PhD Position open in 2025, Montpellier, France: Real-time control of aroma synthesis in oenological fermentation
Objectives of the PhD project:
The aim of this PhD project is to control the synthesis of aroma compounds during the wine fermentation process by developing innovative real-time control strategies based on predictive mathematical models. These strategies will also have to take into account numerous constraints related to the control scheme, and the energy consumption of the fermentation. The PhD will be carried out in the context of the ANR DigitWine project (French funding agency, ANR-24-CE10-4479-01), a multidisciplinary initiative involving research teams from Paris, Montpellier and Narbonne (France) working conjointly on cutting-edge IT and control methods for the development of digital twins in wine fermentation. Researchers at the University of Grenoble working on the modelling and control of microbial consortia will also be involved in the supervision of the PhD. Multiple research directions will be explored:
● Synthesis of nonlinear and constrained control laws for wine fermentation
● Nonlinear and constrained control for general fermentation processes
● Robust real-time control strategies: MPC and data-driven approaches
The project will involve theoretical investigation of the mathematical problems above, numerical simulations and, in collaboration with experimentalists, validation of control laws to be applied and tested on the real process located at the Pech Rouge Experimental Unit in Gruissan (France).
Keywords:
Control theory, wine fermentation, nonlinear control, model predictive control, biological models
Required skills
We are looking for a background in automatic control or applied mathematics with a taste for applications. Knowledge of biological processes or systems is not required, but recommended. Good programming skills are required (Python/Matlab/R/Julia).
About the research center
The PhD candidate will be based at the UMR MISTEA (Montpellier), on the Gaillarde campus of Montpellier SupAgro. The student will be supervised by Agustin Yabo and Céline Casenave, both researchers at MISTEA (INRAE Occitanie-Montpellier); and Eugenio Cinquemani, researcher in the Microcosme team (Inria center of the University Grenoble Alpes). The project will be held in collaboration with UMR SPO (Montpellier), SayFood (Paris), MIA Paris-Saclay (Paris), the INRAE Pech Rouge Experimental Unit (Gruissan), and potentially private partners. It will include online exchanges with as well as visits from / to the supervisor in Grenoble, and possibly other collaborators.
Contacts:
Agustin G. Yabo agustin.yabo@inrae.fr www.agustinyabo.com.ar
Céline Casenave celine.casenave@inrae.fr mistea.pages.mia.inra.fr/celinecasenave/
Eugenio Cinquemani eugenio.cinquemani@inria.fr team.inria.fr/microcosme/eugenio-cinquemani
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