The posting
About KGAI4Ag:
Advancing Knowledge-guided AI to Develop Agricultural Digital Twins for Singapore’s Climate Resilience (KGAI4Ag) is a research program of the Illinois Advanced Research Center at Singapore (Illinois ARCS), a research institute funded by the National Research Foundation (NRF) Singapore under the CREATE program.KGAI4Ag sits within the Southeast Asian Innovation Alliance for a Global Model of Future Agri-Food Systems (SIGMA), a U.S.–Singapore academic research alliance co-led by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) and the National University of Singapore (NUS) to enhance food security, sustain the environment and build resilient communities across Southeast Asia.
KGAI4Ag is developing first-of-its-kind digital twins for ASEAN agroecosystems by advancing knowledge-guided AI (KGAI), which integrates scientific principles with machine learning. The program is organized around three research thrusts:(1) Characterizing Physical Reality, which combines low-cost IoT field sensors, cameras and satellite remote sensing into analysis-ready datasets; (2)Developing Digital Twins, which couples dynamic 4D plant models with biogeochemical modelling through KGAI-based data assimilation at the field scale, and upscales these to the regional scale through a Bridge Model framework; and (3)Decision-Making, which turns digital twin outputs into AI-driven decision support for farm management, food trade, and measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) of agricultural carbon outcomes. Field work currently focuses on rice systems in Vietnam and cacao agroforestry in Indonesia.
About This Role:
KGAI4Ag seeks a Postdoctoral Researcher to lead the cacao agroforestry part of the project’s crop digital twin in Indonesia. The successful candidate will link tree-level observations, remote sensing and vegetation modelling to study cacao growth, water stress and carbon, extending the program’s digital twins from row crops to agroforestry systems.
Key Responsibilities:
• Conduct research on tree-crop modelling and remote sensing for cacao agroforestry.
• Integrate lidar, drone, satellite and field data with vegetation models, including point cloud processing.
• Study cacao growth, water stress and carbon dynamics using carbon and water cycle modelling.
• Plan and take part in field campaigns in Aceh, Indonesia, collecting tree-level observations.
• Publish in leading journals and present at conferences and project meetings.
• Collaborate across US–Singapore teams at UIUC, NUS and partner institutions, and mentor students and junior researchers.
• Undertake occasional travel to partner institutions in the US.
Qualifications and Experience:
Required:
• PhD in ecology, forestry, plant ecophysiology, Earth/environmental science, remote sensing or a related field.
• Extensive experience in tree or plant ecophysiology or vegetation modelling, including lidar, drone or satellite data, shown by publications.
• Programming skills in Python.
• Excellent communication and scientific writing skills in English, the working language of the US–Singapore team, publications and reports.
Preferred:
• Experience with agroforestry or tropical tree crops.
• Experience with point cloud processing and multi-sensor data fusion.
• Experience with ecological field methods and field data analysis.
• Willing to participate in online meetings outside of regular working hours to ensure timely communication and continuity of business, in view of the strategic and affiliated relationship between the Illinois ARCS and the UIUC, as well as the time zone differences between the two locations.
Application Process:
Interested candidates should submit their resume/CV together with a cover letter outlining their qualifications and relevant experience for the position to Gabriel Tan ([email protected])with the subject line “KGAI4Ag Postdoctoral Researcher (TropicalAgroforestry Modelling and Remote Sensing) – Singapore”. Please also include the transcripts of undergraduate studies, the names and contact details of three professional referees.
Applications will be considered until the corresponding position has been filled. Only shortlisted candidates will be notified.



