Funded PhD Position in Computer Science for Data-Driven Agriculture (Evaluation and Trialling of Decision Suppport services including next-gen data visualisations for users)

University College Dublin (UCD), together with Origin Enterprises Plc have established a new research programme, CONSUS, focussed on the application of precision agriculture to crop production with a particular emphasis on optimisation of crop production with lower environmental impacts. CONSUS adopts a data-driven approach underpinned by Big Data analytics, machine learning, IoT and next generation sensor technology. The ultimate goal for CONSUS is to provide a set of decision-support services to provide rapid, relevant and localised information to farmers and agronomists, with recommendations for immediate day-by-day on-farm decisions.

CONSUS is a collaborative programme including the Schools of Computer Science, Agriculture & Food Science, Biology & Environmental Science, Biosystems & Food Engineering and Industry Partner, Origin Enterprises. CONSUS is supported through the Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) Strategic Partnership Programme.

Applications are invited for a PhD scholarship in the UCD School of Computer Science. Research theme as follows:

- Evaluation and trialling: In addition to functional evaluation, this theme also includes evaluation in-the-field with crop-growing stakeholders and validation of the models developed for data analytics and decision support. Experience of system evaluation and/or knowledge of crop production is desirable.

This research will be a core part of the project, leading to integration with other streams of interdisciplinary research to deliver intelligent decision-making for the optimisation of the agri-food production process.


Informal Enquiries
Informal enquiries about this position may be made to Dr. David Lillis, School of Computer Science, University College Dublin ([Email Address Removed]).

For information on studying at UCD and the supports provided for PhD Studentships, please consult: www.ucd.ie/graduatestudies/studywithus/researchprogrammes

Submission Process & Application End Date
Please send your CV (maximum length 5 pages including names and contact details of three referees), a covering letter outlining your suitability for the role (maximum 2 pages), and an example of your writing (publication, thesis, report, dissertation, etc.). Applications should be sent by email to Hilary McDonald ([Email Address Removed]) and include the following text in the subject line: “CONSUS PhD Application - Eval&Trial”.

The closing date for applications is Monday, 3rd December 2018, 1pm (Irish Time).