Fully-funded PhD scholarship is available for a specialty crops research initiative project

Development of web-based tools to deliver crop-load information to assist with precision viticulture in the US viticulture industry.

A fully-funded PhD scholarship is available to work on a US Department of Agriculture funded Specialty Crops Research Initiative project. The overall project will develop new sensors for crop load estimation, develop new tools for data dissemination and decision support and new protocols for differential management in North American vineyards. The project is a multi-actor program lead by Cornell University with collaborations with Carnegie Mellon University, UC Davis and Fresno State University as well as multiple industry and commercial organisations based in the US.

The successful candidate will work on spatial decision support structures based around the development of new sensors at Carnegie Mellon and existing off-the-shelf precision viticulture sensors. The PhD outputs will link directly into variable-rate field trials and protocol validation in vineyards in California (Fresno State Uni) and New York State (Cornell). The candidate will be based at Newcastle University (UK) but will spend 4-6 weeks per year in the US with project partners.

PhD opportunity <http://www.ncl.ac.uk/media/wwwnclacuk/agriculturefoodandruraldevelopment/files/PhD%20Opportunity.pdf> or further enquires please contact Dr James Taylor<mailto:james.taylor6 at newcastle.ac.uk>. The project will suit a GIS programmer with an interest in viticulture systems or a viticulturist with an interest in GIS development and precision viticulture.

Deadline 14th Feb.