Lecturer/Senior Lecturer in Agri-Robotics (COS759)

Lecturer salary from £33,797

Senior Lecturer salary from £39,152

The University of Lincoln is seeking to appoint a Lecturer or Senior Lecturer within Lincoln Agri-Robotics (LAR), the world's first global centre of excellence in agricultural robotics. Applicants should hold a PhD and should be able to demonstrate an excellent track record in Robotics and Autonomous Systems or a related field such as (but not limited to): manipulation, grasping, soft robotics, mobility, sensing, perception, communication, intelligent control or autonomy. The ideal candidate for this post will have hands-on experience with field/deployed robotics or robots “in the wild”, cloud/edge platforms, system integration and/or experimental evaluation. Specific experience in the agriculture domain is useful but not required.

Lincoln Agri-Robotics (LAR) expands the successful interdisciplinary collaboration between two of the University’s leading research groups: the Lincoln Institute of Agri-Food Technology (LIAT) and the Lincoln Centre for Autonomous Systems (L-CAS). The new centre offers the perfect opportunity to make an impactful difference by developing robotics to address the global challenges facing crop-based agriculture, such as climate change, food security, population growth, political pressures affecting migration, and the demographics of an ageing population.

Once in post, the successful candidate will develop their own research portfolio within the context of LAR and in collaboration with this unique academic team. Expectations include acquiring external funding, publishing in the highest quality journals and conferences, supervising postdoctoral researchers and PhD students, contributing to real-world applications with positive impacts on the wider society and economy, as well as conducting, directing and supervising research in line with the targets set by the University. In addition, the successful candidate will contribute to teaching activities relevant to their area of expertise, such as the MSc Robotics &d Autonomous Systems or the MSc Agri-Food Technology.

The post-holder will benefit from excellent facilities, equipment and ready-made links to the university’s extensive network of industry partners across the agri-food chain. The new centre is based at the University’s 200-hectare Riseholme Campus, where researchers enjoy access to a working farm, woodlands, grasslands and watercourses, as well as our robotic fruit farm, including polytunnels and cold storage facilities. The University is also the lead institution for the new EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) in Agri-Food Robotics (AgriFoRwArdS), together with partners at the Universities of Cambridge and East Anglia. State-of-the-art equipment available for our research includes advanced robotic manipulators and mobile robots, such as Franka arms and our fleet of Thorvald robots; advanced sensing, imaging and camera technologies; and excellent links to industrial facilities and test environments.

Closing Date: 22 Aug 2020
Category: Academic