What are the responsibilities and job description for the Assistant Research Scientist position at Texas A&M AgriLife?
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.
Salary : $25