Postdoctoral position

Department of Soil and Environment
Our research seeks knowledge about the interaction between man, soil, plant and the surrounding environment in forest and agricultural landscapes as well as urban environments. We collect, analyze and report data on the state of the environment. 

You will work in a newly started applied research project carried out in close collaboration between academia and industry. The overall goal of the project is to create a system for traceable, sustainable, safe and competitive production of wheat and oats for infant food – from field to food producer. The open position specifically concerns the development of agronomic decision support. Artificial intelligence and data mining techniques will be used to transfer big data into practically useful information, e.g:


• in digital systems to optimize use of fertilizer and minimize negative environmental impact from crop production.
• in planning tools to ensure a that produced grains are in compliance with the strict regulations regarding mycotoxin levels.

Apart from a team of researchers at SLU, the project group also consists of leading actors in the Swedish infant food chain and precision agriculture services. Read more about the SLU research group and some related ongoing projects here: https://www.slu.se/pop and https://www.slu.se/LADS

Duties:
As a postdoc you will primarily be involved in:


• Data collection in field trials and agricultural fields (use of multispectral proximal and remote sensors and grain sampling).
• Development of agronomic decision support in the form of empirical yield forecast models, and mycotoxin risk maps.
• Communication of results to the international scientific community (including peer-reviewed publication) and popular scientific information dissemination to advisors and farmers.

Qualifications:
The successful candidate must have a PhD degree in a relevant subject and is expectd to have:

1) Excellent demonstrated skills and sincere interest in:


• Data management and empirical modelling using data mining methods
• Geographical information systems (GIS)
• Programming in Python and/or R
• Crop production
• Remote sensing

2) A strong record of peer-reviewed publications

3) A driving license for car (Swedish or International)

In addition, candidates must have excellent command of written and spoken English. Ability to communicate in a Scandinavian language is an advantage. Personal abilities such as organizational, interpersonal, communication and teamwork skills will be judged important. Candidates shall be prepared to travel and conduct field work in rural areas.

The position is primarily intended for a junior researcher with a recent PhD degree.

Place of work:
Skara

Form of employment:
Temporary employment, 24 months

Extent:
100%

Starting date:
According to agreeement (autumn 2020)

Application:
We welcome your application no later than 2020-04-30, use the button below.

Academic union representatives:
https://internt.slu.se/en/my-employment/employee-associations/kontaktpersoner-vid-rekrytering/



The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) develops the understanding and sustainable use and management of biological natural resources. The university ranks well internationally within its subject areas. SLU is a research-intensive university that also offers unique degree programmes in for example rural development and natural resource management, environmental economics, animal science and landscape architecture.

SLU has just over 3,000 employees, 5,000 students and a turnover of SEK 3 billion. The university has invested heavily in a modern, attractive environment on its campuses in Alnarp, Umeå and Uppsala.

www.slu.se

SLU is an equal opportunity employer.