Description

Post-Doctoral Research Associate

Focus: Remote Sensing, Ecophysiology, and Association Genetics

A postdoctoral position in remote sensing and ecophysiology is available starting immediately in the laboratory of C. Neal Stewart, Jr. at the University of Tennessee in the Department of Plant Sciences (https://ag.tennessee.edu/racheff/) and affiliated with the Center for Agricultural Synthetic Biology. The successful applicant will be a plant physiologist, and/or association geneticist with interests/experience in phenotyping, UAV remote sensing, and field-level experiments for an association genetics study with switchgrass for bioenergy/bioproducts applications. Our multi-year field-based project with a nitrogen treatment is part of the Center for Bioenergy Innovation, one of the Department of Energy’s large Bioenergy Research Centers.  The study focuses on employing UAV sensor-based analysis as an emerging and powerful platform for automated high-throughput plant phenotyping and assessment of sustainability traits in field-grown switchgrass setting. The study uses high-resolution remote sensing, big-data machine learning approaches to field-based remote sensing, advanced image processing and analysis for traits such as biomass yield projections, nitrogen-use efficiency, and disease resistance.  The phenotyping platform is a UAV with hyperspectral, multispectral, and LiDAR sensors.  The successful applicant will collaborate with scientists and staff within and outside of the university. The postdoc will give presentations, write reports and write manuscripts intended for publication.

Qualifications

Requirements:

·         Applicants should have a PhD prior to joining the lab in plant biology or a related field.

·         Preference will be given to applicants with experience in UAV-based imaging, photogrammetry, processing and analysis of multispectral images and point cloud data, good statistics skills and, experiences with big data analytics.

·         Preference will also be given to applicants with strong publication records, considerable drive and motivation, and excellent problem-solving skills.

·         Further, the position requires excellent written and oral communication skills and the ability to work in a highly interdisciplinary team-based environment.

·         The postdoc will work in a team environment and will help train more junior scientists.

The initial appointment is for two years with a mandatory 6-month probationary period, with a possibility of renewal based on performance and continued grant funding. All postdocs in the lab are expected to generate at least one first-author paper per year from their UT work.

Salary is based on experience and qualifications according to UT policy. In addition, UT provides an excellent fringe benefits package.  Knoxville is located near the beautiful Smoky Mountains, has a low cost of living, and a moderate climate.

Applications:

Interested applicants should apply at http://hr.utk.edu/recruitment/. Applicants should include: 1) a cover letter that includes research experience, interests and possible starting date, 2) current CV, and 3) the names, telephone numbers and e-mail addresses of three references. 

Job: Research Professional
Primary Location: US-Tennessee-knoxville
Organization: Plant Science - Res
Schedule: Full-time
Job Posting: May 23, 2023, 4:11:53 PM