R&D Engineer II

We are hiring our next great team member, are you a fit for our innovative team?

The Digital Ag Innovation Lab at Iowa State is hiring an R&D Engineer II

Want a role where you can ship real software onto real machines… while working with a highly innovative team on industry-funded projects— and still enjoy the perks, benefits, and balance of a university environment?

The Digital Ag Innovation Lab is looking for an R&D Engineer II to help us build the next generation of software-driven systems for agriculture—think mobile equipment, field-deployed platforms, and off-road machines that operate in the messy, unpredictable real world.

You’ll work across a mix of:

• Embedded / real-time software
  , robotics
  , computer vision
  , sensing
  , controls
  , and data pipelines
• Building software that connects perception + control + decision-making on vehicles and mobile platforms (MATLAB/Simulink, Python, C++)
• Integrating tools and protocols used on real equipment (hello CAN/Ethernet
  )
• Participating in the full development lifecycle:
  requirements → build → test → document → deploy
• Communicating results with internal teammates and external industry partners

✅
Industry projects with real-world impact

You’ll contribute to complex,
externally funded projects and work directly with industry partners, equipment manufacturers, and leading agricultural collaborators
—our work doesn’t sit on a shelf.

✅
University benefits + balance

You get the speed and momentum of applied R&D in an industry setting and the stability and benefits that come with a university setting (plus a learning-focused culture that supports growth).

✅ A collaborative, “try things and build” environment

Our team values innovation, experimentation, and practical outcomes—perfect if you like solving problems that don’t come with a clean dataset or a perfect lab setup.

• Minimum: Bachelor’s + 2 years related experience
• Great fit for folks from CS/software, EE/ME, robotics, autonomy, or adjacent fields interested in applying software to ag systems
• Must be authorized to work in the U.S. (no sponsorship)
• Multiple openings
  —posting stays open until filled

🔗 Follow the team:

To apply and learn more: jobs.iastate.edu (R18425)

If you know someone who would thrive in this space, please share—referrals make a big difference (thank you!).