Research Associate or Research Scientist in Applied Economics and Remote Sensing, Virginia Tech, Agricultural & Applied Economics

About the role

The Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics at Virginia Tech, led by Dr. Elinor Benami, seeks a Research Associate or Research Scientist to join an interdisciplinary team focusing on agricultural economics, remote sensing, and insurance and finance.

Responsibilities

• Support research efforts using a variety of tools and methods, including geospatial and administrative data analysis, statistical approaches, visualization, manuscript preparation, and presentation to academic and practitioner audiences.
• Engage with policy and industry partners and contribute to grant development.
• Work in a collaborative and fast-paced environment, with occasional travel to partner institutions.

Requirements

• Master's degree in agricultural economics, applied economics, or a related quantitative field, or equivalent experience.
• Strong written and oral communication skills.
• Experience with data analysis in R, Python, or similar languages using version control.
• Experience evaluating the economic and policy implications of agricultural monitoring techniques, preferably using remotely sensed data.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with econometric methods applied to administrative or observational data.
• Familiarity with geospatial analysis and remote sensing data, including cloud platforms like Google Earth Engine.
• Experience in agricultural/index insurance, risk transfer, conservation agriculture, land markets, or rural finance.

Qualifications

• PhD in agricultural economics, applied economics, or a related quantitative field with relevant research experience.
• Strong written and oral communication skills.
• Experience with data analysis in R, Python, or similar languages using version control.
• Experience evaluating the economic and policy implications of agricultural monitoring techniques, preferably using remotely sensed data.

Benefits

Salary range: $57,783 - $89,412 (dependent upon rank)

Pay

Exempt: Not eligible for overtime

Schedule

M-F 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Application

To apply: Please submit (1) a cover letter describing your interests and relevant background, (2) your CV, and (3) a writing sample or link to a coding portfolio (e.g., GitHub profile).