PhD Position Collaborative Metadata Management for Data-Driven Plant Resilience Enhancement

Join us in advancing the frontier of Metadata Management, making a tangible impact on agricultural resilience through the power of data and machine learning!

Job Description
We are seeking a highly motivated PhD candidate to join our research team focused on Collaborative Metadata Management for Large Data Repositories supporting data-driven methods and AI models in plant science. The project is part of the CropXR program, a highly collaborative 10-year national initiative of universities and industry, with a mission to grow resilient crops developed by a data-driven design.

This PhD project will analyse and address the requirements for establishing effective metadata management in large data repositories. The expected outcomes are innovative technical solutions, systems, and methodologies for metadata elicitation, metadata evolution, and metadata quality management.
The goal of these outcomes is to improve the practices of metadata management in plant sciences in accordance with the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable). This will enable our team of interdisciplinary partners to reliably develop, train and deploy complex AI models for improving plant resilience (e.g., plants which are more resilient to temperature changes or drought).

Key Challenges

• The challenges of large-scale collaborative metadata management for supporting plant sciences are not yet well understood. This PhD project requires an inquisitive mind and an enthusiastic communicator eager to explore this new frontier!
• We anticipate challenges related to effective and efficient elicitation of metadata. As providing metadata is often not prioritized or enjoyed by many academics and practitioners, novel innovative solutions are needed to address this issue. Such solutions can be found in various fields, for example by fostering stronger and more effective communities and social workflows around metadata (inspired by comparable communities in software development as found on e.g., GitHub or Stack Overflow), or by developing AI-assisted tools and workflows which can guide and support users more effectively.
• User Modelling is essential. While this project innovates in the field of data management and information management, also many human-centric issues like incentivisation and communication will be encountered. Thus, technical solutions need to keep both algorithmic challenges and human aspects in mind!
• Item Modelling is a plus. We deal specifically with metadata for plant sciences. Background knowledge (or the willingness to familiarize yourself with such background knowledge) in relevant related plant science fields is beneficial.

Your Role

• You will develop technical solutions, systems, and algorithms processing and handling metadata, but you will also perform quantitative and qualitative research on the requirements and effectiveness of such solutions.
• With your work, you will contribute to interdisciplinary research integrating data-driven mechanistic models and machine learning models into plant sciences with the goal to develop more resilient breeds.
• Given the interdisciplinarity and dynamic environment inherent to this project, this project requires that you adapt and adjust your solutions to the specifications and needs of practitioners in the field.

Benefits

• Opportunity to work on cutting-edge interdisciplinary research with significant real-world impact.
• Collaborative and dynamic research environment which is highly interdisciplinary and international.
• Collaborate with researchers, practitioners, and developers within various disciplines.
• Support for professional development and attendance at international conferences.

This PhD position is positioned within the Web Information System Group, part of the Computer Science department of the Delft University of Technology. The PhD position will be supervised by Dr. Christoph Lofi. The PhD project will be done in close collaboration with our partner institutions in the CropXR project.

Job requirements

• A Master's degree in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence (AI), or Bioinformatics, with an affinity to data management, information management, and/or data science.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Strong interpersonal communication and collaboration abilities.
• Experience with biological data integration or computational biology is a plus, but not required. However, enthusiasm for learning about computational biology is expected!
• Excellent programming skills and familiarity with databases, data repositories, and data lakes.
• Experience or enthusiasm for developing AI-driven systems utilizing Large Language Models and/or conversational agents.
• Willingness and experience to perform quantitative and qualitative user research, e.g., user studies or interviews.
• Ability to work independently as part of a multidisciplinary team. You will work within a department for Computer Science, collaborating within the CropXR project with biologists, bio-informaticians, and agriculture specialists.
• Doing a PhD at TU Delft requires English proficiency at a high level to ensure that the candidate can communicate and interact well, participate in English-taught Doctoral Education courses, and write scientific articles and a final thesis. For more details please check the Graduate Schools Admission Requirements. Dutch language skills are a plus and appreciated, but not required.

TU Delft (Delft University of Technology)
Delft University of Technology is built on strong foundations. As creators of the world-famous Dutch waterworks and pioneers in biotech, TU Delft is a top international university combining science, engineering and design. It delivers world class results in education, research and innovation to address challenges in the areas of energy, climate, mobility, health and digital society. For generations, our engineers have proven to be entrepreneurial problem-solvers, both in business and in a social context.

