PhD Position in Agricultural Robotics: AIGreenBots, funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Grant agreement ID 101169330, is offering a fully funded PhD position in agricultural robotics. The selected candidate will work on real-time environmental adaptation of agricultural robots through multi-source data fusion.
Fully Funded PhD Position in Agricultural Robotics at INRAE, France
Designation: Doctoral Candidate (DC 6)
Research Area: Artificial Intelligence, Sensor Fusion, Agricultural Robotics, Deep Learning, Adaptive Control, Task Planning
Location: INRAE TSCF unit, Clermont-Ferrand, France
Eligibility/Qualification:
- Must not have resided or carried out main activity (work, studies, etc.) in France for more than 12 months in the three years immediately prior to the application deadline.
- MEng/MSc degree (or equivalent) in Computer Science, Robotics, Mathematics, Physics, or related fields.
- Strong programming skills (preferably in Python).
- Experience in robotics and machine learning.
- Proficiency in English with strong communication skills.
- High motivation, responsibility, autonomy, and problem-solving skills.
Job Description: The research focuses on developing a framework for integrating multi-modal sensor data to enhance agricultural robot adaptability. Key objectives include:
- Identifying and evaluating data types for agricultural tasks.
- Acquiring and synchronizing multi-source data (from drones, satellites, weather stations, and ground-based sensors).
- Developing a unified sensor fusion framework using deep learning techniques.
- Creating environmental ontologies for task automation and semantic mapping.
- Implementing real-time adaptation mechanisms for navigation and task planning.
- Experimentally validating the framework through field trials in real agricultural settings.
- Publishing findings in high-impact journals and presenting at international conferences.
Secondments:
- IPC-ESAC (Portugal): Dataset collection and field trials.
- Critical Software S.A. (Portugal): Investigation of transfer learning and large-scale map processing.
Benefits:
- Competitive salary: Approximately 34,000 €/year (gross).
- Mobility allowance: 427 €/month (gross, if applicable).
- Family allowance: 469 €/month (gross, if applicable).
- Research, training, and networking expenses covered, including international conference participation.
How to Apply: Submit the following documents via email to Dr. Riccardo Bertoglio at riccardo.bertoglio@inrae.fr:
- Detailed CV (including publications/projects with links to online materials).
- Cover letter explaining interest in the project and relevant skills.
- Academic transcripts.
- Any additional supporting documents (Master’s thesis, portfolio, etc.).
Last Date for Application: 15 March 2025, 23:59 Central European Time.
Supervisors: Dr. Lenain Roland, Dr. Riccardo Bertoglio, Dr. Johann Laconte
Host Institution and Living Conditions: INRAE is a globally recognized research institution specializing in agronomy, agriculture, and environmental studies. The TSCF unit in Clermont-Ferrand focuses on agricultural and environmental robotics, boasting state-of-the-art research facilities, including a fleet of mobile robots and 80 hectares of experimental fields. Researchers at TSCF have been at the forefront of agricultural robotics for over 15 years, developing algorithms for navigation, tracking, and environmental adaptation.
