In this position you will contribute to design of mission and maneuver planning for collaborative manure removing robots in dairy barns.

Automation in the dairy sector is becoming more and more popular, because besides labour savings, also higher productions and better animal welfare can be reached. The introduction of the manure removing robot contributed to higher cleanness of the dairy barn, which is beneficial to the cows themselves by living in a cleaner environment and for the reduction of ammonia emission. A major challenge of using these robotic systems in dairy farming is realization of optimal planning, communication and cooperativity of different robots to solve a range of tasks efficiently while, at the same time, ensuring safety and good wellbeing for animals.

The objective of this EngD project is to design, develop and plan optimally mission and maneuver for collaborative manure removing robots in dairy barns in order to 1) improve performance of the robotic systems; 2) reduce ammonia emission and 3) improve animal welfare.

As an Engineering Doctorate candidate, you will work together with the whole project team and contribute to:

1. explore the potential of data science and AI in animal behavior research;
2. optimize efficiency and robustness of using robotic systems;
3. improve welfare with better animal-robot-interaction and optimal barn layout and fleet management of robots;
4. offer scientific support for novel indicators for design.

1. A Msc. student with knowledge in robotic, machine learning or other similar background, with programming skills using Python.
2. With interests in joining a project, working together with multiple research groups and companies.
3. Excellent communication skills as well as good proficiency in English.
4. Start as soon as possible, no later than January 2023.

For this position your command of the English language is expected to be at C1 level.Sometimes it is necessary to submit an internationally recognised Certificate of Proficiency in the English Language. More information can be found here.

Don't meet every single requirement? At WUR we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace, so if you're excited about this role but your past experience doesn't align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

Wageningen University & Research offers excellent terms of employment. A few highlights from our Collective Labour Agreement include:

• sabbatical leave, study leave, and partially paid parental leave;
• working hours that can be discussed and arranged so that they allow for the best possible work-life balance;
• the option to accrue additional compensation / holiday hours by working more, up to 40 hours per week;
• there is a strong focus on vitality and you can make use of the sports facilities available on campus for a small fee;
• a fixed December bonus of 8.3%;
• excellent pension scheme.

In addition to these first-rate employee benefits, you will receive a fully funded PhD position and you will be offered a course program tailored to your needs and the research team.
The gross salary is € 2.089,- per month in according to the Collective Labour Agreements for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU) (scale TOIO). This is based on a full-time working week of 38 hours. We offer a contract for 24 months.

There are plenty of options for personal initiative in a learning environment, and we provide excellent training opportunities. We are offering a unique position in an international environment with a pleasant and open working atmosphere.

You are going to work at the greenest and most innovative campus in Holland, and at a university that has been chosen as the " Best University " in the Netherlands for the 18th consecutive time.

Coming from abroad
Wageningen University & Research is the university and research centre for life sciences. The themes we deal with are relevant to everyone around the world and Wageningen, therefore, has a large international community and a lot to offer to international employees.
Our team of advisors on Dutch immigration procedures will help you with the visa application procedures for yourself and, if applicable, for your family.

Feeling welcome also has everything to do with being well informed. Wageningen University & Research's International Community page contains practical information about what we can do to support international employees and students coming to Wageningen. Furthermore, we can assist you with any additional advice and information about helping your partner to find a job, housing, schooling. For instance under the "30% rule", certain categories of international staff can receive tax exemption on approximately 30% of their gross salary.

Wageningen University & Research

Wageningen University & Research
The mission of Wageningen University & Research is "To explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life". Under the banner Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen University and the specialised research institutes of the Wageningen Research Foundation have joined forces in contributing to finding solutions to important questions in the domain of healthy food and living environment. With its roughly 30 branches, 7,200 employees (6,400 fte) and 13,200 students and over 150.000 participants to WUR's Life Long Learning, Wageningen University & Research is one of the leading organisations in its domain. The unique Wageningen approach lies in its integrated approach to issues and the collaboration between different disciplines.

Farm Technology group is one of the world's leading university groups on the application of control and artificial intelligence in agriculture. The Farm Technology Group aims at enhancing, exploiting and disseminating technology in primary agricultural production processes with the aim to fulfil the needs of mankind and nature in a sustainable way. Though we address questions and challenges arising in agricultural practice, our scientific based engineering enquiries stay at the more fundamental Technology Readiness Levels. We aim to develop and apply advanced sensing, perception and control methodologies to improve the operation of agricultural production processes and our understanding thereof. You will become a member of a group of 20 research and education staff, over 40 PhD students and around 50 thesis students. The group is a leading contributor to the Bsc. and Msc programmes Biosystems Engineering at Wageningen University.

In a rich multi-disciplinary setting, you will be supervised by Dr. Congcong Sun, Dr. Gert Kootstra from Farm Technology Group; Dr. Kees Lokhorst and Dr. Wijbrand Ouweltjes from Wageningen Livestock Research group.

Read the 5 reasons why your future colleagues enjoy working at WUR and watch this video to get an idea of our green campus!

We will recruit for the vacancy ourselves, so no employment agencies please. However, sharing in your network is appreciated.