Associate Research Scientist Agriculture Data Center Manager

Job description

Job Title
Associate Research Scientist - Agriculture Data Center Manager


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 Agriculture Data Center Manager to provide leadership in the development, operation, and strategic direction of a state-of-the-art agricultural data center.

Ensure secure, reliable, and efficient management of large-scale agricultural datasets including remote sensing, IoT, soil and weather data, supporting research, innovation, and decision-making in digital agriculture.

Interact with cross-disciplinary teams, guide infrastructure development, and position the data center as a critical resource for agricultural science and technology advancement.

Responsibilities:
+ Data Center Operations: Direct daily operations of the agriculture-focused data center to ensure uptime, scalability, and efficiency; Oversee installation, maintenance, and optimization of servers, storage, networking, and cloud resources; Manage high-performance computing and data pipelines tailored to agricultural applications; Lead the development and maintenance of a scalable data management platform capable of uploading, processing, visualizing, and disseminating agricultural data in standard formats to research partners and cooperators.
+ Data Management & Research Integration: Oversee integration of agricultural datasets, including UAV, robots, satellite, and field-based sensors; Develop advanced data workflows supporting AI/ML applications in crop and environmental modeling.
+ Security, Compliance & Risk Management: Ensure cybersecurity and compliance with institutional, state, and federal data policies; Develop and maintain disaster recovery and business continuity strategies.
+ Strategic Leadership & Collaboration: Collaborate with faculty, researchers, IT professionals, external partners and stakeholders to advance digital agriculture infrastructure, Mentor and train staff, postdocs, and students in data management best practices.
+ Other job-related duties as required.



Required Qualifications:
+ Ph.D. in Agricultural Engineering, Computer Science, Data Science, Information Systems, or a closely related field.
+ 3 years progressively responsible experience with project oversight.
+ Ability to multi-task and work cooperatively with others.



Preferred Qualifications:
+ Minimum 3–5 years of postdoctoral or professional experience managing data centers, high-performance computing, or agricultural data systems.

Demonstrated leadership in developing data-driven research infrastructure, preferably in agricultural or environmental domains.
+ Technical expertise such as strong knowledge of server administration, distributed computing, and cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud); Familiarity with geospatial, UAV, and sensor-based agricultural data formats; Working experience with mechanistic simulation models and data-driven modeling approaches for agricultural systems.

Familiarity with the development of Digital Twin models and forecasting tools to support predictive analytics in agriculture.
+ Leadership & communication such as proven ability to lead cross-disciplinary teams and manage complex projects.

Excellent written and oral communication skills for technical and non-technical audiences.

Ability to align technical infrastructure with research and institutional goals.
+ Experience managing large-scale agricultural or environmental research data systems.

Strong record of scholarly publications, grant leadership, and research collaboration in digital agriculture.

Background in AI/ML applications for agriculture and sustainability.

Preference will be given to candidates with a Ph.D. in Computer Engineering and at least three years of experience in the digital agriculture field.



Other Requirements:
+ This is a full-time position, on-site.
+ Requires occasional travel to research sites, conferences, and partner institutions.



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