Research Technician; Agricultural Engineering

Research Technician (Agricultural Engineering)

Non-Discrimination Statement In accordance with Federal civil rights law and USDA civil rights regulations and policies, USDA, its agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA.

Central State University is an Equal Opportunity Employer seeking candidates committed to working in a diverse environment.

Job Summary The Agriculture Research Development Program (ARDP) in the College of Engineering, Science, Technology and Agriculture (CESTA) at Central State University is seeking a Research Technician (Agricultural Engineering) for the precision agriculture lab. The preferred candidate will have experience with sensors, microcontrollers, data collection and analysis, and precision agriculture concepts.

Duties and Responsibilities The Research Technician (Agricultural Engineering) will:

• Install and maintain sensors, instrumentation, data logging systems, and UAVs for field experiments.
• Analyze and manage UAV data.
• Supervise and work with undergraduate students to conduct experiments and perform data collection in lab and field environments.
• Assist with preparing research findings for presentation and publications.
• Set up and help manage the precision agriculture lab.

Minimum Qualifications

• M.S. in Agricultural Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, or a similar field is required.
• Excellent verbal, presentation, and scientific writing skills.
• Knowledge and experience using Python or R programming languages for analyzing agricultural numerical and imagery data.

Preferred Qualifications

• Evidence of prior research experience with sensors, Arduino/Raspberry Pi boards is preferred.
• Prior experience using drones for agriculture is preferred.
• Evidence of working in a team and taking responsibility for assigned tasks.
• Familiarity with agricultural production systems is a plus.

Background Check All offers of employment at Central State University are contingent upon the successful completion of a comprehensive background check. This may include, but is not limited to, verification of education and employment history, criminal history check, driving record (if applicable), drug screening, and tax compliance review.