Applications are invited for a Temporary 24 months post of a UCD Post-doctoral Research Fellow Level 1 within UCD School of Biosystems and Food Engineering.

Applications are invited for a very dynamic Post-doctoral Research Fellow Level 1 to work as part of our European Project Farmtopia "Democratizing digital farming through smart solutions for small farms" with Dr Dimitrios Argyropoulos's Team at UCD School of Biosystems and Food Engineering.

The last decade has seen an explosion of interest and investment in the use of Agricultural Digital Technologies (ADSs). The use of is seen by many as an opportunity to increase the economic and environmental performance of the agricultural sector. In spite of considerable public and private investment, uptake and use of ADSs by EU farmers has been limited, especially among small and medium farms. These farms require cost effective digital technologies in agriculture that help them increase their environmental and economic performance and cross the digital divide. The overall objective of the Farmtopia project is to democratize digital farming by creating a paradigm shift in the way ADSs for small farms are created, deployed and paid for. This will be achieved by a) fostering co-creation of ADSs to ensure they will solve real problems and fit the needs of small farms; and b) lowering the cost for both farmers and ADSs providers, by creating a set of reusable software modules, a number of business and governance models, and identifying public provision of infrastructure that can enable scale-out of ADSs.

The successful candidate will work on digital technologies in agriculture. The applicants must have an understanding of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) and the Internet of Things (IoT) as well as their integration into controlled environment agriculture. The applicants must have knowledge of basic software and programming languages (e.g., MATLAB or Python); on-site monitoring: installation of sensors/cameras; computer vision: image data capture and processing, and machine learning tools. Experience with deep learning and artificial intelligence is desirable.

Candidates will normally be expected to hold a PhD degree in an appropriate subject area (e.g. data science, computer science, electrical engineering, biosystems engineering, agricultural systems technology, precision agriculture or a related subject area) with a track record of peer-reviewed publications in the area.

This is a research focused role, where you will conduct a specified programme of research supported by research training and development under the supervision and direction of a Principal Investigator.

The primary purpose of the role is to further develop your research skills and competences, including the processes of publication in peer-reviewed academic publications, the development of funding proposals, the mentorship of graduate students along with the opportunity to develop your skills in research led teaching.

In addition to the Principal Duties and Responsibilities listed below, the successful candidate will also carry out the following duties specific to this project:

• Manage the day-to-day operation of the project within the working group in UCD.
• Organise scientific meetings to present and discuss of on-going analysis / research.
• Prepare of annual progress & scientific reports.
• Lead authorship of high-impact peer review scientific publications.
• Disseminate findings to the scientific and public audiences.

Salary Range: 42,033 - 48,427 per annum

Appointment on the above range will be dependent upon qualifications and experience.

Closing date: 17:00hrs (local Irish time) on 2nd June 2023.

Applications must be submitted by the closing date and time specified. Any applications which are still in progress at the closing time of 17:00hrs (Local Irish Time) on the specified closing date will be cancelled automatically by the system. UCD are unable to accept late applications.

UCD do not require assistance from Recruitment Agencies. Any CV's submitted by Recruitment Agencies will be returned.

Prior to application, further information (including application procedure) should be obtained from the Work at UCD website: https://www.ucd.ie/workatucd/jobs/.