Project Description

This project is part of the GreenControl programme which is funded by the Dutch Research Council (NWO) and 11 companies. This programme encompasses 7 PhD students appointed at the universities of Wageningen, Delft, Eindhoven and Twente. Within GreenControl, you will work in parallel with another PhD in the same group, focusing on carbon related traits and colleagues across different disciplines, technology companies and growers, ensuring that your research results are directly usable in operational climate-control strategies.

As a PhD candidate, you will contribute to the development of innovative methods and models to monitor and interpret crop canopy transpiration using thermal imaging combined with microclimate sensing. You will work with advanced camera systems, microclimate sensor arrays and crop canopy models to quantify how environmental variability affects canopy transpiration and stomatal behaviour. You will conduct experiments in greenhouses and vertical farms, collaborate with engineers and modellers across work packages, and work closely with technology providers and growers to turn your findings into practical crop-centred control strategies.

Why This Scholarship Stands Out

This PhD is unique because it sits at the intersection of plant physiology, sensor technology, and data modelling. The GreenControl programme is a large-scale collaboration between four Dutch universities and 11 companies, meaning your research has direct industrial relevance. You will work with advanced thermal imaging systems and microclimate sensor arrays, gaining skills in image processing, data integration, and mechanistic modelling. For a student interested in how plants interact with their environment, this is an opportunity to combine quantitative analysis with plant biology while working closely with technology providers and growers.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Designing and conducting experiments using thermal imaging, climate sensors, and multilayer energy-balance modelling to quantify canopy transpiration
• Use robust image-processing and develop data-integration pipelines that combine imaging, microclimate and crop structural information
• Investigating how airflow, temperature, humidity and light influence stomatal behaviour and daily canopy water use and implement the findings in a mechanistic model
• Collaborating with scientists, engineers, growers and industrial partners to translate scientific insights into algorithms and control-oriented tools

Candidate Profile and Eligibility

My Application Strategy

1. Highlight your experience with plant physiology experiments – Mention any work with gas exchange, stomatal conductance, or transpiration measurements
2. Emphasize quantitative skills – Modelling, data analysis, image processing, or sensor interpretation experience is valuable
3. Show interest in controlled environment agriculture – Greenhouses and vertical farms are the application context
4. Demonstrate ability to work across disciplines – You will collaborate with engineers, modellers, growers, and technology providers
5. Keep application documents to max 3 pages total – CV and motivation letter combined. No grades or transcripts at this stage

What They Offer

Who Should Apply

This PhD is perfect for a student with a background in plant sciences, plant physiology, or environmental sciences who also enjoys quantitative analysis and working with sensors. If you are interested in how plants respond to their environment at the canopy level, and want to develop skills in thermal imaging, microclimate sensing, and mechanistic modelling, this project offers training across experimental plant physiology and data science. Candidates with experience in modelling or image processing are especially encouraged. The ideal candidate is someone who enjoys working at the interface of biology, engineering, and data science.

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