boasting the largest sugarcane and sweet corn production in the country and significant rice acreage. The incumbent will develop a nationally recognized extramurally funded research and extension program focused on efficient irrigation and drainage systems balancing water resources, water quality and agricultural production with local and global applications in the context of complex hydrological systems and climate change. The candidate is expected to provide research and outreach leadership to 1) further hydrologic knowledge of agricultural systems such as irrigation, subsurface drainage and water table management using the latest technologies, innovations, AI machine learning modeling and data science applications; 2) develop, test and evaluate soil and water management practices that provide erosion and sediment control, and 3) reduce and mitigate the impact of agricultural water management decisions and other production practices on phosphorus nutrient transport as part of an established comprehensive Best Management Practices (BMP) program in the EAA.

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  • Graduate Research Assistantship (Ph.D. Level) - AI and Sensors in Agricultural Facilities

    Background Information:

    Applications are solicited for a Graduate Research Assistant (GRA) position (Ph.D. Level) in the Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department at University of Florida under the supervision of Dr. Daniel Hofstetter. The candidate should be interested in the application of information technology, sensors, and control systems to plant, animal, and facility systems. Potential research focus includes, but is not limited to: monitoring and data collection for precision animal agriculture using sensor arrays and computer vision with artificial intelligence (AI) to detect and characterize animal behavior for automated control over HVAC systems to improve animal comfort, productivity, and resource efficiency towards sustainable food production. The successful candidate should be self-motivated, creative, and have a desire to collaborate in a multidisciplinary environment. The candidate will be expected to publish in peer-reviewed journals and conference publications. Funding is conditional upon satisfactory performance in coursework and research duties. The GRA will cover stipends, tuition, and health insurance (a standard UF waiver). A review of applications will begin immediately until the position is filled, with a desired starting date at the beginning of the Fall 2023 semester.

    Required Qualifications: 

    B.S. and M.S. degree in Agricultural and Biological Engineering or a related engineering discipline with a GPA of 3.0 or higher; Excellent English writing and communication skills; Non-English credentials must obtain a TOEFL score of 80 iBT or IELTS score of 6.5 or higher (GRE may be waived).

    Preferred Qualifications:  

    Knowledge and experience with AI, computer vision, microprocessors, sensors, and control systems; experience and willingness to work in various field conditions; programming skills (Arduino IDE, Python, R, etc.); record of previous scientific communications (journal articles or/and conference publications).

    How to Apply: Interested applicants are encouraged to contact Dr. Daniel Hofstetter (d.hofstetter@ufl.edu) directly with a copy of your CV and research statement. Qualified candidates will be contacted separately for additional details (such as references). More information about applying for a graduate degree in Agricultural and Biological Engineering can be found at https://abe.ufl.edu/graduate/admissions/. Please do not apply formally or pay any fees without making the inquiry first.

  • Graduate Research Assistantship (Ph.D. Level) - Artificial Intelligence & Robotics

    Background Information:

    Applications are solicited for a Graduate Research Assistant (GRA) position (Ph.D. level) in the Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department at the University of Florida under the supervision of Dr. Henry Medeiros. The candidate should be interested in working in the fields of artificial intelligence and robotics applied to agricultural problems. Potential research focus includes but is not limited to agricultural automation using ground and aerial robotic platforms, high throughput plant modeling and phenotyping, large scale scene reconstruction and interpretation. The successful candidate should be self-motivated, creative, and have a desire to collaborate in a multidisciplinary environment. The candidate will be expected to publish in peer-reviewed journals and conference publications. The assistantship will cover stipends, tuition, and fee. Review of applications will begin immediately until the position is filled.

    Required Qualifications: 

    Bachelor's degree in Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field with a GPA of 3.0 or higher; Strong English writing and oral communication skills; Non-English credentials must obtain a TOEFL score of 80 iBT or IELTS score of 6.0 or higher; Demonstrated programming proficiency in Python or other object-oriented programming language; Solid knowledge of linear algebra and probability theory.

    Preferred Qualifications:  

    Knowledge and experience in the development of robotic and machine learning systems; Familiarity with modern machine learning models and Bayesian estimation methods; Experience with tools and libraries used for the development of robotic systems (e.g., ROS) and machine learning algorithms (e.g., Pytorch, Tensorflow, etc.); Record of previous scientific communications (journal articles or/and conference publications); Experience and willingness to collect data and perform experiments in the field.

    How to Apply: Interested applicants are encouraged to contact Dr. Henry Medeiros (hmedeiros@ufl.edu) directly with a copy of your CV and research statement. In addition, students should apply to the University of Florida Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department. More information can be found at https://abe.ufl.edu/graduate/admissions/.

  • Post Doctoral Research Associate: AI in Land Cover Dynamics

    Background Information:

    The candidate is expected to provide leadership in remote sensing-based land cover dynamics using AI algorithms and high-performance computing in support of a NASA-funded project. Responsibilities include conducting and documenting research activities, writing refereed journal publications and research proposals.

    Qualifications: 

    An earned doctorate in Electrical, Computer, Civil, Environmental, or Agricultural Engineering, or a closely related field. Candidate should be experienced in using remote sensing datasets, developing remote sensing algorithms and AI techniques. Applicants should have a good publication record, effective communication skills, and an ability to work collaboratively with faculty, staff, and students in the Center, the ABE Department and with other units on campus.

