Postdoctoral Research Associate

About the role

Texas A&M AgriLife Research – Dallas Center is seeking a Postdoctoral Research Associate to join the Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) Engineering Lab. The candidate will work in areas such as computer vision, AI-driven automation, and robotics for greenhouses and vertical farming systems.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and integrate robotic and automated systems, including end-effectors, manipulators, and sensor-actuator networks.
• Lead mechanical, electrical, and mechatronic design activities, including CAD design, prototyping, fabrication, and system assembly.
• Integrate sensors and embedded hardware (e.g., cameras, depth sensors, environmental sensors, motor drivers, microcontrollers) into robotic platforms and automated systems.
• Implement AI approaches for crop sensing, growth analysis, stress monitoring, and interpreting plant-environment interactions for intelligent climate control.
• Collaborate with a multidisciplinary team to design and execute research studies, perform data collection and analysis, and contribute to high-impact publications.
• Present research findings through presentations at scientific conferences and stakeholder meetings.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Ph.D. in Agricultural, Biosystems, Mechanical, Electrical Engineering, or a closely related field.
• Strong background in robotics, automation, and mechatronic systems.
• Demonstrated track record of peer-reviewed publications in areas such as robotics, automation, and/or embedded control systems, particularly with applications in agriculture systems.
• Ability to multi-task and work co-operatively with others.

Preferred Qualifications

• Hands-on experience with robotic hardware, including mobile robots, robotic arms, and automated systems.
• Proficiency in mechanical design and prototyping (CAD, fabrication, rapid prototyping).
• Experience with embedded systems, motor control, and sensor integration.
• Proficiency in ROS/ROS2, Gazebo, NVIDIA Isaac Sim, or Unity for simulation and deployment.