Research Scientist III - Digital Soil Mapping

Position Title:

Research Scientist III - Digital Soil Mapping

Job Group:

Professional & Scientific

Required Minimum Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree and 5 years of related experience

Preferred Qualifications:

PhD in Soil Science
Experience with digital soil mapping, geography, and geomorphology.
Experience with remote sensing for soil mapping (multispectral data).
Experience with machine learning, including training and validation of models.

Job Description:

We are seeking a Research Scientist III who will be responsible for the operation of a specialized research area in digital soil mapping. The Research Scientist will be an integral member of the Geospatial Laboratory for Soil Informatics (GLSI) team, which works on interdisciplinary research projects spanning pedology, soil geography, geomorphology, and machine learning. The Research Scientist will be responsible for designing, implementing, and managing complex experiments in soil informatics and digital soil mapping. They will also lead a team of students and researchers on interdisciplinary projects bridging soil sciences/geomorphology/data analytics and in broader research activities of GLSI. They will provide technical and data science support to the development of new soil maps and studies of soil landscape change.

Example of Duties  

• Responsible for developing, managing, and reporting on one or more complex experiments and research related to digital soil mapping and soil geomorphology. 

• Oversee and execute the digitization and curation of NRCS legacy soil data for open-source repositories. Curate and harmonize large datasets (e.g., NASIS, KSSL, Rapid Carbon Assessment) for spatial prediction and machine learning applications. Responsible for providing problem formulation and troubleshooting help to GLSI team members on soil science activities.  

• Responsible for designing and developing lead grant projects on soil sciences (digital soil mapping, soil informatics, soil geomorphology).  

• Conduct analysis of data, interpret and implement research methodology based on the outcome of the analysis.  

• Lead projects, i.e., grant writing and peer-reviewed paper writing, on projects related to digital soil mapping and soil science.  Present research findings at national and regional conferences through oral and poster presentations.

• Write code in Python and R to automate machine learning and spatial analysis

• Solve complex issues using highly developed problem-resolution skills in academic research program teams.  

• Utilize high-level professional knowledge and expertise to provide guidance, recommendations, and set standards related to group strategy, policy, and mission, with interactions with broader stakeholders.

• Lead projects of moderate to high scope and complexity with broad impact. Supervise other research staff (i.e., leads a small work team) within the GLSI team.  

• Provide guidance and mentoring to graduate students and undergraduate students with research projects.  

• Participate in field soil sampling, including surface soil fertility samples and deep soil cores.

• Collect, record, and summarize data from field experiments.

Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. on an on-going basis without sponsorship. 

This is a term position with opportunity for renewal.

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Level Guidelines
• Senior-level position possessing high-level professional and/or technical skills working independently under minimal supervision to support ISU’s mission and department or work unit goals
• Applies senior-level professional knowledge and expertise to work requiring greater latitude
• Solves moderately complex problems and regularly exercises judgment to determine appropriate action
• Regularly exercises judgment to resolve problems and determine appropriate action on a broad set of issue and problems. May provide recommendations regarding problems/issues outside the bounds of defined procedures and practices
• Responds to complicated inquiries, provides training, and provides direction to lower-level staff
• May provide supervision for one to two other staff (i.e., leads a small work team)
• May lead projects for which well-defined practices and procedures may not exist
• Provides guidance to students

Appointment Type:

Regular with Term Appointment (Fixed Term)

Proposed End Date or Length of Term:

October 27, 2026

Number of Months Employed Per Year:

12 Month Work Period

Time Type:

Full time

Pay Grade:

PS810

Application Instructions:

To apply for this position, please click on “Apply” and complete the Employment Application. Please be prepared to enter or attach the following: 1) Resume/Curriculum Vitae 2) Letter of Application/Cover Letter If you have questions regarding this application process, please email employment@iastate.edu or call 515-294-4800 or Toll Free: 1-877-477-7485. Why Choose ISU? Iowa State Employees enjoy comprehensive health and work-life benefits, including medical and dental; as well as: • Retirement benefits including defined benefit and defined contribution plans • Generous vacation, holiday and sick time and leave plans • Onsite childcare (Ames, Iowa) • Life insurance and long-term disability • Flexible Spending Accounts • Various voluntary benefits and discounts • Employee Assistance Program • Wellbeing program • Iowa State offers WorkFlex options for some positions. WorkFlex offers flexibility on when, where, and how you do your work. For more information, please speak with the Hiring Manager.

Original Posting Date:

October 8, 2024

Posting Close Date:

October 15, 2024

Job Requisition Number:

R15633