Fully Funded PhD Position - Cotton Irrigation Management: Efficiency and Sensing - Spring 2027 - Oklahoma State University
Soil moisture and canopy temperature sensing across a 50,000-acre irrigation district in southwest Oklahoma — and the decision support system that tells the district when to release water.
FULLY FUNDED | THREE YEARS | STIPEND + TUITION WAIVER + INSURANCE
THE POSITION:
The Irrigation Research Laboratory is seeking one PhD student to lead the field and modeling work on a new three-year, externally funded research project. The Lugert-Altus Irrigation District serves roughly 50,000 irrigated cotton acres from a single reservoir. In 7 of the last 15 seasons it could not release any water at all. You will help answer the two questions that decide a cotton season: when the first irrigation should begin, and when the last one can safely stop.
AT A GLANCE:
Start: Spring 2027 | Duration: 3 years | Appointment: 12-month | Based: Stillwater, OK | Fieldwork: Altus, OK | Degree: PhD, BAE
WHAT YOU WILL DO:
• Instrument producer fields and replicated research trials with dual soil moisture and canopy temperature sensing systems
• Collect and quality-control season-long sensor, crop phenology, and yield data across the district
• Develop and evaluate sensor-based and physiology-based irrigation initiation and termination criteria under furrow and subsurface drip irrigation
• Run pyfao56 and AquaCropOS to build crop water productivity functions for deficit irrigation scenarios
• Build the district-scale cotton irrigation decision support system
• Publish, present at ASABE and ASA-CSSA-SSSA, and work directly with producers and the district manager
DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS:
• BS and MS in agricultural or biosystems engineering, water resources engineering, or other engineering fields
• Strong interest in irrigation water management, crop-water relations, evapotranspiration, and soil moisture dynamics
• Proficiency in Python, R, or MATLAB; experience with GIS, remote sensing, or crop modeling is an advantage
• Comfort with sustained summer fieldwork in southwest Oklahoma and working alongside producers
• English proficiency per OSU Graduate College requirements; GRE optional unless program requires it
FUNDING AND TRAINING:
• Competitive assistantship for three years: stipend, tuition waiver, and health insurance support, subject to OSU and project funding policies
• Twelve-month calendar appointment
• Travel to regional and international conferences and annual project meetings
• Structured mentoring: responsible conduct of research training, grantsmanship coursework, manuscript and proposal development
• Teaching assistant experience and the opportunity to mentor undergraduate researchers
HOW TO APPLY:
Submit one combined PDF containing: (1) current CV, (2) a one-page statement of research interests and fit with this project, (3) unofficial BS and MS transcripts, (4) contact information for three references, and (5) a publication, thesis chapter, code repository, or technical writing sample if available.
Use subject line: PhD GRA — Cotton Irrigation
Email: sumon.datta@okstate.edu
Applications are reviewed as received until filled. Shortlisted applicants will be invited to apply through the OSU Graduate College and BAE.
Contact: Dr. Sumon Datta, Ph.D., E.I. | Assistant Professor and Irrigation Engineer
sumon.datta@okstate.edu | +1 (405) 744-5403 | experts.okstate.edu/sumon.datta
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