Research Programmer, Agricultural Data Science
The University of Arizona Agricultural Data Science team seeks a Research Programmer to contribute to the development and maintenance of data collection, transfer, and analysis pipelines.
Our team develops open source software and open data to advance the use of big data and scientific understanding to improve agricultural crops and cultivation systems. Data are generated from a suite of imaging and environmental sensors deployed on unmanned aerial vehicles, tractors, robots, and embedded in the field. Our goal is to enable researchers to collect and analyze data from such sensors, to develop and deploy algorithms, to process, analyze, and share large data sets in support of scientific research and engineering applications.
The Research Programmer will deploy, maintain, and develop a data transfer and computing pipeline for the world's largest automated sensing system dedicated to agricultural research. The robotic gantry sensing system is able to collect terabytes of data from a variety of sensors at high resolution. The computing pipeline processes this data for use in agricultural and engineering research. The gantry and computing pipeline were deployed as part of the TERRA REF program (terraref.org; github.com/terraref). As the University of Arizona takes ownership of this system, the incumbent will help to deploy and maintain the computing pipeline on CyVerse infrastructure at the University of Arizona (http://www.cyverse.org/), enable its use, and support other work within the group as needed.
With more than $622 million in research and development dollars from federal, state, and private sources, The University of Arizona currently ranks #23 among public universities in the US in overall research expenditures and #6 in physical science research. With world class faculty in fields as diverse as astronomy and space exploration, plant science, biomedical science and biotechnology, anthropology, Native peoples, business, law, philosophy, music, and dance, the UA is one of only 62 members in the Association of American Universities. The University's main campus is situated in the heart of Tucson. Surrounded by mountains and the high Sonoran Desert, Tucson boasts a distinctive southwestern feel and enjoys more than 300 days of sunshine each year.
The UA today has over 43,000 students, and nearly 15,600 employees. The main campus has grown from its original 40 acres to more than 350 acres, and boasts the oldest continually maintained green space in Arizona. The University of Arizona offers a broad range of educational programs and support services that attract an excellent and diverse student body. The University of Arizona has earned the designation of Hispanic-Serving Institution from the U.S. Department of Education for our success in the enrollment of Hispanic students.
Outstanding UA benefits include health, dental, and vision insurance plans; life insurance and disability programs; paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays; UA/ASU/NAU tuition reduction for the employee and qualified family members; state and optional retirement plans; access to UA recreation and cultural activities; and more!
The University of Arizona has been recognized for our innovative work-life programs. For more information about working at the University of Arizona and relocations services, please click here.
The University of Arizona is in the process of creating a new classification and compensation architecture. This University Career Architecture Project (UCAP) will revolutionize the way we think about professions and manage compensation at the UA. It is a two year initiative that will replace the current classified staff and appointed professional categories of employment with market-based job functions and families. As an applicant, UCAP will create clearer career paths and opportunities and will help you make more informed pay decisions. To learn more about this project, please visit ucap.arizona.edu.
Duties & Responsibilities |
We are looking for a qualified individual to support the configuration, management, and monitoring of data processing systems in UA's CyVerse environment, adjust and expand the system as needed, and provide guidance and expertise to others within the group as well as collaborators and end users. As a member of the University of Arizona Agricultural Data Science team, the Research Programmer would be working closely with teams at CyVerse and the National Center for Supercomputing Applications as well as biologists, engineers, and software developers at the University of Arizona and other agricultural research universities and institutions worldwide. You will contribute to and promote infrastructure for open science. You will be expected to provide guidance on software design and implementation decisions, adoption of best practices including quality control and documentation, and to remain current on the latest technologies. General Duties: Research, engineer, and develop software that uses complex data to answer real-world problems. Specific Responsibilities: Resolve issues impacting the continuous operation of the processing pipeline |
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Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities | |
Minimum Qualifications |
Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience in a related field. |
Preferred Qualifications |
Strong candidates will be excited to learn, develop, apply, and share diverse skills including: API development and use, Python, high performance computing, cloud computing, Kubernetes, PostGIS, MongoDB, version control, security, monitoring, shell scripting, job scheduling, communication with diverse stakeholder groups, writing documentation for developers and end users, writing or contributing to well tested and documented Python libraries, planning and performing maintenance and upgrades, and scientific research. |