an aspiring PhD student to investigate the potential of AI paradigms to address key challenges for food security in a changing climate. In particular, you will research physics-informed AI models that estimate how crops grow, working with data from a variety of sources, from field trials to global food security studies. You will work together with an interdisciplinary team of experts in deep learning, artificial intelligence, crop modelling and food security.

The successful candidate shall develop physics-informed AI models for the simulation of crop growth dynamics with the ability to exploit multimodal observation datasets. This research will contribute towards a new class of differentiable simulators that is currently emerging, which are able not only to predict the outcome of a particular situation, but they also estimate intermediate physical and physiological variables to allow to understand how the crop interacts with its environment. The methods to be developed will allow for improved decision-making and quantify uncertainties in a changing climate. Recent advances within our group on related topics will provide a relevant basis for novel broad-impact contributions.
The research is hosted within the Laboratory for Geo-information Science and Remote Sensing. More information can be found here.

The position is available from March 2022, with a duration of four years. Strong candidates that will graduate before July 2022 are encouraged to apply too.

• A MSc degree in artificial intelligence, computer science, environmental science, biosystems engineering, or a similar relevant field.
• Strong interest in or related experiences in artificial intelligence or crop modelling.
• You are proficient in programming, preferably with Python
• Excellent English language skills.
• You are motivated, curious and willing to work in a highly dynamic team.
• Candidates should meet all the entry requirements of the WUR PE&RC PhD programme.

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

• working hours that can be discussed and arranged so that they allow for the best possible work-life balance;
• 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 for the first year is € 2.434,- per month rising to € 3.111,- in the fourth year in according to the Collective Labour Agreements for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU) (scale P). This is based on a full-time working week of 38 hours. We offer a temporary contract for 18 months which will be extended for the duration of the project if you perform well.

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 16th 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. Applicants from abroad moving to the Netherlands may qualify for a special tax relief, known as the 30% ruling. 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, and other issues.

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, 6.800 employees and 12.900 students, Wageningen University & Research is one of the leading organisations in its domain. An integrated approach to problems and the cooperation between various disciplines are at the heart of Wageningen's unique approach. WUR has been named Best Employer in the Education category for 2019-2020.

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