Posted May 12, 2011

The Project:
There is ongoing interest in the use of machine vision in cropping systems for the purposes of improved plant and pest monitoring, optimizing use of agricultural inputs, and robotic production and harvesting systems. These relatively unconstrained, natural environments present interesting challenges that are unique from other problem domains. This work is focused on exploring and developing strategies for acquiring information about plants within these environments using UV-Vis-NIR spectroscopy and imaging spectroscopy (hyperspectral imaging), directional reflectance, and structured illumination. Example applications include: discriminating weeds from a crop, identification of cucumbers in a green canopy, and early-stage disease screening in plants. Facilities and equipment include a unique uniform-light-source imaging spectrophotometer, dual beam spectrophotometer, portable spectrometer, ENVI/IDL software, NI Labview, machine vision cameras and optics bench and cleanroom.

Qualifications:

Undergraduate degree in Agricultural/Biological, Electrical or Computer Engineering, Engineering Physics, or related discipline, with minimum average of 70%. Knowledge of and experience in crop productions systems considered an asset.

Starting Date: September 2011 or January 2012.

Stipend: M.Sc $17,000/year for 2 years; Ph.D. $21,000/year for 3 years. Scholarship funding in addition to these base amounts may be available for qualified candidates.

How to Apply:
Send your curriculum vitae and statement of research interest by email to Dr. Scott Noble (scott.noble@usask.ca).

Other Information:
Information on the application process and requirements may be found at www.usask.ca/cgsr.