Fellow (Post Doc)

About This Role:

The Digital Agronomy Research Team (DART) at Kansas State University invites applications for a Postdoctoral Fellow position focused on advancing field-scale water use modeling through the integration of remote sensing, crop modeling, and artificial intelligence. The position is part of a USDA-supported, multi-state initiative aimed at developing decision support tools to address irrigation efficiency, and water-wise agriculture in the Southern Great Plains.

The successful candidate will lead efforts to assess crop water use dynamics by integrating open-source satellite-derived ET datasets with UAV-based thermal and multispectral imagery and in-field biophysical measurements. In addition to data integration, the postdoc will develop and apply crop growth and water balance models at sub-field resolution to simulate plant-water interactions under varying environmental and management scenarios.

Few of the responsibilities and preferred skills will align with following tasks:

• Coordinating sensor installations, UAV data collection campaigns, including flight planning, imagery calibration, and processing from producer fields in the High Plains Region.
• Integrating remote sensing data with water/crop models to estimate ET, biomass, and water productivity at high resolution.
• Developing data pipelines for coupling UAV data, satellite ET (OpenET) estimates, and sensor-based field measurements
• Applying and modifying crop models for precision water management
• Leading data fusion and downscaling tasks using AI/ML methods to improve spatial granularity and crop response predictions
• Collaborating with agronomists, engineers, and data scientists across partner institutions
• Publishing results in peer-reviewed journals and contributing to project outreach and student mentoring activities

This position offers an opportunity to work at the convergence of digital agronomy, crop modeling, and remote sensing. The candidate will be part of the Digital Agronomy Research Team (DART) and will be directly supervised by Dr. Gaurav Jha (gjha@ksu.edu). The candidate will have opportunity to work with Dr. Susan Metzger, Kansas Water Institute and collaboratively partner with researchers from Texas Tech University, Oklahoma State University, and NASA Ames Research Cenrer (California).

What You'll Need to Succeed:

Minimum Qualifications:

• PhD in Agronomy, agro-hydrology, crop modelling, agricultural engineering, data science, or related field.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Strong understanding of irrigation water management, vadose zone hydrology, soil-water-plant relationships, and crop phenology.
• Experience with crop-based and hydrological models.
• Demonstrated experience designing and executing field trials in agricultural systems.
• Ability to analyze large datasets using programming languages like Python, MATLAB etc.
• Ability to operate, adjust and maintain equipment used during the project. Equipment includes GPS units, UAVs, and associated electronic accessories & computers and sensors.
• Excellent computer, and data analytical skills, including the use of satellite data in agriculture.
• Strong competency in performing statistical and geo-statistical spatial analysis, summarizing data and writing reports.
• Experience working with canopy-based water management data.
• Strong organizational and communication skills with the ability to work in interdisciplinary and multi-institutional teams.
• Coordinate project meetings and pursue new research directions with collaborative team related to digital agriculture.

Other Requirements:

• Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States at the time of employment.

How to Apply:

Please submit the following documents:

1. Research statement (highlighting past and relevant experiences; and proposed future research vision with this position).
2. Academic CV.
3. 2 relevant peer reviewed publication.
4. Names and contact information of 3-4 professional references.

Screening of Applications Begins:

Immediately and continues until position is filled. For best consideration, please apply by July 1st, 2025.

Anticipated Hiring Salary Range:

$47,486 - $73,596 Salary commensurate with experience.