Postdoctoral Researcher in Advanced Modeling and Simulation for Food, Packaging, and Supply Chains

Classification Title:

Postdoctoral Associate

Classification Minimum Requirements:

The appointee shall have received the doctorate in a field appropriate to the assigned duties and responsibilities.

Job Description:

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is creating an environment that affirms community across all dimensions. We particularly welcome applicants who can contribute to such an environment through their scholarship, teaching, mentoring, and professional service. If an accommodation due to a disability is needed to apply for this position, please call 352-392-2477 or the Florida Relay System at 800-955-8771 (TDD) or visit Accessibility at UF .

IFAS is seeking a highly motivated Postdoctoral Researcher to join the Agricultural and Biological Engineering department (ABE), a unit within IFAS. This individual will have expertise in computer science, industrial and systems engineering, or related fields to contribute to cutting-edge research at the intersection of food systems, packaging, supply chain resilience, and lifecycle sustainability. The successful candidate will lead and conduct independent research in optimization, systems modeling, agent-based modeling (ABM), and network modeling, with direct applications to food packaging systems, supply chain logistics, and lifecycle/techno-economic assessment (LCA/TEA).

Employment with IFAS provides an excellent opportunity to work with other dedicated employees focused on developing knowledge in agricultural, human, and natural resources, and to make that knowledge accessible to sustain and enhance the quality of human life.

Some key responsibilities and characteristics of this position are:

• Develop and apply mathematical, computational, and agent-based models to evaluate sustainability and resilience in food, packaging, and supply chains. 

• Conceptualize and implement digital twin systems for packaging and supply chain decision-making. 

• Integrate optimization, AI, and machine learning methods into models of logistics and lifecycle sustainability. 

• Conduct life cycle assessment (LCA) and techno-economic analysis (TEA) for emerging packaging and food system technologies. 

• Prepare decision-support tools and simulation frameworks to inform stakeholders and policymakers. 

• Analyze system-level data on environmental, economic, and labor impacts of packaging and supply chain innovations. 

• Contribute to peer-reviewed publications and grant proposal development. 

• Mentor graduate and undergraduate students in computational modeling and sustainability assessment. 

• Present research findings at national and international conferences. 

About Agricultural and Biological Engineering

The mission of the Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department is to develop professionals, create and disseminate knowledge, and promote the application of engineering, science, and management principles to meet societal needs with respect to agricultural, biological, and land and water resource systems. With more than 100 years since its founding, ABE is one of the top-ranked departments in the nation (ranked third in graduate and seventh in undergraduate agricultural and biological engineering programs by US News & World Report in 2024).

Learn more about ABE.

Benefits

UF provides various leave programs based on an employee’s salary plan, including vacation, sick leave, holidays, personal leave days, and paid family leave. In addition to paid time off, the University of Florida offers a very competitive benefits package.

About the University of Florida 

The University of Florida is a Land-Grant, Sea-Grant, and Space-Grant institution, encompassing virtually all academic and professional disciplines, with an enrollment of more than 56,000 students.  UF is a member of The Association of American Universities.  The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences includes the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station, the Florida Cooperative Extension Se