PhD Courses in Denmark

Objectives of the course:

Over the past two decades, rapid advances in sensing technologies have revolutionised the way we observe, quantify, and model soil properties. Modern soil sensing systems now play a central role in complementing traditional, labour-intensive soil sampling approaches, offering unprecedented spatial and temporal insights into soil status and variability. These innovations have become fundamental to precision agriculture, enabling more sustainable and data-driven management of soil resources. At the same time, the integration of sensors with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), robotic systems, and multi-sensor platforms has expanded the operational scope of soil sensing, allowing measurements at scales previously unattainable.

This course provides a comprehensive overview of recent developments in proximal and remote electromagnetic sensing technologies and their applications in soil science. Participants will gain hands-on experience in sensor-based data acquisition, calibration, and modelling workflows, linking theory with practice. Through selected case studies, the course will demonstrate how these technologies are advancing soil mapping and monitoring, with particular emphasis on applications in precision agriculture and the management of vulnerable ecosystems, such as peatlands.
 

Learning outcomes and competencies:

At the end of the course, the student should be able to:

• Comprehend the role of soil sensors in digital soil mapping
• Know the basics of georeferencing (GPS/GNSS)
• Understand the working principles of electromagnetic soil sensors
• Develop an intuition of what they measure
• Understand what soil properties can influence sensory measurements and model relationships
• Do fieldwork and data processing to a basic extent
   

Course parameters:

Language: English

Level of course: PhD course

Time of year: Q3 2026

No. of contact hours/hours in total incl. preparation, assignment(s) or the like: 125

Capacity limits: 20
 

Compulsory programme:

Lectures, exercises, field and laboratory measurements. Active participation in both lectures and group work is expected.
 

Course contents:

The course provides formal lectures introducing working principles, instrument configuration, applications, and hands-on experience for the following electromagnetic sensing techniques.

• Electromagnetic induction
• Ground penetrating radar
• Time-domain reflectometer
• Drones and Different cameras (visible, multispectral and thermal)
• Visible near-infrared, mid-infrared and laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy
• Gamma radiometric

Moreover, the participants will be introduced to georeferencing, employing spatial data on a GIS platform, sensor-directed soil sampling, multi-sensor platforms and data fusion. The exercises will be mainly performed in groups and based on quality datasets available from the ongoing research projects.
 

Prerequisites:

PhD students with a background in agronomy, precision agriculture and agricultural geophysics.

Name of lecturer[s]: John Triantafilis (University of Sydney, Australia), Fenny van Egmond (ISRIC – World Soil Information, Netherlands), Mogens H. Greve, Davide Cammarano, Denys Grombacher, Maria Knadel, Vishal Dwivedi, Lucas de Carvalho Gomes, Anders Bjørn Møller, Diana Vigah Adetsu, Rene Larsen, Eva Overby Bach, Henrik Nørgaard, Triven Koganti.
 

Type of course/teaching methods:

The course will last for six days. Each day begins with a lecture session. The second half of the day will mainly involve hands-on measuring and modelling activities.

Literature: Obligatory reading before the start of the course. The material will be distributed to participants after signing up.
 

Course assessment:

Individual student evaluation (pass/not pass) will be based on contribution to class discussions, group work, and presentation.

Special comments on this course: The course fee is 620 Euros (incl. meals). Participants are responsible for arranging their own accommodation and transportation to the campus.

Time: August 3-8, 2026

Place: Aarhus University Viborg, Blichers Alle 20, 8830 Tjele, Denmark

Registration: The deadline for registration is June 21, 2026. Admission information will be sent out no later than the 10th of July. Please note the capacity limit (25 participants); the allotment will be based on a first-come, first-served basis.

For registration: Electromagnetic Soil Sensors - Laravel

If you have any questions, please contact Triven Koganti, e-mail: triven.koganti@agro.au.dk

Deadline for registration is June 21, 2026

If you have any questions, please contact Triven Koganti, e-mail: triven.koganti@agro.au.dk