"Postdoctoral Scholar in Remote Sensing of Biotic Stress"

Postdoctoral Scholar in Remote Sensing of Biotic Stress

The University of California, Riverside is recruiting a Postdoctoral Scholar to develop improved tools for the detection of biotic stress (diseases and weeds) in annual crops in the Southwestern U.S. The Scholar will support the USDA-NIFA-funded project 'Artificial Intelligence for Sustainable Water, Nutrient, Salinity, And Pest Management in The Western U.S.' (https://ai4sa.ucr.edu/). The overall goal of this project is to develop advanced tools for early stress (abiotic and biotic) detection and decision support for crop management. The Scholar will work with agricultural scientists, extension personnel, and growers and other industry clientele to collect imagery via unmanned aerial systems (UAS), satellites, and other georeferenced data on pest outbreaks. The Scholar will use these data in collaboration with computer scientists to develop machine learning algorithms for the detection and management of biotic stress. The crops and pest systems to be included in this project are flexible but are expected to be relevant to agriculture in Arizona and California.

Responsibilities

• Manage small plot field experiments on detection of diseases or weeds with remote sensing.
• Collect imagery of controlled experiments and commercial fields using a UAS and satellite platforms(s).
• Collect georeferenced data on the incidence and severity of disease and weed outbreaks.
• Collect and assemble weather or environmental data associated with areas of interest, and collate epidemiological or phenological information on diseases and weeds from the literature.
• Develop models and/or algorithms to detect the presence of biotic stress (weeds, pathogens) on vegetable crops.
• Mentor undergraduate students participating in this project.

Required Qualifications

• Ph.D. in an agricultural science (e.g., plant pathology, weed science), ecology, agricultural engineering, computer science, or a related discipline.
• Demonstrated ability to independently plan and conduct research, and communicate results at professional meetings and in peer-reviewed journals.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, and the ability to actively participate in a mutually-supportive and respectful team environment.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Knowledge and experience in plant pathology, weed science, or pest management.
• Experience with agricultural field work and collaborating with growers and industry clientele.
• FAA Part 107 certification or experience with UASs.
• Knowledge and experience in data science including spatial and temporal analysis of imagery data, GIS, or machine learning.

Appointment

The position is 100% time and available immediately with an expected start date in Winter 2024. The successful candidate will be appointed for two years. The position will be based on the University of California, Riverside main campus, and will include travel to field locations in Southern California. Information on salary ranges, benefits, and other aspects can be found here.

To Apply

Please submit a cover letter, current curriculum vitae, and contact information for three references to Dr. Milt McGiffen (milt.mcgiffen@ucr.edu) and Dr. Alexander Putman (alexander.putman@ucr.edu). Review of applications will begin November 15, 2023 and continue until the position is filled.