Assistant Research Scientist

Job Title

Assistant Research Scientist

Agency

Texas A&M Agrilife Research

Department

Agricultural Economics

Proposed Minimum Salary

$25.00 hourly

Job Location

College Station, Texas

Job Type

Staff

Job Description

About the role

We’re seeking a highly organized, quantitatively strong part-time professional to lead project management, data collection, and data analysis across research and outreach projects in agricultural economics. The ideal candidate blends economic training with hands-on project coordination and modern data skills.

Key responsibilities

• Data collection & curation: Design and implement data collection strategies (surveys, administrative datasets, remote sensing/third-party APIs); manage IRB and data-use agreements; clean, validate, document, and version datasets.

• Data analysis & modeling: Conduct descriptive and econometric analyses; develop reproducible code and pipelines; build dashboards/visualizations; contribute to technical reports, manuscripts, and policy briefs.

• Quality & compliance: Ensure documentation, reproducibility, and code review standards; maintain data security and stewardship best practices.

• Project management: Build and maintain workplans, timelines, and budgets; coordinate multi-partner teams; track deliverables; run standing meetings; prepare progress reports for sponsors.

• Stakeholder engagement: Coordinate with producers, agencies, and industry partners; translate results into clear, actionable insights.

• Other duties as required.

Required Education and Experience:

• Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics (or very closely related field).

Preferred Experience:

• Experience managing sponsored research projects or multi-institution collaborations.

• Background with one or more of: farm policy & risk management, climate & weather data, geospatial/GIS, TEA/LCA, optimization, or market modeling.

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Strong written and verbal communication skills

• Ability to manage multiple deadlines.

• Ability to multitask and work cooperatively with others.

Preferred qualifications

• Training in econometrics and quantitative methods in agriculture/food systems.

• Proficiency in R and/or Python (data wrangling, modeling, visualization).

• Familiarity with survey design/analysis, experimental or quasi-experimental methods.

• Experience with SQL, Git/GitHub, and reproducible workflows.

All positions are security-sensitive. Applicants are subject to a criminal history investigation, and employment is contingent upon the institution’s verification of credentials and/or other information required by the institution’s procedures, including the completion of the criminal history check.

Equal Opportunity/Veterans/Disability Employer.