MSCA Joint Doctorate project – Call for PhD Applications: Robotics, Agriculture, AI, NL

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Call for PhD Applications

14 Prestigious Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Double Degree Doctorate Fellowships

 

GreenFieldData : IoRT Data Management and Analysis for Sustainable Agriculture Project

3-year contract starting September/October 2026

https://www.eu4greenfielddata.eu/

APPLICATIONS OPEN ON Juanary 5th 2026

 

Are you an aspiring researcher ready to drive the digital and green transition in agriculture?

The GreenFieldData project offers an outstanding opportunity to pursue a PhD within a high-calibre international and interdisciplinary network, funded under the prestigious Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Doctoral Networks (Grant agreement ID: 101226371).

Why join us ?

• Pillar of Excellence: A High-Level MSCA Joint Doctorate

The "IoRT Data management and analysis for Sustainable Agriculture" (GreenFieldData) project is an initiative of Pillar 1 (Excellence) of Horizon Europe. This ambitious network unites 12 leading academic beneficiaries across 7 EU countries, supported by 24 associated non-academic and academic partners.

By joining this network, you will become part of a highly integrated, inter-sectoral, and international (triple 'i') training environment. Our common goal is to train a new generation of researchers who can provide robust and human-centric solutions to the challenges posed by climate change and socio-economic constraints.

• Exceptional Financial Support for Your PhD

The MSCA Joint Doctorate provides a highly competitive and financially attractive employment package for the entire 36-month duration of the PhD contract:

• Generous Living Allowance: A monthly gross salary contribution
• Mobility Allowance: An additional monthly contribution to cover private mobility-related costs (e.g., relocation, travel)
• Family Allowance: A monthly allowance is also provided, if applicable (researchers with family obligations)
  
   
• Double Degree, High-Level Training, and Employability

All 14 Doctoral Candidates will be enrolled in Double Degree Doctorate programmes, guaranteeing joint supervision from at least two prominent international universities, with secondments in industrial partners

The project offers a high-level doctoral training programme, providing a unique toolbox of cutting-edge knowledge and transferable skills essential for maximizing your future employability within research, digital technologies, and agricultural sectors.

• 14 Cutting-Edge Research Topics on IoRT and Sustainable Agriculture

Your research will focus on the convergence of advanced data science and IoRT (Internet of Robotic Things) to foster Sustainable Agriculture and define efficient low input practices. We are seeking bright minds to tackle advanced topics such as Advanced Database Management Systems, AI, Edge-Fog-Cloud Architectures, and Data Analysis applied to real-world agricultural challenges.

We are recruiting for the following 14 PhD Positions (3-year contract starting September/October 2026):

Ref.

PhD Title

Main Supervising Institutions

Key Research Focus

A

Optimized IoRT network for enhanced data quality of IoRT cereals production practices.

Aarhus University (DK) & Clermont Auvergne University (FR)

IoRT Network Optimisation, Data Quality

B

Data collection and analysis empowered with AI for robotized Olive Oil Precision Farming.

University College Dublin (IE) & Instituto Superior Técnico (PT)

AI, Precision Farming, Robotics

C

Powering data-driven sustainability assessment tasks in agri-food systems with IoT-data Datlakes and Large Language Models.

Aarhus University (DK) & Université Libre Bruxelles (BE)

Data Lakes, LLMs, Sustainability Assessment

D

Human-centric Digital twins for monitoring robotized biostimulants application practices.

University Milan (IT) & Université Libre Bruxelles (BE)

Digital Twins, Human-Centric Systems, Robotics

E

Optimizing Images Quality and Deep Learning Methods for Vineyard Disease Detection.

University Padova (IT) & University Poznan (PL)

Deep Learning, Image Quality, Crop Disease

F

Optimized Olive crop irrigation based on high quality soil data using IoRT networks.

Instituto Superior Técnico (PT) & University Toulouse (FR)

IoRT Networks, Soil Data, Irrigation Optimisation

G

Characterization of abiotic stress of trees using AI methods on acoustic signals.

University College Dublin (IE) & INRAE (FR)

AI, Acoustic Signal Analysis, Abiotic Stress

H

Monitoring of grazing animals using sensors and data science.

University Liege (BE) & University College Dublin (IE)

Sensors, Data Science, Animal Monitoring

I

Assessing soil and crop health across sugar-beet producing farms.

University Poznan (PL) & University Liege (BE)

Soil/Crop Health Assessment, Sugar-beet

L

Natural language based interaction for robotized biostimulant practices.

CNRS (FR) & University Milan (IT)

Natural Language Processing, Robotics, Biostimulants

M

Assessing drought effects on grassland using IoT-enabled visual sensors.

University Poznan (PL) & INRAE (FR)

IoT Sensors, Visual Data, Drought Effects

N

Optimization-simulation coupling for the GHG emission based supervision and planification of a fleet of autonomous agricultural robots.

Aarhus University (DK) & INRAE (FR)

Optimisation, Simulation, Autonomous Robots, GHG Emissions

O

Adaptive navigation for agricultural robots using database-driven insights.

Université Libre Bruxelles (BE) & INRAE (FR)

Database Insights, Adaptive Navigation, Robotics

P

Agricultural AI data integration and management based on LLM.

University Toulouse (FR) & University Padova (IT)

AI, Data Integration, Large Language Models (LLM)

Inclusivity

We welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds, genders, and nationalities.

We particularly encourage applications from women, non-binary individuals, and candidates with disabilities, as well as from individuals from historically underrepresented groups. Selection is based solely on merit and potential, in accordance with equal opportunity principles. If you need reasonable accommodations during the process, please contact the supervisors

Moreover :

1. Work arrangements: Flexible working practices may be available depending on project needs (e.g., hybrid/remote, adjusted schedules).

2. Facilities for caregivers and or people needing special requirements (families and the visa process for their family members)

3. International applicants: We welcome international candidates; where applicable, the host institution can advise on visa, lodging and other administrative procedures. 

• Timeline
• Application Open : January 5th 2026
• Application Deadline : April 15th 2026
• Selection Process : Mai 2026
• PhD Start Date : September-October 2026
  
   
  
   

How to apply

All information are provided on the website of the project : https://www.eu4greenfielddata.eu/