Ethan Pickering

The Pickering Lab at the University of Georgia is hiring a Postdoctoral Associate to develop agentic AI systems for agricultural design and prediction . The role sits at the intersection of computer science , machine learning , statistics , mathematics , biology , and agriculture , with a strong emphasis on building AI-native tools for genomics and crop modeling. The research agenda includes DNA foundation models , genomic prediction , sequence and graph learning , multi-omics integration , uncertainty-aware prediction , and decision support for breeding and selection. Another major direction is crop growth modeling , including bio-informed neural networks , constrained neural ODEs , and hybrid mechanistic/learned models that combine genomics, phenomics, physiology, weather, soils, remote sensing, and management data. The lab is especially interested in candidates with a strong computational background and experience in high-dimensional optimization , deep learning , high-performance computing , scientific computing , probabilistic modeling , and reproducible Python-based pipelines . Experience in plant biology is helpful but not required. The position also values collaboration, open-source development, benchmarking, and interdisciplinary communication. This is a full-time postdoctoral employee position with salary commensurate with experience . The posting indicates an anticipated start date of 2026-06-01 and is open until filled. Applicants should apply through the University of Georgia job portal and submit the requested application materials.