    Employment: 

    This is a full-time, non-tenure-track faculty appointment. Initial appointment is for one year, with an opportunity for renewal. Salary will be commensurate with qualifications.

    How To Apply: 

    To apply for this position, submit a letter of application describing your relevant experience, resume, transcripts, and the name and full contact information for three references to Prof. Jasmeet Judge via email jasmeet@ufl.edu 

  • Postdoctoral Research Associate - Indian River Research and Education Center

    Background Information:

    The postdoctoral associate will work in the Smart Irrigation and Hydrology, (SIAH) Agricultural engineering team (https://irrec.ifas.ufl.edu/guzman/) at the Indian River Research and Education Center (https://irrec.ifas.ufl.edu/). The Indian River Research and Education Center is a unit of the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) at the University of Florida and is located on a 700-acre site west of Fort Pierce, St. Lucie County. Fort Pierce is located on the east coast of Florida, 50 miles north of West Palm Beach. The internationally recognized research center is located in a major agricultural region in which nurseries, citrus, beef cattle, and vegetables are major industries. The IRREC is an interdisciplinary unit of the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station, the Florida Extension Service, and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, all of which are administered by IFAS to serve the land-grant mission.

    Required Experience: experience with sensor-based irrigation management, data analysis, decision support systems, soil-plant-water sampling protocols, and time series analysis

    Preferred Experience: experience with participatory modeling, extension activities, project management, water quality sampling and analysis, machine learning and statistical analysis. Ability to efficiently plan, organize, and coordinate work assignments. Ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing. Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships. Ability to publish manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals

    Special Knowledge/skills: experience with hydrological and crop modeling. Programming experience with Phyton (R, or MATLAB equivalent) databases, ArcMap, and data analysis tools   

  • Graduate Research Assistantship (Ph.D. Level) - Precision Irrigation Management

    Background Information:

    Applications are solicited for a Graduate Research Assistant (GRA) position (Ph.D.level) in the Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department at the University of Florida under the supervision of Dr. Vivek Sharma, starting Fall, 2023. The candidate should be interested in working in the field of precision irrigationmanagement. Potential research focus includes but is not limited to irrigation and nutrient management, irrigation system management, water quality, groundwater leaching, and crop and hydrological modeling. The successful candidate should be self-motivated, creative, and has a desire to collaborate ina multidisciplinary environment. The candidate will be expected to publish in peer-reviewed journals and conference publications. The GRA will cover stipends, tuition, and fee. A reviewof applications will begin in Spring 2023.

    Required Qualifications: 

    M.S. degree in Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Soil and Water Science, Agronomy, or any other related field with a GPA of 3.0 or higher; English writing and communication skills; Non-English credentials must obtain a TOEFL score of 79 iBT or IELTS score of 6.5 or higher (GRE may be waived).

    Preferred Qualifications: Knowledge and experience in soil water conservation technologies; experience and willingness to work in various field conditions; programming skills (Python, R, etc.); record of previous scientific communications (journal articles or/and conference publications).

    How to Apply: Interested applicants are encouraged to contact Dr. Vivek Sharma (vsharma1@ufl.edu) directly with a copy of your CV and research statement.

  • Postdoctoral Research Scientist: Precision Water Management

    Background Information:

    The Precision Water Lab in the Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department is recruiting a post-doctoral research scientist in the field of Precision Water Management focusing on soil moisture sensing as a part of the Florida Agricultural Soil Moisture Sensor Network. The candidate will work in a team environment comprising researchers, graduate students, extension agents, and growers to expand the Florida Agricultural Soil Moisture Sensor Network. The successful candidate should have the knowledge to design custom software to integrate computer vision and IoT components which will be used for data collection and soil moisture monitoring in agricultural fields and engage in developing the AI/ML techniques. Furthermore, the incumbent will maintain online resources for external users once the products are released and the documentation becomes public. In addition, the candidate will get an opportunity to involve in other projects related to precision water and fertilizer management focusing on variable rate irrigation, nutrient technologies, water quality, groundwater leaching, and crop and hydrological modeling. The candidate is expected to have the ability to work effectively in field and lab settings. The successful candidate should be self-motivated, creative, and has the desire to collaborate in a multidisciplinary environment. The candidate will be expected to publish in peer-reviewed journals and conference publications. A review of applications will begin immediately until the position is filled.

    Qualifications:

    An earned doctorate in Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Digital Agriculture, Precision Agriculture, Soil and Water Resources, or related Fields.

    Preferred Qualifications:

    The successful candidate should have the knowledge to design custom software to integrate computer vision and IoT components which will be used for data collection and soil moisture monitoring in agricultural fields and engage in developing the AI/ML techniques. Experience in R, Python, and/or C++ programming; Basic understanding of computer vision principles. Applicants should have a good publication record, effective communication skills, and an ability to work collaboratively with researchers, extension personnel, staff, and students in the ABE Department and with other units on campus.

    How to Apply:

    Applicants must submit an application package to Dr. Vivek Sharma at vsharma1@ufl.edu including:

    • Cover letter highlighting specific experience related to this position
    • Curriculum vitae
    • List of publications
    • Unofficial transcripts
    • Contact information of three references