Connectionists: [jobs] Open Position as Associate Professor within Agricultural Robotics

[Pål Johan From]

Associate Professor within Agricultural Robotics

The Department of Mechanical Engineering and Technology Management at the Faculty of Science and Technology has a vacancy as Associate professor within agricultural robotics. The position is full time and permanent (tenure).

The position is affiliated with the Robotics group, and will focus on autonomous, robust, and reliable navigation, localization, and mapping (e.g., SLAM) for mobile robots. The main application domain is agricultural robotics both indoor in tunnels and greenhouses as well as in outdoor environments.

Main tasks
The main tasks for this position will be teaching and research within Agricultural Robotics.


  *   Supervision of PhD and Master students
  *   Participation in the development of study programs and the department
  *   Participation in research projects and initiate new research projects within agricultural robotics
  *   Establishing collaborations – interdisciplinary and beyond campus
  *   Academic administration

About the position
Since 2019 the Faculty has offered a master’s degree in applied Robotics. Currently 50 students attend the Master program, and it is estimated that within 2024 the number of students will reach 125 for the five-year program.

The Robotics group participates in several groundbreaking research projects within precision agriculture and food production. The group is known for developing the autonomous agricultural robot Thorvald, strong track record in developing, testing, and commercializing robots.

The following research topics are highly relevant examples for the field of agricultural robotics


  *   Autonomous navigation that allows the robots to analyze and understand the agricultural environment, adapt to changing conditions caused by weather and plant growth, and allow mobile robots to operate robustly in such challenging conditions
  *   Safety, in particular recognition of dangerous situations for the robot and its environment
  *   Advanced machine vision for navigation in agricultural environments. Such abilities should result in robust and reliable solutions for navigating in unstructured environments.
  *   Advanced machine vision for manipulation in agricultural environments. Such abilities will enable a range of agricultural applications including selective harvesting, precision operations (e.g., weeding) and agronomy support (e.g., yield prediction, soil health analysis, etc.)
  *   Machine learning and AI for the agricultural domain

The Robotics group represents a research area in development. Currently it has a staff of 3 permanent academic positions, 10 PhD students, 4 Post doctors, engineers, researchers, and administrative staff. In total about 23 people. With this position the faculty aims to strengthen the permanent academic staff.

The successful candidate is expected to teach and conduct research and development in the field of agricultural robots.

REALTEK offers new academic staff a unique onboarding package: If you are not already main supervisor for a PhD-student, you will be prioritized when distributing university funded PhD positions
You will get NOK 50.000 as start-up-funding for conference fee, travels, etc. The faculty aims to boost research, and provides financial support for networking activities, short stays abroad and a mentor scheme for new staff

Further information about the robotics group: http://www.nmbu.no/go/robotics

Competence
Required Academic qualifications

  *   PhD and master’s degree in robotics or other relevant discipline
  *   Highly skilled in the field of robotics
  *   Documented educational competence using a “teaching portfolio”. Those who do not meet the educational requirements for employment shall be required to meet them within two years of employment.

The following experiences and skills will be an advantage

  *   Good track record of publications in highly ranked journals and conferences
  *   Experienced in the field of robotics
  *   Comprehensive experience in software development for robotics, in particular ROS (Robot Operating System)
  *   Track record in securing funding for research and development
  *   Pedagogical and administrative skills and experience/expertise
  *   Experience from large research projects and/or industry

The following language skills are required

  *   Proficiency in English, written and oral
  *   Fluency in a Scandinavian language (Norwegian, Swedish, or Danish). Candidates not fluent in a Scandinavian language will be committed to become fluent (level C1 or similar) in Norwegian within three years of employment, to be able to participate actively in all functions the position may involve.

Personal suitability will be given weight. NMBU wants more women in permanent scientific positions. Women are therefore encouraged to apply.

To apply for this position, please use the following link:
https://www.jobbnorge.no/en/available-jobs/job/203581/associate-professor-within-agricultural-robotics



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Pål Johan From, Ph.D.
Professor
Head of Robotics Group
Faculty of Sciences and Technology
Norwegian University of Life Science
Postbox 5003
1432 Ås
Norway

tel: +47 67231603
cel: +47 90690932
e-mail: pafr at nmbu.no<mailto:pafr at nmbu.no>
http://www.nmbu.no/go/robotikk
http://www.nmbu.no/go/robotics​


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