Data Scientist

Description:

The Department of Plant Science is seeking a Data Scientist to join GROW a dynamic research and extension network for integrated weed management. GROW conducts research on several IWM and ecological weed management tactics including cover crops and harvest-time weed seed control across a range of environments and is engaged in development of real-time weed and crop mapping systems using computer vision and artificial intelligence.

Primary responsibilities will include analyzing data, writing, and publishing research results in scholarly peer-reviewed journals and extension publications. This responsibility requires management and analysis of large agronomic and weed ecology datasets generated from multi-state GROW research projects and long-term datasets generated from cropping systems experiments. The successful candidate will benefit from significant professional networking opportunities by playing a central role in the GROW project, which is national in scope.

This is a limited term position funded for one year from date of hire with good possibility of refunding.

Location and mentoring structure : This position will be remote or located at The Pennsylvania State University , University Park, PA and will be principally advised by John Wallace. Occasional travel to Beltsville, MD may be necessary to engage with scholarship generated within the USDA-ARS-BARC Sustainable Agricultural Systems Laboratory.

Background and Qualifications : Minimum requirements for this position include a Bachelor's Degree and 1 or more years of relevant experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience . We are looking for candidates with excellent organizational and quantitative skills, a demonstrated record of research productivity documented with peer-reviewed publications, and expertise in any of the following areas: weed ecology and population dynamics, multi-tactic weed management, agronomic crop production, agroecology, data science, and statistics. A M.Sc. is required in Weed Science, Agronomy, Soil Science, Plant Ecology, Environmental Sciences, Precision Agriculture, or related fields. Must pass a Federal background check.

This position requires that you operate a motor vehicle as a part of your job duties. A valid driver’s license and successful completion of a motor vehicle records check will be required in addition to standard background checks.