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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(33, 33, 33);">PhD Position: Agroecosystem Monitoring and
</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.666667px; color: rgb(33, 33, 33);">Management with AI</span></p>
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<span style="color: rgb(33, 33, 33);">Prof. Yanghui Kang’s group (</span><span style="color: rgb(149, 79, 114);"><u><a href="https://www.eco-intelli.org/" data-outlook-id="705b2133-96bd-4429-9483-1cd4a31b01ac" style="color: rgb(149, 79, 114); margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Ecosystem
Intelligence Lab</a></u></span><span style="color: rgb(33, 33, 33);">) invites applications for a fully funded PhD position in the Department of Biological Systems Engineering at Virginia Tech, starting in Fall 2026. The successful candidate will develop and
apply deep learning methods to monitor and model agroecosystem dynamics—including crop/pasture growth, water use, productivity, and carbon/nutrient cycling—by integrating satellite remote sensing, ground observations, and process-based models. This research
aims to create scalable tools and datasets that improve our understanding of agroecosystem function and inform adaptive, climate-smart management for food security and sustainability.</span></div>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(33, 33, 33);"><u>Preferred Qualifications:</u></span></p>
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<li style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(33, 33, 33);">
<div role="presentation">Demonstrated expertise or strong interests in developing skills in deep learning </div>
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<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Strong programming and quantitative skills </span></div>
</li><li style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(33, 33, 33);">
<div role="presentation">Bachelor's or Master's degree in a relevant field (e.g., agricultural/environmental engineering, remote sensing, ecology, geography, computer science, data science)</div>
</li><li style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(33, 33, 33);">
<div role="presentation">Strong motivation for independent research and commitment to applying AI for sustainability challenges</div>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(33, 33, 33);"><u>Application Process:</u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(33, 33, 33);">Interested candidates should email a brief description of research interests and experiences,
along with a CV and transcripts (Bachelor's and Master's if applicable), to Dr. Yanghui Kang (yanghuikang@vt.edu).</span></p>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Detailed information about applying to the </span>
<span style="font-size: 14.666667px;">Biological</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> Systems Engineering PhD program can be found on the department website:
</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(149, 79, 114);"><u><a href="https://www.bse.vt.edu/graduate.html" data-outlook-id="35108c42-950f-413f-a5f6-73eae8494c03" style="color: rgb(149, 79, 114); margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">https://www.bse.vt.edu/graduate.html</a></u></span></div>
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<b>Yanghui Kang</b></p>
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<i>Assistant Professor, Biological Systems Engineering</i></p>
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Virginia Tech | College of Agriculture and Life Sciences</p>
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<span style="font-family: "Apple Color Emoji";">📧</span> <b>Email</b>: <span style="color: rgb(70, 120, 134);">
<u><a href="mailto:yanghuikang@vt.edu" data-outlook-id="4156caff-3c33-4d37-bb3e-3db8122cf1e6" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">yanghuikang@vt.edu</a></u></span></p>
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<span style="font-family: "Apple Color Emoji";">🌐</span> <b>Website</b>: <a href="https://www.eco-intelli.org/" data-outlook-id="266a0482-85ea-437a-88eb-dcb0bc61b998" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">
eco-intelli.org</a></p>
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