(RFP301382) Senior Research Associate - Biotechnology

About the Position

We are seeking a highly motivated Senior Research Associate with strong computational skills and experience in Python programming, deep learning techniques, and AI architectures.

The primary objective of this position is to coordinate the technical development and implementation of phenomics and digital agriculture pipelines that support crop breeders and farmers through artificial intelligence, computer vision, and remote sensing technologies. The position will ensure the quality, consistency, and integration of image analysis workflows and data management processes, contributing to the delivery of high-quality research outputs and digital solutions.

The selected candidate will coordinate the analysis and integration of imagery collected from drones, mobile devices, robots, and satellites to support the development, validation, deployment, and continuous improvement of classification and quantification models for agricultural applications. In addition, the incumbent will advise and coordinate the implementation of remote sensing and image analysis pipelines developed by the Pheno-I platform, ensuring alignment with research objectives and technical standards.

The Senior Research Associate will work closely with consultants, engineers, scientists, and CGIAR partners to coordinate technical activities, promote collaboration across multidisciplinary teams, and support the adoption of digital agriculture technologies and standardized field protocols using diverse sensing platforms.

Additionally, the selected candidate will coordinate the integration of field and image data, monitor data management workflows on centralized servers, and contribute to the continuous improvement of phenomics and digital agriculture solutions under the guidance of senior engineers and data platform researchers.

The position will be based at the Operations Center for the Americas, located on the Palmira Campus, Colombia. Activities will be carried out in laboratories, field environments, and crop trials under the Crops for Nutrition and Health Program

Key Responsibilities

• Analyze data collected from drones, cell phones, robots, and satellite imagery.

• Advise and coordinate the development of crop trait prediction models in collaboration with the Deep Learning (DL) team, ensuring alignment with project objectives and technical standards.

• Develop AI/DL-powered classification and quantification models and contribute to improving the current Pheno- I software platform.

• Deploy functional AI models using Fairgrounds and Databricks infrastructure and provide services to CGIAR partners.

• Develop and document standard operating procedures (SOPs) for data collection and image analysis workflows.

• Support field operations teams to ensure accurate and high-quality data collection.

• Collaborate and share data with CGIAR partners across Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

• Integrate multiple data sources and manage data storage and workflows on centralized servers.

• Support deployment and scaling of digital agriculture and phenomics solutions for research and operational use.

Requirements

Qualifications and requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in electronic Engineer/Mechatronics or similar careers.

• Relevant experience and knowledge of drone and satellite Image analysis, machine learning algorithms.

• Experience in experimental design and knowledge of plant systems.

• Experience in analysis of large data sets; skilled in computer science, e.g., scripting languages and statistics such as “Python” and “R”; knowledge of quantitative image and analysis and data extraction

• Experience in Agentic AI/Deployment in Data bricks is a plus

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.

• Knowledge of a broad range of techniques including crop image computing, computer vision, or machine learning.

Benefits

Terms of employment

This is a nationally recruited position placed at a BG07, on a scale of 14 levels, with level 14 being the highest.

This is a Colombian national search and will be managed through a fixed term contract of a six (6) months period, subject to a probation period according to the local legislation and is renewable depending on performance and availability of resources. The Alliance Bioversity-CIAT offers a multicultural, collegial research environment with competitive salaries and excellent benefits. We are an equal opportunity employer, and strive for gender, diversity, and inclusion in our staff, without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, ethnicity, age, disability, marital status, or any other characteristic.

Aplicaciones 

Applications must be submitted through the following link: 

Application deadline: August 6, 2024

Learn more about us:

Careers | Alliance Bioversity International – CIAT