Plant Production Scientist Full Time

Description

Edenworks designs, builds, and operates the world’s next generation of indoor farms. By industrializing multitrophic ecosystems, starting with sustainably grown greens and seafood, we are pioneering production methods that make people and our planet healthier. Our goal is to make local produce and protein as accessible as conventionally grown product is today. We are inspired by nature and technology and solve problems from first principles with nimble, cross-disciplinary teams.

We are seeking a plant production scientist to join our team of biologists, designers, farmers, and engineers to develop processes, specifications, and tools for the ecosystems in which we grow.

You are a world-class plant scientist or research-oriented grower who provides vision and technical leadership on blank page questions, embraces the complexity of biological systems, has a hunger to understand the physical world at a fundamental level, and is driven to deliver solutions that have commercial value.

You are excited to set the direction for plant production research, provide boots-on-the-ground support for farm operations, operate research-scale growing systems, and pioneer our team’s work to harness the power of whole ecosystems and their microbiomes. There will be opportunities to contribute to Edenworks’ work in aquaculture as well as horticulture.

You are encouraged to build bridges, do what it takes to solve the right problems, and co-create our design and research culture. Together we will advance the field of plant production while changing how and where fresh produce and protein are grown.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development of Edenworks’ research on root development, water delivery, plant-microbe interactions, and growing substrates for young leafy greens
• Propose, design, perform, and document experiments in plant production and processing
• Collaborate on the development of growing models, growing algorithms, and phenotyping systems
• Identify, diagnose, and recommend interventions for issues with yields, quality, and disease
• Obtain actionable insights on Edenworks’ day-to-day growing operations
• Work with farm operations team to develop growing recipes, setpoints, and strategies
• Contribute to the continual improvement of Edenworks’ cultivation, handling, and processing systems
• Participate in research collaborations both inside and outside the company
• Define standards, frameworks, and tools for how research and development is done at Edenworks
• Contribute to crossover research in aquaculture

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in the biological or physical sciences
• Deep understanding of plant physiology, nutrition, and pathology
• Basic or applied research experience
• Excellent communication skills, flexibility, and empathy
• Ability to “think like plants” — to look at plant production in a holistic manner and identify what plants want, using both data analysis and hands-on interaction

Bonus Qualifications

• Commercial plant production or bioproduction experience
• Practical knowledge of any of the following: plant propagation, production management, plant-microbe interactions, root biology, soilless culture, controlled environment agriculture, integrated pest management, phenotyping, post-harvest processing
• Practical knowledge of any of the following: data analysis, experimental design, statistics, plant modeling, plant imaging, scientific computing
• Project management experience
• Life sciences laboratory experience