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Position Title:Research Scientist I - Digital Ag

Job Group:Professional & Scientific

Required Minimum Qualifications:Bachelor’s degree

Preferred Qualifications:Bachelor’s degree in agronomy, agricultural engineering, plant sciences, or a related field.

Experience in conducting field and laboratory research, including experimental design, data collection, and quality control.

Experience which demonstrates proficiency with data analysis and statistical software.

Experience with image classification or machine vision datasets used in agricultural or environmental research.

Job Description:

The Digital Agriculture Innovations Team, within the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering at Iowa State University, is accepting applications for a Research Scientist I to contribute to the programs within digital agriculture, precision agriculture, and agronomy research projects. The Iowa State University Digital Ag Innovation Lab (www.isudigitalag.org) consists of professional staff and graduate students who work closely with agricultural industry partners to develop innovative technology solutions for agriculture. The team has a strong innovation record with over 90 patents and licensed technologies.

Digital Ag’s vision to be the premiere thought leader and partner in ag innovation is reinforced by our mission to innovate, educate, and outreach by bridging the gap between ideas and practical application, cultivating a culture of continuous learning, and elevating individuals and organizations to adopt advanced ag tech solutions for a more sustainable and efficient future. Strengthened by a team of service driven and abundant thinkers, passionate about agriculture and striving for excellence, we are committed to combining technological advancement with practical solutions, emphasizing Digital Ag’s role in driving positive impact in the agricultural industry.

Example of Duties

+ Design and implement field and laboratory research experiments that address defined agronomic or digital agriculture research objectives, ensuring proper experimental design and data integrity.

+ Coordinate and oversee data collection and management processes, including field measurements, laboratory analyses, and maintenance of equipment to ensure accurate, high-quality data generation.

+ Analyze and interpret research data, perform statistical analyses and prepare data summaries, tables, and visualizations for internal reports and sponsor communications.

+ Prepare written and oral reports to communicate research findings, including presentations to project sponsors, collaborators, and research teams.

+ Support data classification and image analysis projects, such as labeling and processing images for training machine vision systems.

Digital Ag operates in a highly collaborative team environment. The successful candidate will manage project scope, schedule and demonstrate strong project and team leadership, quality control skills, and supervise full-time staff and undergraduate students to support project activities. Additionally, this position will demonstrate the ability to work independently; complete projects within a specified timeline; communicate effectively; provide technical leadership; and ensure a safe working environment. Excellent communication skills, strong organizational abilities, and attention to detail are required. he candidate will also be a motivated self-starter and possess the ability to conduct, document, and communicate research methods and results.

This position provides strong work variety in a welcoming environment. Candidates that are detail oriented, organized, and value being on a strong team are encouraged to apply.

Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. on an ongoing basis without sponsorship. Immigration sponsorship is not available for this position.

This is a term position with an opportunity for renewal, depending on funding.

Level Guidelines• Individual contributor position with developing professional and/or technical skills working under immediate to general supervision• Grasps professional-level knowledge and concepts of field while working in a progressive learning mode• Works on problems and issues of somewhat limited scope• Follows standard practices and procedures in analyzing situations or data for which answers are available or can be obtained• Responds to inquiries and issues, escalating to manager or higher level workers as appropriate• May lead projects of limited scope and complexity• May provide guidance to students

Appointment Type:Regular with Term Appointment (Fixed Term)

Proposed End Date or Length of Term:November 23, 2028

Number of Months Employed Per Year:12 Month Work Period

Time Type:Full time

Pay Grade:PS807

Application Instructions:

To apply for this position, please click on “Apply” and complete the Employment Application. Please be prepared to enter or attach the following:1) Resume/Curriculum Vitae2) Letter of Application/Cover LetterIf you have questions regarding this application process, please email [email protected] or call 515-294-4800 or Toll Free: 1-877-477-7485.Why Choose ISU?Iowa State Employees enjoy comprehensive health and work-life benefits, including medical and dental; as well as:• Retirement benefits including defined benefit and defined contribution plans• Generous vacation, holiday and sick time and leave plans• Onsite childcare (Ames, Iowa)• Life insurance and long-term disability• Flexible Spending Accounts• Various voluntary benefits and discounts• Employee Assistance Program• Wellbeing program

Original Posting Date: November 3, 2025

Posting Close Date:November 16, 2025

Job Requisition Number:R18060

By focusing on the future and providing the best student experience possible, Iowa State University (http://www.iastate.edu/) attracts students and faculty who want to make a difference. With a comprehensive land-grant mission of education, research, extension and outreach, we produce scholars whose ideas change the world. And through Innovate at Iowa State, we provide innovative and entrepreneurial opportunities for students of all backgrounds. Located just 30 minutes north of Des Moines, the city of Ames was recently named one of the Top 10 cities in the U.S. for campus life and career opportunities.

Iowa State University is a welcoming community of students, faculty, and staff. Campus community members have a wide range of backgrounds and experiences and are committed to engaging with each other respectfully as outlined in the university's Principles of Community (https://www.iastate.edu/principles-community) . Iowa State recognizes that diverse intellectual and philosophical perspectives are vital to innovation, critical thinking skills, and a dynamic academic community that fosters the land-grant ideals of putting science, technology, and human creativity to work.

All offers of employment, oral and written, are contingent upon the university’s verification of credentials and other information required by federal and state law, ISU policies/procedures, and may include the completion of a background check and/or a consumer credit check.

Iowa State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, ethnicity, religion, national origin, pregnancy, sexual orientation, genetic information, sex, marital status, disability, or status as a U.S. Veteran. Inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies may be directed to Office of Equal Opportunity, 2680 Beardshear Hall, 515 Morrill Road, Ames, Iowa 50011, Tel. 515-294-7612, email [email protected].

If you have questions about the application process please email [email protected] or call 515-294-4800 or Toll-Free at 1-877-477-7485. Iowa State University provides reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities. Applicants with questions about access or requiring a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process should email [email protected] or call (515) 294-4800 or Toll-Free: (877) 477-7485. TTY users are welcome to use the Iowa Relay Service number by dialing 7-1-1 or (800) 735-2942.

General ISU compensation information can be found on the University Human Resources (https://www.hr.iastate.edu/careers/compensation) website. Please note that this is only a list of ranges and individuals will be paid commensurate with qualifications.