Growing a sustainable future through digital agriculture
At the College of Agriculture and Bioresources, we are committed to finding innovative solutions to sustainably feed a hungry and growing world.
To accelerate our innovative work in this area, the College of Agriculture and Bioresources (AgBio) is hiring five new faculty in the strategic area of sustainability and digital agriculture, a priority research area rich in potential for partnership, innovation, and impact.
The new positions in sustainable and digital agriculture at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) will engage in exploring and developing technologies that can help food systems become more sustainable and resilient, along the entire value chain. They will share knowledge and build capacity to help business, policymakers and other stakeholders understand these technologies and their applications—including the opportunities and challenges they present—and leverage multi-stakeholder partnerships to support large-scale adoption.
Joining AgBio's robust research ecosystem, the new positions will strengthen and diversify our collaborations with other colleges, schools and institutes at USask and beyond, creating opportunities for new scientific programs, as well as technology platforms that will add scale and increase the impact across the food and agriculture sector.
The cluster will expedite innovation and advances in sustainable and digital agriculture by drawing on an integrated team from AgBio and across the USask campus who will provide multiple perspectives when working on novel solutions to grand challenges in the agriculture and food system space. These grand challenges include AI, big data analytics, and automation and precision agriculture technologies that have the potential to enhance the safety, resiliency and sustainability of production systems at every scale, from the molecular to the field.
Five new positions will support research and teaching in the following areas:
Precision Agronomy
Expertise to improve the understanding of spatial and temporal variability in dryland cropping systems by using remote sensing and autonomous tools with a goal of optimizing crop management, including through more effective use of fuel, fertilizer and crop protection products.
Sustainable Animal Production Systems
Expertise in sustainable animal production systems, including aspects of feeding and resource management, nutrient cycling, impacts of animal production on air and water quality, and mitigation strategies for reducing the environmental impacts of animal production systems (e.g., reducing greenhouse emissions).
Digital Pedology and Pedometrics
Expertise in pedometrics and digital soil mapping, geographic information systems (GIS), digital agriculture, and/or soil carbon and nutrient stewardship.
Agricultural Data Analytics and Economics
Expertise in data analysis including optimization, econometrics, quantitative methods, data analysis, and working with big data.
Food Safety and Microbiology
Expertise to advance food safety as it relates to detection, traceability, and sustainability of supply chains.
University of Saskatchewan Agriculture Signature Area of Research
Supporting the coordinated and interdisciplinary efforts needed to feed the world, USask’s Agriculture Signature Area of Research is addressing issues of food security, production efficiencies and policy in the face of a changing climate and a growing global population.
Saskatchewan’s agriculture sector has been built on innovation and supported through a vibrant research ecosystem that brings together strengths of private, public and government sectors. USask plays a leading role across the sector with a reputation of excellence and a commitment to the responsible and sustainable advancement of the agriculture industry. This cluster will strengthen the Agriculture Signature Area, elevating our capacity for impact at the local, national, and global level.