Assistant Research Scientist Assistant Agriculture Data Center Specialist

Job description

Job Title
Assistant Research Scientist - Assistant Agriculture Data Center Specialist


Agency
Texas A&M Agrilife Research


Department
Corpus Christi



Proposed Minimum Salary
Commensurate



Job Location
Corpus Christi, Texas



Job Type
Staff



Job Description

About Texas A&M AgriLife

Texas A&M AgriLife is comprised of the following Texas A&M University System members:

+ Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service (https://agrilifeextension.tamu.edu/)

+ Texas A&M AgriLife Research

+ College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M University (https://aglifesciences.tamu.edu/)

+ Texas A&M Forest Service

+ Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (https://tvmdl.tamu.edu/)


As the nation’s largest most comprehensive agriculture program, Texas A&M AgriLife brings together a college and four state agencies focused on agriculture and life sciences within The Texas A&M University System.

With over 5,000 employees and a presence in every county across the state, Texas A&M AgriLife is uniquely positioned to improve lives, environments and the Texas economy through education, research, extension and service.




Click here (https://agrilife.tamu.edu/) to learn more about how you can be a part of AgriLife and make a difference in the world!


Position Information

Texas A&M AgriLife Research at Corpus Christi, is seeking a highly motived Assistant Research Scientist-Assistant Agriculture Data Center Specialist to support the operation, development, and strategic growth of a state-of-the-art agricultural data center dedicated to advancing data-driven solutions in digital agriculture.

Working closely with the Data Center Director and interdisciplinary teams, the Specialist will help manage infrastructure, develop analytics workflows, ensure data quality and interoperability, and support collaborative research that improves agricultural productivity, sustainability, and innovation.


Responsibilities:

-Support development of a web-based open data framework, contributing to both front-end and back-end components to enhance data accessibility and interoperability.

-Configure and maintain research database projects, ensuring metadata compliance, access permissions, and data integration standards across research sites.

-Manage and update existing datasets, validate data quality, and maintain version control to support ongoing research.

-Coordinate technical workflows between field acquisition teams, data center staff, and research collaborators to ensure seamless data transfer and integration.

-Support daily operations of servers, networks, storage, and cloud environments, ensuring reliability, scalability, and data security.

-Implement backups, disaster recovery protocols, and compliance with FAIR/CARE principles.

-Develop automation tools and provide user support and training.

-Support processing and integration of datasets, including UAV imagery, satellite data, IoT sensor data, and field observations.

-Contribute to workflows for AI/ML applications, crop modeling, environmental simulations, and digital twin systems.

-Develop analytical tools, visualization platforms, and decision-support dashboards to improve research outcomes.

-Ensure data quality through standardized cleaning, validation, and metadata practices.

-Integrate geospatial analytics, predictive modeling, and real-time decision frameworks to deliver scalable insights.

-Collaborate on research projects, grant proposals, publications, and presentations.

-Mentor students and staff on data management and best practices.

-Travel to research site, conferences and meetings.

-Full-time, on-site position.

-Other job-related duties as required.


Required Qualifications:

-Ph.D. in Agricultural Engineering, Computer Science, Data Science, Information Systems, or related field

-Some experience applying analytics, modeling, or AI/ML approaches in agricultural or environmental research.

-Proficiency in server administration, distributed computing, and cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud).

-Knowledge of full-stack development (Django, Flask, PHP, Next.js, Nuxt.js, SvelteKit, ASP.NET Core) and database management (MySQL, SQLite).

-Familiarity with geospatial, UAV, sensor, and IoT data workflows and OAIS, FAIR, and CARE standards.

-Experience with data visualization, automation, and software development for data science.

-Knowledge of crop modeling, simulation tools (APSIM, DSSAT, APEX), or digital twins is a plus.

-Strong analytical, communication, and collaboration skills with a commitment to advancing data-driven agriculture.

-Ability to multitask and work cooperatively with others.


Other Requirements:

This is a full-time, on-site position.

This position requires travel to research site, conferences, and meetings.


What You Need to Know

Salary: Compensation for this position is commensurate based on the selected candidate’s qualifications.




Why Work at Texas A&M AgriLife?

When you choose to work for Texas A&M AgriLife, you become part of an organization that is an established leader in agriculture and life sciences with a wide range of capabilities to meet the needs of our statewide, national, and international constituents.




In addition, Texas A&M AgriLife offers a comprehensive benefit package including the following:

+ Health, dental, vision, life and long-term disability insurance (https://www.tamus.edu/benefits/) with Texas A&M AgriLife contributing to employee health and basic life premiums

+ 12-15 days of annual paid holidays

+ Up to eight hours of paid sick leave and at least eight hours of paid vacation each month

+ Automatic enrollment in the Teacher Retirement System of Texas

+ Employee Wellness Initiative for Texas A&M AgriLife


Applicant Instructions

Applications received by Texas A&M AgriLife must either have all job application data entered or a resume attached.

Failure to provide all job application data or a complete resume could result in an invalid submission and a rejected application.

We encourage all applicants to upload a resume or use a LinkedIn profile to prepopulate the online application.




All positions are security-sensitive.

Applicants are subject to a criminal history investigation, and employment is contingent upon the institution’s verification of credentials and/or other information required by the institution’s procedures, including the completion of the criminal history check.


Equal Opportunity/Veterans/Disability Employer.

Required Skill Profession

Other General