Research Engineer Lead

This position integrates agricultural engineering, agronomy, GIS, remote sensing, image analysis, statistics, data science, machine learning, GeoAI, generative AI, and software development.

About the role

The scientist will design, develop, test, validate, and implement scalable analytical workflows and research software for processing complex agricultural datasets, including field-trial, genotype, phenotype, yield, weather, soil, pest, disease, scouting, crop-management, UAV, satellite, sensor, GPS/GNSS, machinery, and experimental-design data. The position will develop automated backend and frontend workflows for data ingestion, cleaning, standardization, transformation, spatial and tabular integration, analysis, visualization, reporting, and export using Python, R, SQL, GIS, cloud-computing platforms, and reproducible software-development practices.

Responsibilities will include developing and validating statistical, agronomic, remote-sensing, machine-learning, deep-learning, computer-vision, image-segmentation, time-series, and decision-support methods for trait prediction, yield estimation, crop monitoring, breeding decisions, site-specific management, and crop-management recommendations. The scientist will also support field research involving geospatial field layouts, experimental and strip-trial design, treatment geolocation, sampling protocols, ground-truth data collection, soil and plant sampling, UAV operations, GPS/GNSS systems, remote-sensing sensors, precision-agriculture equipment, and agricultural field machinery.

The position will evaluate software functionality, accuracy, usability, scalability, and reproducibility; compare analytical capabilities with established GIS and agricultural software platforms; and translate breeder, researcher, producer, and industry needs into practical software features, technical specifications, reports, dashboards, maps, and actionable recommendations.

The successful candidate will independently manage complex projects, provide technical leadership to interdisciplinary teams, contribute to proposal and grant development, build collaborative relationships, identify funding and partnership opportunities, develop technical documentation and training materials, and lead workshops, software demonstrations, surveys, stakeholder meetings, and technology-dissemination activities.

Approximately 80% of the position will focus on research, data analysis, model and software development, field activities, technical management, testing, and validation, while approximately 20% will focus on collaboration, extension, communication, stakeholder engagement, outreach, training, and technology dissemination.

About Us

The Farmslab team is part of the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering in the Carl R. Ice College of Engineering at Kansas State University. The team conducts interdisciplinary research in digital agriculture, precision agriculture, geospatial analytics, remote sensing, high-throughput phenotyping, agricultural data science, automation, sensing technologies, and decision-support systems. Farmslab works closely with faculty, students, producers, plant breeders, agronomists, agricultural engineers, statisticians, software developers, commodity organizations, government agencies, research institutions, technology companies, and agricultural industry partners.

The team develops practical and scalable research solutions that improve agricultural data collection, analysis, visualization, interpretation, and decision-making. The position will contribute to ongoing development and implementation of Plotlytix and related analytical tools designed to simplify geospatial and agricultural data workflows. These efforts support researchers, breeders, producers, and industry collaborators by reducing fragmented data-processing steps and improving reproducibility, collaboration, accessibility, and timely decision-making.

Kansas State University is a land-grant institution with strong programs in agriculture, engineering, research, extension, and stakeholder engagement. The university provides opportunities to collaborate across departments, research centers, extension programs, commodity groups, government agencies, and agricultural industries.

Worksite

This position is on-site. All employees must reside in the United States when they begin working to comply with state law. K-State is unable to provide remote or hybrid work opportunities for residents of the state of Idaho.

Requirements

• Doctor of philosophy or veterinary medicine and three years of relevant experience.

The degree requirement ensures candidates possess the research design expertise, data analysis proficiency, and methodological rigor necessary to plan and execute studies, coordinate data collection, and prepare documentation for publication.