At TU Delft we embrace diversity as one of our core values and we actively engage to be a university where you feel at home and can flourish. We value different perspectives and qualities. We believe this makes our work more innovative, the TU Delft community more vibrant and the world more just. Together, we imagine, invent and create solutions using technology to have a positive impact on a global scale. That is why we invite you to apply. Your application will receive fair consideration.

Challenge. Change. Impact!

Faculty Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science
The Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science (EEMCS) brings together three scientific disciplines. Combined, they reinforce each other and are the driving force behind the technology we all use in our daily lives. Technology such as the electricity grid, which our faculty is helping to make completely sustainable and future-proof. At the same time, we are developing the chips and sensors of the future, whilst also setting the foundations for the software technologies to run on this new generation of equipment – which of course includes AI. Meanwhile we are pushing the limits of applied mathematics, for example mapping out disease processes using single cell data, and using mathematics to simulate gigantic ash plumes after a volcanic eruption. In other words: there is plenty of room at the faculty for ground-breaking research. We educate innovative engineers and have excellent labs and facilities that underline our strong international position. In total, more than 1000 employees and 4,000 students work and study in this innovative environment.

Click here to go to the website of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science.

Conditions of employment
Doctoral candidates will be offered a 4-year period of employment in principle, but in the form of 2 employment contracts. An initial 1,5 year contract with an official go/no go progress assessment within 15 months. Followed by an additional contract for the remaining 2,5 years assuming everything goes well and performance requirements are met.

Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, increasing from € 2901 per month in the first year to € 3707 in the fourth year. As a PhD candidate you will be enrolled in the TU Delft Graduate School. The TU Delft Graduate School provides an inspiring research environment with an excellent team of supervisors, academic staff and a mentor. The Doctoral Education Programme is aimed at developing your transferable, discipline-related and research skills.

The TU Delft offers a customisable compensation package, discounts on health insurance, and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged.

Will you need to relocate to the Netherlands for this job? TU Delft is committed to make your move as smooth as possible! The HR unit, Coming to Delft Service, offers information on their website to help you prepare your relocation. In addition, Coming to Delft Service organises events to help you settle in the Netherlands, and expand your (social) network in Delft. A Dual Career Programme is available, to support your accompanying partner with their job search in the Netherlands.

Additional information
CropXR
CropXR was launched in 2023 to help make agricultural production less vulnerable to climate change and less dependent on artificial fertilizers and chemical pesticides. The institute is a joint venture of the universities of Amsterdam, Delft, Wageningen and Utrecht in partnership with Plantum, the Dutch plant breeding sector association. CropXR brings together efforts from different academic disciplines (such as plant sciences, computational and data sciences, and social sciences) and private industry to help bring about sustainable change. It receives support from NWO, the Dutch National Growth Fund, and the Foundation for Food & Agricultural Research. Learn more about CropXR at CropXR.org. For more information about this vacancy, please contact c.lofi@tudelft.nl.

Application procedure
Are you interested in this vacancy? Please apply no later than April 13, 2025 via the application button and upload your CV, highlighting relevant education and other related experience and achievements. Include a cover letter outlining why you consider yourself a good match for this position, and your reasons for pursuing a PhD in general and in this project specifically.

We will be conducting the application procedure in several rounds. If we are interested, we will request a quick pre-screening video call, before doing a full interview.

For questions, you can contact c.lofi@tudelft.nl.
You can address your application to Dr. Christoph Lofi.

Doing a PhD at TU Delft requires English proficiency at a certain level to ensure that the candidate is able to communicate and interact well, participate in English-taught Doctoral Education courses, and write scientific articles and a final thesis. For more details please check the Graduate Schools Admission Requirements.

Please note:

• You can apply online. We will not process applications sent by email and/or post.
• A pre-employment screening can be part of the selection procedure.
• For the final candidates, a knowledge security check will be part of the application procedure. For more information on this check, please consult Chapter 8 of the National Knowledge Security Guidelines. We carry out this check on the basis of legitimate interest.
• Please do not contact us for unsolicited services.

36 - 40 hours per week

Mekelweg 5