Prospective Graduate Students – General
Are you considering pursuing an MS or PhD? Join our dynamic research team! We’re eagerly seeking talented individuals to embark on an exciting academic journey with us. To apply, simply prepare your materials and submit your application through the university website. Don’t forget to highlight Dr. Camiletti’s name during the process to ensure your application receives proper attention.
Prospective Graduate Students – Specific Positions OPEN
Graduate Student Position in Smart Plant Pathology Lab
The Smart Plant Pathology Lab at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is seeking a highly motivated PhD student to join an interdisciplinary research program focused on digital agriculture and disease management. The lab integrates plant pathology, remote sensing, artificial intelligence, and precision agriculture to develop innovative solutions for crop protection.
Project Title
Remote Sensing and Digital Agriculture for Detection and Management of Soybean Diseases
Principal Investigators
Dr. Boris X. Camiletti, Assistant Professor, Department of Crop Sciences
Dr. Nicolas Martin, Associate Professor, Department of Crop Sciences
Project Overview
This project focuses on developing and applying cutting-edge remote sensing and digital agriculture tools to detect, quantify, and manage soybean diseases, with an emphasis on red crown rot and other soilborne pathogens. The research integrates satellite imagery, drone-based data acquisition, and machine learning approaches to improve disease detection at multiple spatial scales and translate these insights into practical decision-support tools for farmers.
The student will contribute to advancing scalable disease detection systems and improving our understanding of how environmental and management factors influence disease development under real-world production conditions.
Key Responsibilities
- Develop and apply machine learning models for disease detection using satellite and UAV imagery
- Process and analyze multispectral and/or hyperspectral data
- Conduct drone flights for data collection in research and commercial fields
- Integrate remote sensing data with agronomic and environmental datasets
- Participate in field trials, including disease assessments and data collection
- Contribute to development of decision-support tools for disease management
- Prepare manuscripts for peer-reviewed journals and present results at scientific meetings
- Collaborate with an interdisciplinary team including plant pathologists, data scientists, and agronomists
Qualifications
- Master’s degree (preferred) in Plant Pathology, Agronomy, Remote Sensing, Data Science, Agricultural Engineering, or a related field
- Strong interest in digital agriculture and crop disease management
- Experience with data analysis (R, Python, or similar)
- Familiarity with remote sensing, GIS, or image analysis is highly desirable
- Willingness to conduct fieldwork under varying conditions
- Strong communication and teamwork skills
- Ability to work independently and manage multiple tasks
Stipend
Competitive stipend and full tuition waiver (in line with University of Illinois graduate student support)
Application Process
Interested candidates should submit:
- Cover letter describing research interests and experience
- Curriculum vitae (CV)
- Contact information for three references
Application deadline: May 1st, 2026. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.
Contact Information
For more information or to apply, please contact:
Dr. Boris X. Camiletti
Email: bxc@illinois.edu
Lab and Field Technicians
Are you passionate about hands-on scientific exploration? We invite you to be a part of our team as a lab or field technician. Reach out directly to Dr. Camiletti at bxc@illinois.edu to express your interest and learn more about joining our innovative research efforts.