Postdoctoral Research Associate – Controlled Environment Agriculture

About the role

Texas A&M AgriLife Research’s Dallas Center is seeking a highly motivated postdoctoral researcher to advance Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) technologies. The role focuses on developing robotic hardware, AI‑driven automation, and computer‑vision solutions for greenhouse and vertical‑farm systems.

Key responsibilities

• Design, build, and integrate robotic and automated systems, including end‑effectors, manipulators, and sensor‑actuator networks.
• Lead mechanical, electrical, and mechatronic design activities, covering CAD modeling, prototyping, fabrication, and system assembly.
• Integrate sensors and embedded hardware such as cameras, depth sensors, environmental sensors, motor drivers, and microcontrollers into robotic platforms.
• Develop and apply AI and computer‑vision algorithms for crop sensing, growth analysis, stress monitoring, and intelligent climate control.
• Collaborate with a multidisciplinary team to design experiments, collect and analyse data, and contribute to high‑impact publications.
• Present research findings at scientific conferences and stakeholder meetings.

Required profile

• Ph.D. in Agricultural, Biosystems, Mechanical, Electrical Engineering or a closely related discipline.
• Strong background in robotics, automation, and mechatronics.
• Experience with interdisciplinary research and scientific publishing.

Required skills

• Robotics and automation engineering
• Mechanical, electrical and mechatronic design
• CAD software (e.g., SolidWorks, AutoCAD)
• Sensor integration and embedded systems (cameras, depth sensors, microcontrollers)
• Computer vision and AI/machine‑learning techniques
• Physics‑based simulation tools