Digital Ag Innovation Lab: Research and Development Engineer III

Build the Future of Agriculture

If you want your engineering work to matter outside the lab, on real machines, in real farm fields, with real impact, this is the role for you.

Who We Are

The Digital Ag Innovation Lab at Iowa State University partners with leading agricultural companies to design, build, and deploy next-generation technologies for agriculture. Our team works at the intersection of applied engineering, industry collaboration, and the land-grant mission, moving ideas from concept to prototype to field deployment.

Our vision is bold: to be the premiere thought leader and partner in ag innovation.

Our mission guides everything we do: Innovate. Educate. Outreach.

• We innovate with partners to create technology solutions that drive value into agriculture and our communities.
• We educate to inspire and develop students and professionals to ensure a thriving workforce that drives success within our industry. 
• We outreach to share knowledge with farmers and ag businesses and promote practices that enhance their success. 

We operate with four core values: Passion. Innovation. Collaboration. Excellence.

This is a place for builders, problem-solvers, and systems thinkers who want their work to move from idea → prototype → field → industry adoption.

The Opportunity

We are seeking a Research & Development Engineer III to lead externally funded applied engineering projects focused on sensing, automation, controls, and robotic systems for agricultural and off-road equipment. In this role, you will directly design, build, and validate real agricultural equipment systems, making hands-on technical decisions that move projects from concept to field deployment.

This is a hands-on technical leadership role with ownership of system design and engineering execution from concept through prototype development and field validation. You will work closely with industry partners and interdisciplinary teams to translate emerging technologies into functional equipment systems that can be tested and validated in real agricultural environments.

What You'll Do

• Lead complex, externally funded R&D projects from concept through field validation
• Design and integrate sensing, automation, and control systems for agricultural and off-road mobile platforms
• Develop embedded and system software supporting robotics, sensing, and digital agriculture technologies
• Build and validate prototypes including test stands and vehicle-integrated systems, conducting field testing and performance analysis
• Interface with sensors and develop algorithms to process and analyze dynamic data
• Work directly with industry sponsors to define requirements, scope, and project deliverables
• Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams and mentor engineers and students
• Contribute to proposal development, statements of work, and sponsor reporting

The successful candidate will have experience with software development and algorithm design, familiarity with engineering analysis tools such as MATLAB or Simulink, and the ability to analyze sensor data and extract meaningful performance metrics. Strong project management, communication, and collaboration skills are also essential, particularly in environments involving externally funded engineering projects and industry partners.

Technology & Systems You May Work With

Projects in the Digital Ag Innovation Lab often involve integrating a range of sensing, automation, and computing technologies used in modern agricultural equipment. Your work may involve systems such as:

• Vehicle communication networks (e.g., CAN Bus, Ethernet)
• Embedded computing platforms and Linux-based systems
• Sensor integration and multi-sensor data pipelines
• Robotics, machine vision, and autonomy systems
• MATLAB, Simulink, and other engineering analysis tools
• Agricultural or off-road mobile equipment platforms

Although this is a term position, it is expected to offer long-term opportunity, with the option for renewal.

Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. on an ongoing basis without sponsorship. Immigration sponsorship is not available for this position.

Level Guidelines

• Senior-level position possessing high-level professional and/or technical skills working independently under minimal supervision to support ISU’s mission and department or work unit goals

• Applies senior-level professional knowledge and expertise to work requiring greater latitude

• Solves moderately complex problems and regularly exercises judgment to determine appropriate action

• Regularly exercises judgment to resolve problems and determine appropriate action on a broad set of issue and problems. May provide recommendations regarding problems/issues outside the bounds of defined procedures and practices

• Responds to complicated inquiries, provides training, and provides direction to lower-level staff

• May provide supervision for one to two other staff (i.e., leads a small work team)

• May lead projects for which well-defined practices and procedures may not exist

• Provides guidance to students