Research Associate *Havre, MT*

at  Montana State University

The Northern Agricultural Research Center consists of 3,000 acres at the main facility with an additional 3,960 acres of grazing land located in the nearby Bear Paw Mountains. The 3,000 acres on the main facility supports both crop and livestock research activities which is distinctly unique to MSU. The research center has recently completed $2.8 million of construction and renovation, including a new $2.1 million office/laboratory complex. In the spring of 2014, two center pivots suitable for research were installed. A modern research scale greenhouse was funded and designed with construction to be completed in the near future. The research center, when fully staffed, consists of four faculty, two operations managers, research scientist, master’s level technician, and 12 permanent support personnel. A local advisory board made up of area producers and industry representatives from the five surrounding counties, provides guidance on NARC research priorities.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS – EXPERIENCE, EDUCATION, KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS

• Bachelor’s degree in agronomy or a related field;
• Familiarity with remote sensing technologies and satellite imagery analysis;
• Proficiency in statistical analysis using software such as R or Python;
• Effective communication skills (both written and oral) with researchers, educators, research center personnel, and producers.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS – EXPERIENCE, EDUCATION, KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS

• A Master’s degree in precision agriculture, agronomy, data science, or a related field;
• Proven experience in operating UAV (drones) and processing images using Pix4D software or similar;
• Experience with Google Earth Engine;
• Familiarity with R Shiny for developing interactive data visualizations and tools;
• Understanding of experimental design and statistics.

POSITION SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS/ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

This job description should not be construed as an exhaustive statement of duties, responsibilities or requirements, but a general description of the job. Nothing contained herein restricts Montana State University’s rights to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Develop and implement research studies that support precision agriculture practices to enhance farming and livestock efficiency and profitability in Montana;
• Interact effectively with farmers and ranchers on on-farm experiments to test and refine precision agriculture techniques;
• Coordinate and supervise research and educational activities as described in written and oral protocols;
• Operate UAV (drones) for data collection and process imagery using Pix4D software or other relevant tools;
• Conduct remote sensing and satellite imagery analysis to inform precision agriculture strategies;
• Contribute to the dissemination of research findings through extension activities, including workshops, field days, and publications.