Barley Seed Lab and Field Technician

Position Details

This is a full-time professional position as a Research Associate for the MSU Barley Breeding research project. Primary duties will be supervising field and greenhouse research to support the barley breeding project, as well as research and student projects. Other research duties dependent on applicant’s interest.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Aid in the planning, design and implementation of field research projects.
  • Aiding in planting, maintaining plots (including fertility and pest management), sample collection, data collection and curation, harvest.
  • Testing germination, treating seed, organizing and shipping out trials, post-season processing and data collection.
  • Maintain the germplasm seed collection.
  • Oversee student and seasonal employees.
  • Operate field and processing equipment.
  • Manage breeding greenhouse, including planting, fertility, pest scouting, watering, harvesting and processing breeding materials.
• Establish, maintain and ensure compliance to safety standards.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Agronomy, Plant Science, or related field or an equivalent combination of education and/or experience.
• Agricultural field experience.
• Demonstrated ability to operate, calibrate and maintain tractors, sprayers, planters, harvesters, and seed cleaners.
• Experience with field fertility, weed and pest management.
• Experience in collecting and recording field data.
• Experience in the safe operation of farm scale and/or plot scale equipment.
• Prominent attention to detail.
• Prominent organizational and time management skills.
• Experience in successfully supervising personnel.
• Willingness to be part of a larger team.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in managing a greenhouse.
• Demonstrated ability to plan, design and implement field research including field plot layout and establishment; plot maintenance including fertilization, irrigation, weed and pest management, and precision harvesting of experimental plots.
• Master’s degree in Agronomy, Plant Science or related field.
• Experience with dryland crops and related cropping systems common to the Northern Great Plains of the United States.
• Experience in data analysis.
• Grant, scientific paper and/or popular press report writing experience.
• Experience and licenses to fly unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).