Research Assistant - Electronic Engineering Technology

Fort Valley State University (FVSU), a state and land-grant institution of the University System of Georgia, is a comprehensive institution providing education to over 2,800 students, including graduate students. Located in Fort Valley, Peach County, FVSU's 1,365-acre campus is Georgia's second-largest public university in area.

About the role

The College of Agriculture, Family Sciences and Technology (CAFST) seeks an energetic, team-oriented Research Assistant with expertise in Electronic Engineering Technology (EET) for a full-time 12-month position. The Research Assistant will support research and development activities related to sensing systems, automation, instrumentation, and data acquisition used in modern agricultural production. The successful candidate will assist faculty researchers and engineers with the design, assembly, testing, and deployment of electronic systems used in applications such as precision agriculture, environmental monitoring, smart irrigation, greenhouse automation, and agricultural robotics. This role contributes to applied research projects integrating electronics, embedded systems, sensors, and agricultural technologies to improve agricultural productivity, sustainability, and resource efficiency.

Responsibilities

• Assist with the design, assembly, and testing of electronic systems and instrumentation used in agricultural research applications.
• Support development of embedded systems, microcontroller-based devices, and sensor networks for agricultural monitoring and automation.
• Participate in building and integrating hardware systems used in precision agriculture technologies, including soil sensors, climate monitoring systems, and automated irrigation controls.
• Assist with prototype development and testing of agricultural electronic devices.
• Install and maintain field-based and greenhouse-based data acquisition systems.
• Collect and manage data from sensors measuring environmental variables such as soil moisture, temperature, humidity, light intensity, and nutrient levels.
• Support integration of sensors with microcontrollers, data loggers, and wireless communication platforms.
• Assist in troubleshooting hardware and software issues related to electronic systems.
• Maintain laboratory equipment used for electronics development, including oscilloscopes, multimeters, soldering equipment, and testing tools.
• Ensure compliance with laboratory safety procedures and equipment maintenance protocols.
• Assist with data analysis and visualization using spreadsheets or analytical software.
• Support preparation of technical reports, research publications, and grant documentation.
• Work collaboratively with faculty, engineers, and technicians on interdisciplinary research projects.
• Support preparation of materials for workshops, extension programming, and educational demonstrations.

Requirements

• Ability to read electronic schematics and assemble basic electronic components.
• Strong organizational and technical documentation skills.
• Ability to successfully pass a background check.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electronic Engineering Technology, Agricultural Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, or a closely related field.
• Basic knowledge of electronic circuits, sensors, and instrumentation systems.
• Experience with microcontrollers (e.g., Arduino, Raspberry Pi, or similar platforms).

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with precision agriculture technologies or agricultural automation systems.
• Familiarity with sensor networks, wireless communication (LoRa, Zigbee, Wi-Fi), or IoT platforms.
• Experience with programming languages such as Python, C/C++, or MATLAB.
• Knowledge of data acquisition systems and environmental monitoring instrumentation.
• Experience working in field-based agricultural research environments.