Changing the Game – Resilience to Seasonal Variation and Drought Through Ag Tech

This opportunity is available through a current research project jointly funded by the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) and SQNNSW Drought and Innovation Hub.

The research project activities are undertaken at Tosari Crop Research Centre and involve assessing the practical and commercial feasibility of various ag technologies on farm to manage the risks associated with seasonal variation and drought preparedness.

PhD students will undertake work informing farmers and advisors on technology options and approaches to best farming practices for assessing the reward-risk payoffs of management decisions due to seasonal variation and drought.

Suggested topics could include, but are not limited to:

Identification and mapping of physical crop attributes to crop stress including water, nutrients, pests and diseases;
Plant and environmental indicators for predicting crop yield and informing in crop decisions;
Data visualisation and augmented decision making to inform cropping decisions;
Sensing approaches using multiple lines of evidence (in-field proximal sensing, remote sensing etc) to improve crop and environmental information.

Stipend of AUD $35,000 per year

Maximum period of tenure of an award is 3 years. Periods of study already undertaken towards the degree will be deducted from the period of tenure.

To be eligible applicants must:

have completed an Honours Degree with First Class or 2A Honours, or equivalent level, or a Master’s degree with a significant research component in a discipline related to the project (e.g. agricultural engineering, agricultural science, agricultural technology, precision agriculture, machine vision, artificial intelligence and agricultural automation).
be native English speakers and/or meet UniSQ’s English Language Requirements for International applicants;
not be receiving equivalent support providing a benefit greater than 75% of the student’s stipend rate;
be eligible to commence or continue a PhD Program as soon as possible in 2024.

To be eligible applicants must:

Have a strong academic record and hold a qualification equivalent to an Australian research postgraduate degree;
Have completed study and/or research experience in agriculture, data science, engineering or other relevant field.
Possess a good standing or potential to publish in high-quality journals in the related areas;
Be enthusiastic, self-driven, and highly motivated;
Possess excellent verbal and written communication skills.

Please ensure you contact Michael Scobie by emailing michael.scobie@unisq.edu.au before applying.

To apply, please ensure you have digital copies of the below information:

Curriculum vitae; encompassing any research presentations and/or publications
Preliminary Research Thesis Topic Proposal (DOTX 153KB), to be completed with Michael Scobie - michael.scobie@unisq.edu.au
Education qualifications (testamur and academic transcripts for all undergraduate and postgraduate awards,

Applicants must have their current/prospective supervisor complete the Supervisor support letter.

Application must be made via the UniSQ Scholarship Application Management System by the closing date.

If you require assistance in completing your application please download the Scholarship Online Application Manual (PDF 2.14MB).

28 June 2024

Further information about this scholarship can be obtained from Michael Scobie by emailing michael.scobie@unisq.edu.au.