Research Assistant Professor: Digital Agriculture & IPM

wsu; Pullman (WA); On-site; USD 70,000 - 86,000; Full time

Job summary

Washington State University in Pullman invites applications for a full-time Research Assistant Professor specializing in economic entomology and ecological pest management. The role focuses on using digital agriculture, predictive modeling, and climate-resilience research to develop practical pest-management tools for growers.

The position is 12-month, fixed-term with renewal potential, workload of 100% research, and a start date in Spring 2027, contingent on grant funding and departmental

Qualifications

• Earned PhD in a life-science discipline by start date.
• Demonstrated skills in phenology modeling, IPM, insect biology, pesticide chemistry, digital agriculture, AI, and climate-change research.
• Experience across crops such as potato, tree fruit, small fruits, grains, hops, alfalfa, and vegetables seed crops.
• Ability to conduct independent, collaborative research with stakeholders.
• Strong written and oral communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Design and conduct research addressing pest population dynamics, phenology, IPM, and weather variability effects on agriculture.
• Integrate field-monitoring, environmental, and crop data with digital agriculture, AI, and predictive modeling to develop decision-support tools.
• Publish in peer-reviewed outlets and present findings to scientific and stakeholder audiences.
• Collaborate with growers, commodity groups, Extension professionals, agencies, and interdisciplinary teams.
• Contribute to grant/contract proposals and project reporting; mentor students or staff.

Skills

Phenology modeling

Integrated pest management

Insect biology

Pesticide chemistry

Digital agriculture

Artificial intelligence

Climate-change research

Multi-cropping systems

Communication skills

Education

PhD in life sciences

Tools

R

Python

GIS

Remote sensing

Job description

Washington State University in Pullman invites applications for a full-time Research Assistant Professor specializing in economic entomology and ecological pest management. The role focuses on using digital agriculture, predictive modeling, and climate-resilience research to develop practical pest-management tools for growers.

The position is 12-month, fixed-term with renewal potential, workload of 100% research, and a start date in Spring 2027, contingent on grant funding and departmental