Doctoral Student

PhD Opportunity – Cutting-Edge Agricultural Sensing @ Ben-Gurion University of the Negev 🌾📡🔬

Funded by BARD The U.S.-Israel Binational Agricultural Research and Development Fund | In collaboration with the Israeli Center for DIgital Agriculture, and Prof. Jochen Stutz (UCLA)

We’re offering a fully funded PhD position as part of a new BARD-funded Israeli–US research collaboration focused on transforming agricultural monitoring using solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) and robotic spectral sensing technologies.

🔍 Project Overview

This project involves the development and deployment of CAN-SCAN, a semi-autonomous ground-based platform equipped with:

🌿 SIF sensors – a direct optical proxy for photosynthesis

🌈 Hyperspectral reflectance instruments (350–1700 nm) for chlorophyll, nitrogen, and water status

🤖 A custom robotic system for capturing canopy-level and in-canopy optical signals

🧠 Integration with mechanistic models (MLR-SIF, SCOPE) and machine learning (ANNs) for GPP and yield prediction

The system will be tested in controlled environments and field trials in desert agriculture.

👨‍🏫 Supervision

You will be co-supervised by: Dr. Oz Kira (Environmental Sensing, BGU) and , Prof. Shimon Rachmilevitch (Plant Physiology, BGU). In close collaboration with Prof. Jochen Stutz (UCLA)

🎓 Ideal Candidate:

M.Sc. in environmental/agricultural engineering, plant science, or remote sensing

Strong background or interest in optical sensing, SIF, robotics, or environmental data modeling

Programming experience (Python, R, or Matlab)

💡 Hands-on experience with sensors is a strong advantage Self-driven, organized, and ready to engage in multidisciplinary research

📍 Location: Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel 📅 Start Date: Fall 2025

📬 Apply: Email CV, transcripts, and a short motivation letter to [email protected] 🔔 Only relevant applications will be answered. Help us push the boundaries of smart agriculture—from photons to food 🌞🌽