Postdoctoral Associate - Digital Twins for Food-Health, and Biosystems in the Global South

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 .

Development of a Digital Twin of a developing country food-health system is a core part of the Global Food System Institute’s Brain Food Initiative, which is a key aspect of the agriculture-health nexus between the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences and the College of Public Health at the University of Florida.

We invite applications for a Postdoctoral Researcher to join the Global Food Systems Institute (GFSI) and the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering (ABE) at the University of Florida.  The incumbent will join a growing research program led by Dr. Ziynet Boz, focused on developing digital twins for food, agricultural, and biosystems in emerging and developing economies.  The emphasis for this position will be developing a digital twin of the food-health biosystems in a country in the Global South. The successful candidate will be an integral member of a collaborative, interdisciplinary team that brings together expertise in engineering, data science, public health, food safety, security and systems, sustainable farming systems, and international development.

The Global Food Systems Institute at UF is an international hub for research, education, and partnerships that address pressing challenges in global food security, sustainability, and resilience. Working through GFSI’s global partnerships, the postdoc will engage with researchers and stakeholders across the U.S. and developing countries to ensure the contextual relevance and real-world applicability of digital twin models.

The postdoctoral researcher will design, implement, and evaluate digital twin frameworks tailored to the unique contexts of emerging economies, including infrastructure limitations, climate stressors, and socio-economic constraints. Beyond this flagship project, the candidate will also contribute broadly to the lab’s and GFSI’s mission by supporting modeling components of related projects, co-developing grant proposals, utilizing the HiPerGator high-performance computing system, and maintaining a strong publication record.

Key Responsibilities:

• Develop and implement digital twin frameworks for food-health biosystems applications in a Global South country (e.g., supply chain resilience, food processing, public health, food safety and security, packaging, agricultural systems).
• Integrate diverse data streams (sensor data, IoT, remote sensing, AI/ML pipelines) into simulation and modeling platforms.
• Collaborate with GFSI partners and local to global stakeholders to contextualize and apply models in developing country settings.
• Lead and contribute to peer-reviewed publications, technical reports, and conference presentations.
• Actively support proposal writing and grant development to expand the program’s funding portfolio.
• Aid with modeling and systems analysis across related food and biosystems projects in ABE and GFSI.
• Utilize the HiPerGator high-performance computing system to conduct advanced modeling and simulations.
• Mentor graduate and undergraduate students engaged in related research activities.
• Contribute to a collaborative team environment spanning disciplines and countries.

Background Information

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 Service, the Coll