Cross-talk Postdoc Position

**Faculty of Bioscience Engineering**:

- **Department: BW21 - Plant en Gewas**:

- **Occupancy rate:100%**:

- **Number of positions: 1**:

- **Type of employment: Contract of limited duration**:

- **Term of assignment: from 15 October 2025 till 31 December 2025**:

- **Wage scale: PD1 to PD4 (doctoral degree)**:

- **Required diploma:PhD**

**ABOUT GHENT UNIVERSITY**

Ghent University is a world of its own. Employing more than 15,000 people, it is actively involved in education and research, management and administration, as well as technical and social service provision on a daily basis. It is one of the largest, most exciting employers in the area and offers great career opportunities. With its 11 faculties and more than 80 departments offering state-of-the-art study programmes grounded in research in a wide range of academic fields, Ghent University is a logical choice for its staff and students.

**PROJECT**

Cross-talk: Modelling the crop-climate dialogue to optimize resources, production and quality in plant factories and greenhouses

The aim of this short-term assignment is to publish existing datasets collected during the 4-year Cross-talk project on multi-layer farming, conducted within the Agrotopia infrastructure. Multi-layer farming not only enhances crop yield per unit area but also enables farmers to more precisely control the growth process by adjusting key climate parameters. To investigate these dynamics, a 3D model will be applied to simulate plant-climate interactions in a multi-layer environment, evaluating how resources such as light (solar and/or LED), temperature, relative humidity, CO2, and water affect the production of lettuce.

**YOUR TASKS**
- Analyse existing datasets on multi-layer farming (Agrotopia infrastructure) and prepare a manuscript for submission to a peer-reviewed journal.
- Finalize the manuscript on the 3D plant model (FSPM) for lettuce and prepare it for submission to a peer-reviewed journal.
- Collaborate on the preparation of a manuscript on the economic analysis of multi-layer farming for submission to a peer-reviewed journal.

**WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR**
- Diploma: Doctoral degree in Bioscience Engineering, Engineering, Physics, Biology, or an equivalent relevant degree.
- High motivation to carry out the assigned tasks.
- Strong interest in plant functioning, plant-climate interactions, and/or vertical multi-layer farming.
- Demonstrated affinity with plants.
- Knowledge of 3D modelling.
- Strong mathematical and analytical skills.
- Excellent organizational and project management abilities to ensure timely delivery of outputs.
- Excellent command of English, both written and oral.
- Team-oriented, yet able to work independently, with strong interpersonal and communication skills.

**WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU**
- We offer you a contract of definite duration for the period from 15 October 2025 till 31 December 2025
- Your contract will start on 15/10/2025 at the earliest.
- Your remuneration will be determined by salary scale WM1 to WM4 (if you hold a Master’s degree) or salary scale PD1 to PD4 (if you hold a doctorate). Click here for more information about our salary scales.
- All Ghent University staff members enjoy a number of benefits, such as a wide range of training and education opportunities, 36 days of holiday leave (on an annual basis for a full-time job) supplemented by annual fixed bridge days, bicycle allowance and eco vouchers. Click here for a complete overview of all the staff benefits.

**WHERE**

**INTERESTED?**
- In the field ‘CV’: your CV and a transcript of your academic record (merged into one pdf file)
- In the field ‘Diploma’: a transcript of the required degree (if already in your possession). If you have a foreign diploma in a language other than our national languages (Dutch, French or German) or English, please add a translation in one of the mentioned languages.

Note that the maximum file size for each field is 10 MB.

**MORE INFORMATION