Research Assistant

Texas A&M University System • College Station, TX

20d • Onsite

About The Position

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 Texas A&M AgriLife Research College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M University Texas A&M Forest Service Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory 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 to learn more about how you can be a part of AgriLife and make a difference in the world! Position Information Job Responsibilities: 50 %: Field Ratings – Performs field ratings of pest presence, disease severity, pecan phenology, and tissue collection in mature and seedling trees. 20 %: Image Collection and Analysis – Obtains, organizes, and processes images of pecan trees, nuts, diseases, or pests from orchards or an on-site herbarium. 15 %: Data analysis – Leverages statistical, bioinformatic, or software tools to analyze data and images 10 %: Preserved Specimen Collection Maintenance – Assists in the inventory, sample preparation, pest management, and maintenance of an herbarium collection of pecan and hickory leaves and nuts. 5 %: Performs other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• A bachelor’s degree in Horticulture, Plant Pathology, Entomology, Soil & Crop Sciences or a related field.
• Ability to obtain US Driver's license.
• Be able to work under adverse conditions, such as high heat and humidity.
• Manages time effectively and prioritize tasks to meet project deadlines.
• Maintains detailed, accurate Field book/Jupyter notebooks, files, and documentation.
• Exceptional attention to detail to ensure accurate detection and identification of diseases.
• Demonstrate consistency in field ratings using provided rating scales.
• Ability to write reports, present findings, and communicate with scientific colleagues or farmers.
• Ability to lift and carry heavy objects greater than 50 lbs.
• Ability to work well with others.

Nice To Haves

• An equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered.
• Possess at least one (1) year of specialized experience participating in agricultural, genetics, or extension research.
• Research with fruit/nut tree crops.
• Comfortable working in a Unix and/or R software environment.
• Bioinformatics and/or image analysis software, Fieldbook software.
• Pruning tower operation.
• Herbarium specimen mounting.
• Prepare and mount herbarium specimens for archival.
• Comfortable with manipulating SQL database structures.
• Write and/or run Python scripts to automate tasks.
• Knowledge of diseases, insects, and pests affecting pecans and hickories.
• BSL1+ Lab experience (preferably Genetics or Plant Biology).

Responsibilities

• Performs field ratings of pest presence, disease severity, pecan phenology, and tissue collection in mature and seedling trees.
• Obtains, organizes, and processes images of pecan trees, nuts, diseases, or pests from orchards or an on-site herbarium.
• Leverages statistical, bioinformatic, or software tools to analyze data and images.
• Assists in the inventory, sample preparation, pest management, and maintenance of an herbarium collection of pecan and hickory leaves and nuts.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Health, dental, vision, life and long-term disability insurance 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
• Retirement programs

What This Job Offers

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