The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is committed to creating an environment that affirms diversity across a variety of dimensions, including ability, class, ethnicity/race, gender identity and expression. We particularly welcome applicants who can contribute to such an environment through their scholarship, teaching, mentoring, and professional service. We strongly encourage historically underrepresented groups to apply.
If an accommodation due to a disability is needed to apply for this position, please call 352-392-2477 or the Florida Relay System at 800-955-8771 (TDD) or visit Accessibility at UF.
This is a 9-month, tenure track position (70% research and 30% teaching) in the Agricultural Biological Engineering Department (ABE), Institute of Food and Sciences (IFAS). The candidate in this position will work closely with others in IFAS, Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering (HWCOE), and other UF disciplines on Artificial Intelligence (AI) related to research and teaching activities.
The successful candidate is expected to build a research program in applications of AI in agriculture, with a focus on Agricultural Robotics and Smart Agriculture. There is an exponentially increasing potential for AI to impact the efficacy and economics of Smart Agriculture and Agricultural Robotics in autonomous applications, including but not limited to automated harvesting, automated planting and pruning, rapid phenotyping, precision management, yield mapping, soil and water management, remote sensing-based disease and pest scouting, livestock monitoring and prediction, and other aspects of production in plant and animal systems. These applications lie at the intersection of computational sciences and engineering (agricultural/mechanical/electrical) that are becoming increasingly more big data oriented. The candidate for this position is expected to collaborate with other ABE, IFAS and HWCOE faculty in multi-disciplinary research.
This position is part of a wider effort at the University of Florida which is building an AI program with both breadth and depth: The depth to produce top Ph.D.’s in AI technology and the breadth to infuse AI into UF’s entire curriculum so that all students, graduate and undergraduate, regardless of their major, develop basic awareness and competence in how AI is transforming their future careers. To achieve this goal the University of Florida has committed to hiring 100 AI-focused faculty across the entire university. These faculty are being sought as members of interdisciplinary teams that span multiple colleges, where UF will leverage its existing expertise as well as new faculty to tackle some of society’s most pressing challenges. These positions are made possible by the UF AI Initiative and a gift from NVIDIA that is establishing the most powerful supercomputer in U.S. Higher Education at the University of Florida.
The successful candidate is expected to build a nationally and internationally recognized research program supported by a strong graduate research group and extramural funding from state and federal agencies. The candidate is expected to develop and promote his/her research activity and leadership in professional societies, supported by a sustained publication activity in top scientific journals. The candidate will have the opportunity to collaborate with other faculty and research partners, creating synergy both inside and outside of the University of Florida AI academic community. The candidate will also be expected to participate in all activities of departmental academic life such as research groups, mentorship of undergraduate and graduate students, and academic service activities; and work closely with other faculty in IFAS, the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering, UF Research Computing, UF Institutes (Informatics, Water, Florida Climate, Sustainable Food Systems) and the new UF - NVIDIA flagship collaboration in AI.
The teaching portion of this position will include development of a successful undergraduate and graduate education program which will introduce students to cutting-edge AI-based technology and techniques in the context of robotics and smart technological applications in agricultural and biological engineering. The 30% FTE commitment will typically be fulfilled by teaching one undergraduate and one graduate course per year as assigned by the department chair. Potential topics in the ABE curriculum might be an undergraduate-level course in Instrumentation for Ag IoT Technologies, or a combined undergraduate and graduate-level course in AI applications in AG IoT, while other topics based upon candidate’s expertise and interests are welcome.
Because of the IFAS land-grant mission, all faculty are expected to be supportive of and engaged in all three mission areas—Research, Teaching and Extension—regardless of the assignment split specified in the position description. Candidates must also have a commitment to IFAS core values of excellence, diversity, global involvement, accountability and a deep commitment to ethical dignity. The position is expected to provide appropriate levels of service to the department, college, university and/or discipline. Specific expectations are described in department, college and university policy statements regarding evaluation and promotion.
Required:
A doctorate in Engineering (Ag and Bio, Electrical, Mechanical or Industrial), Computer Science and Engineering, or a closely related discipline is required with an emphasis in AI-driven autonomous robotic solutions. Candidates should have demonstrated excellent verbal and written communication skills, the ability to participate in collaborative research, and the ability to procure extramural funding. Candidate must have published track record in internationally recognized refereed journals in relevant applications using software and hardware systems in robotics, automation, and/or smart technologies. Candidates must be supportive of the mission of the Land-Grant system. Candidates must also have a commitment to IFAS core values of excellence, diversity, global involvement, and accountability.
Preferred:
We seek an interdisciplinary engineer with a strong background in autonomous robotics and AI who can work in agricultural and biological engineering applications in mobile robotics, articulated robotics, and/or smart agriculture tasks. As a result, the candidate should have strong experience integrating robotic/precision hardware and software, while using AI-methods to solve challenging problems found in agriculture, food and bio-processing, packaging, and/or natural resources. Demonstrated potential in teaching undergraduate or graduate level courses in AI-based robotics, instrumentation, IoT or precision technologies is preferred. Postdoctoral and/or prior professorial experience is desirable.
Internal Number: 00000689
About University of Florida - Agricultrual and Biological Enginnering
The University of Florida is a public land-grant research university that was founded in 1853. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 35,405, its setting is suburban, and the campus size is 2,000 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. University of Florida's ranking in the 2021 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, #30. Its in-state tuition and fees are $6,380; out-of-state tuition and fees are $28,658.
The school has well-regarded graduate programs through the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering, Warrington College of Business, Levin College of Law and the College of Medicine. The university is also integrated with retirement community Oak Hammock, where students can work, complete internships and find mentors. Famous graduates of the University of Florida include home repair television sensation Bob Vila, Heisman Trophy winner Steve Spurrier and former U.S. Sens. Bob Graham and Connie Mack.
The student-faculty ratio at University of Florida is 17:1, and the school has 53.2% of its classes with fewer than 20 students. The most popular majors at University of Florida include: Engineering; Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Suppor...t Services; Biological and Biomedical Sciences; Social Sciences; and Health Professions and Related Programs. The average freshman retention rate, an indicator of student satisfaction, is 97%.
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