R&D Engineer III - Digital Ag

Iowa State University • Morgantown, WV

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About The Position

Build the Future of Agriculture If you want your engineering work to matter outside the lab, on real machines, in real farm fields, with real impact, this is the role for you. Who We Are The Digital Ag Innovation Lab at Iowa State University partners with leading agricultural companies to design, build, and deploy next-generation technologies for agriculture. Our team works at the intersection of applied engineering, industry collaboration, and the land-grant mission, moving ideas from concept to prototype to field deployment. Our vision is bold: to be the premiere thought leader and partner in ag innovation. Our mission guides everything we do: Innovate. Educate. Outreach. We innovate with partners to create technology solutions that drive value into agriculture and our communities. We educate to inspire and develop students and professionals to ensure a thriving workforce that drives success within our industry. We outreach to share knowledge with farmers and ag businesses and promote practices that enhance their success. We operate with four core values: Passion. Innovation. Collaboration. Excellence. This is a place for builders, problem-solvers, and systems thinkers who want their work to move from idea → prototype → field → industry adoption. The Opportunity We are seeking a Research & Development Engineer III to lead externally funded applied engineering projects focused on sensing, automation, controls, and robotic systems for agricultural and off-road equipment. In this role, you will directly design, build, and validate real agricultural equipment systems, making hands-on technical decisions that move projects from concept through field deployment. This is a hands-on technical leadership role with ownership of system design and engineering execution from concept through prototype development and field validation. You will work closely with industry partners and interdisciplinary teams to translate emerging technologies into functional equipment systems that can be tested and validated in real agricultural environments. What You'll Do Lead complex, externally funded R&D projects from concept through field validation Design and integrate sensing, automation, and control systems for agricultural and off-road mobile platforms Develop embedded and system software supporting robotics, sensing, and digital agriculture technologies Build and validate prototypes including test stands and vehicle-integrated systems, conducting field testing and performance analysis Interface with sensors and develop algorithms to process and analyze dynamic data Work directly with industry sponsors to define requirements, scope, and project deliverables Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams and mentor engineers and students Contribute to proposal development, statements of work, and sponsor reporting The successful candidate will have experience with software development and algorithm design, familiarity with engineering analysis tools such as MATLAB or Simulink, and the ability to analyze sensor data and extract meaningful performance metrics. Strong project management, communication, and collaboration skills are also essential, particularly in environments involving externally funded engineering projects and industry partners. Technology & Systems You May Work With Projects in the Digital Ag Innovation Lab often involve integrating a range of sensing, automation, and computing technologies used in modern agricultural equipment. Your work may involve systems such as: Vehicle communication networks (e.g., CAN Bus, Ethernet) Embedded computing platforms and Linux-based systems Sensor integration and multi-sensor data pipelines Robotics, machine vision, and autonomy systems MATLAB, Simulink, and other engineering analysis tools Agricultural or off-road mobile equipment platforms Although this is a term position, it is expected to offer long-term opportunity, with the option for renewal. Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. on an ongoing basis without sponsorship. Immigration sponsorship is not available for this position.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree and 5 years of related experience
• experience with software development and algorithm design
• familiarity with engineering analysis tools such as MATLAB or Simulink
• ability to analyze sensor data and extract meaningful performance metrics
• Strong project management, communication, and collaboration skills are also essential, particularly in environments involving externally funded engineering projects and industry partners
• Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. on an ongoing basis without sponsorship. Immigration sponsorship is not available for this position.

Nice To Haves

• M.S. or Ph.D. in Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field
• Background in agricultural equipment, off-highway machinery, robotics, drone systems, or precision application technology (seed and chemical; liquid and dry systems)
• Experience mentoring early-career engineers or supervising technical staff
• Experience contributing to grants, sponsorships, or industry-funded R&D initiatives

Responsibilities

• Lead complex, externally funded R&D projects from concept through field validation
• Design and integrate sensing, automation, and control systems for agricultural and off-road mobile platforms
• Develop embedded and system software supporting robotics, sensing, and digital agriculture technologies
• Build and validate prototypes including test stands and vehicle-integrated systems, conducting field testing and performance analysis
• Interface with sensors and develop algorithms to process and analyze dynamic data
• Work directly with industry sponsors to define requirements, scope, and project deliverables
• Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams and mentor engineers and students
• Contribute to proposal development, statements of work, and sponsor reporting

Benefits

• 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

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level