Funded PhD Studentship: Robotics for farming deployment

Engineering Department

Project Title:  Robotics for farming deployment  

Primary supervisor: Prof. Fernando Auat Cheein

Co supervisors: TBC

Expected Start date and location

April 2026 onwards, based at Harper Adams University, Edgmond, Shropshire, UK.

Funding

The studentship covers the current Home Student (UK, Isle of Man & Channel Isles) tuition fees plus a yearly stipend. For 2025/6 this equates to £20, 780 per year, with potential increases each academic year in line with UKRI. 

International applicants would need to be able to fund the difference between home and overseas fees (£11, 382 for the 2025/6 academic year) with a proportion being paid in full before Visa documentation can be issued. Please note that due to time frame for Visa applications the start date may have to be amended to January 2026.

Applicants

Applicants must hold a minimum of an upper second class (2:1) honours degree, or equivalent in a relevant discipline or a 2.2 alongside a relevant Master's degree with Merit, or potential for research based on alternative qualifications/experience judged acceptable by the university.

Project 

We are seeking a highly motivated PhD candidate to join our research team working at the intersection of robotics, artificial intelligence, and agriculture. The project will focus on the development and application of robotic systems with articulated arms for fruit handling, harvesting, and other farming operations. 

The successful candidate will investigate the integration of vision systems and AI techniques for perception, decision-making, and control, enabling robots to operate reliably in complex agricultural environments. The research will involve design, experimentation, and validation of robotic approaches tailored to real-world farming needs. 

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