Research Officer, Digital Controlled Environment Systems

Position Overview

As a Research Officer, you will design and manage experimental systems that simulate diverse agricultural and environmental conditions. You will lead research and technology development efforts that combine biological, environmental, and digital systems to improve plant productivity, resource efficiency, and sustainability. Working collaboratively with NRC researchers, engineers, and external partners, you will help establish NRC as a global leader in digital agriculture and controlled environment research.

• Develop, operate, and optimize controlled environment systems (growth chambers, greenhouses, vertical farms) to support crop and environmental simulation and production research through programming, sensor integration, and systems optimization.
• Design and manage experimental systems that mimic various climatic, soil, and environmental factors affecting crop growth.
• Implement advanced digital twins and automated technology platforms with an emphasis on indoor agriculture and controlled environment technology (IoT, robotics, drones, AI, autonomous instrumentation, sensors, non‑destructive data acquisition and phenotyping platforms).
• Design and conduct experiments that examine the effects of environmental variables (light, temperature, humidity, CO₂, nutrient delivery) on plant growth, physiology, and yield through digital and automated crop measurement and environmental modeling.
• Conduct innovative R&D on plant‑environment interactions to improve production efficiency, sustainability, and crop quality through simulated environmental platforms and digital twins.
• Design and analyze multifactorial experiments integrating environmental, biological, and digital data to support data‑driven decision‑making and modeling.
• Lead the generation of high‑quality scientific and technical outputs—including reports, peer‑reviewed publications, patents, and prototypes.
• Collaborate with NRC teams and external partners in industry, academia, and government to develop and transfer technologies.

• Education: Ph.D. in Controlled Environment Biosystems Engineering, Biological, Agricultural Engineering, Environmental Science, Plant Science, Horticultural Science, or a related field with combined relevant post‑doctoral experience.
• Experience:
  • Significant and recent (within the last 5 years) experience designing, operating, optimizing, and troubleshooting integrated controlled environment systems such as growth chambers, greenhouses, or vertical farms.
  • Significant and recent experience developing or applying advanced digital agricultural technologies and automation for plant production environments.
  • Significant experience with research on plant‑environment interactions to optimize plant production, composition, and growth systems.
  • Significant and recent experience with integration of IoT, data acquisition, and automation systems for precision environment and automation control.
  • Experience (2–3 years) in conducting multifactorial experiments and data‑driven analyses involving environmental and biological variables.
  • Recent (within the last 5 years) experience in managing research projects and collaborating across multidisciplinary teams.
  • Experience (2–3 years) with writing and presenting scientific reporting, publications, and patents.

• Solid knowledge of crop physiology and plant‑environment interactions for sustainable production systems.
• Strong knowledge of integrating digital and automated agricultural technologies (GIS, IoT, robotics, drones, AI, crop modeling).
• Proficiency in modeling to interpret and predict plant‑environment interactions for indoor agriculture optimization.
• Expertise in sensors, data integration, acquisition, and automation systems for precision environment control.
• Analytical skills, data interpretation, problem solving, and scientific communication abilities.
• Research initiative, teamwork, continuous professional learning, communication, and creative thinking at the specified levels.

Salary range: $83,985 to $143,127. Benefits include a robust pension plan, comprehensive health and dental coverage, disability and life insurance, and additional supports to enhance well‑being throughout your career.

Priority may be given to women, Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities, and racialised persons. Candidates are asked to self‑declare when applying.

English.

Requisition number: 25211. Closing date: 12 June 2026, 23:59 Eastern Time.

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