Research Scientist in Sustainable Agriculture

The Research Scientist in Sustainable Agriculture at Pasa Sustainable Agriculture is a full-time remote position focused on promoting sustainable farming practices through data-driven research. The role involves collaborating with farmers, analyzing data, and communicating findings. Candidates should have a relevant Master's degree and experience with statistical software. Regular travel is required for field events and conferences, and candidates must reside within Pennsylvania or nearby.
About the position

The Research Scientist in Sustainable Agriculture at Pasa Sustainable Agriculture is a full-time position focused on cultivating environmentally sound, economically viable, and community-focused farms and food systems. This role is ideal for individuals who are passionate about data and have a specialization in agriculture, ecology, or soils. The successful candidate will engage in farm-based research studies, particularly through the Climate-Smart Farming and Marketing program and the Western PA urban farm cohort. The position requires a collaborative approach to community science research, working closely with a diverse group of farmers to address their most pressing questions through data analysis and interpretation. The Research Scientist will be responsible for gathering data in various weather conditions, analyzing this data, and effectively communicating the results to various stakeholders and audiences. This role involves remote work with regular travel to participate in field-based events, speaking engagements, and annual staff retreats. All team members are required to attend the yearly Sustainable Agriculture Conference held in Lancaster, PA. Candidates must reside within Pennsylvania or within a 150-mile radius of Harrisburg, with specific provisions for those in Philadelphia or Pittsburgh. Access to the Harrisburg office for day trips is preferred, and adherence to Pasa's remote employee policies is mandatory. The position is supervised by the Research Director and entails a commitment to advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice within the workplace. The Research Scientist will contribute to the continual improvement of data collection methods and the refinement of existing research projects, ensuring that the data collected is organized, secure, and interpretable. This role also includes responsibilities related to grant writing and reporting, making it essential for candidates to have excellent organizational and communication skills.

Responsibilities
• Work with the research team to collect and organize data.
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• Assist in the accurate collection of data, including seasonal fieldwork.
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• Provide timely review and analysis of data.
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• Contribute to papers, reports, and presentations that are shared with research collaborators and the broader agricultural community.
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• Forward Pasa's research projects by using data to develop/uncover new research initiatives and questions.
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• Participate in the continual improvement of data collection and refinement of Pasa's existing research projects.
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• Communicate results with research collaborators and the broader agricultural community.
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• Contribute to grant writing and reporting.

Requirements
• Master's degree in soil science, biology, agronomy, statistics, or a related field; or comparable experience.
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• Experience in R, SPSS, or comparable statistical software.
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• Excellent communication skills, comfortable with public speaking and able to convey technical information to different audiences.
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• Excellent organizational abilities, capable of ensuring that various streams of data are kept organized, secure, and interpretable.
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• Commitment to maintaining a supportive, functional, service-oriented workplace.
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• Passion for Pasa's mission.
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• Commitment to advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice.

Nice-to-haves
• PhD in soil science, biology, agronomy, or a related field.
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• Practical farming experience.
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• Familiarity with Google Workspace, Salesforce, Tableau, or other similar tech tools.
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• Experience with data visualization, database management, and grant reporting.

Benefits
• Annual salary of $65,000.
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• Grant funded position through April of 2028, with potential for extension.