Job Description
Globally, Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) is rapidly expanding. It includes high-tech greenhouse and vertical farm production of healthy vegetables, fruits, herbs, and flowers. Dutch technology and expertise provide an important basis for this growth. In an environment where temperature, light and fertigation can be controlled, the growing conditions can be optimally designed for the crop. It allows local-for-local production, optimal water and land usage and it is amenable to mechanization. CEA helps to reduce waste, labour, and transport. It contributes to increased food safety, food security and product quality.
Worldwide there is a shortage of farmer succession, and this is no different for the horticultural sector. Fortunately, the CEA sector envisages solutions to this problem. CEA is especially amenable to data driven crop management solutions. Data coming through sensors in the growth facility and on the plants give information on how to adapt the growing environment in terms of temperature, light, fertigation, plant pruning etcetera. The CEA grower of the future will thus be more reliant on a data-driven growth management system in the future, and the plant management in the greenhouse will be further automated.
We strive to improve CEA system designs and crop management standards by using technology that will serve plant (optimal growth conditions), people (fresh and healthy plants) and planet (sustainable production methodology). Via various "dashboards", the integration of data streams from the plant sensor, the greenhouse or vertical farm and the surrounding environment, is used to build a better understanding of the growing environment enabling improved crop management and advice. The management of the CEA systems is complex and needs a combination of grower experience with the crop (green fingers) and interpretation of continuous data coming from the production systems. There is a lot to be discovered and innovated.
Where are you going to work?
The professor will be based at the Brightlands Future Farming Institute (BFFI) in Venlo but will have a close connection to (and work partially at) the Agri & Business department of HAS green academy in Venlo and Den Bosch.
You will be the bridge between HAS green academy and BFFI connecting both institutes, students, and researchers by building a knowledge infrastructure on the Brightlands Campus Greeport Venlo. This infrastructure will be closely linked to the educational programs of HAS green academy and UM.
The Brightlands Future Farming Institute (BFFI) is a research collaboration between BASF, Nunhems and the Faculty of Science and Engineering of Maastricht University. It focuses on Natural sciences and technology. At the BFFI, University of Maastricht scientists and students work on the genetics, growth recipes and crop management related to vegetable production. Together they strive for the optimal phenotype by integrating plant genetics, plant environment and crop management.
The university of Maastricht and the HAS green academy – university of applied sciences therefore like to get in contact with candidates that are interested and qualified for the position of Full Professor Digitally Controlled Environmental Agriculture.
More information can be found on the Maastricht University website.