Student Scientist Worker- Plant and Soil Science

Job Title
Student Scientist Worker- Plant and Soil Science

Requisition Number
DU14444

Department Name
81060:PLANT AND SOIL SCIENCES

Work Location
Lexington, KY

Salary Range
15.50/hourly

Type of Position
Student

Position Time Status
Part-Time

Required Education

N/A

Required Related Experience

To be discussed and determined by hiring supervisor

Required License/Registration/Certification

N/A

Physical Requirements

Positions may include, but not limited to, sitting for long periods of time, repetitive motion, lifting, pushing/pulling, exposure to heat/cold.

Shift

As required by project/supervisor.

Job Summary

We are seeking motivated undergraduate or graduate students with strong geospatial analytical skills to join a summer research project examining why some farmers underperform in “good” counties under USDA’s Agriculture Risk Coverage–County (ARC‑CO) program. Using remote‑sensing tools and publicly available databases, we aim to map areas where farmers may be structurally disadvantaged under county‑level payment rules.


Your role will involve:

• Extracting and processing geospatial data from CDL, Sentinel‑2 L2A, NASS QuickStats, NLCD, and Kentucky GIS portals
• Computing vegetation indices (NDVI/NDRE) and building spatial composites
• Identifying and mapping low‑vigor zones and persistent hot/cold spots
• Working with county‑level yield benchmarks and policy datasets
• Assisting with spatial statistics or clustering analyses (e.g., fuzzy k‑means)

Ideal candidates will have experience with:

• ArcGIS Pro, QGIS, or Google Earth Engine
• Python (rasterio, geopandas, numpy), R, or similar
• Remote‑sensing or spatial modeling
• (Bonus) Statistical modeling or machine learning

Position details:

• Start date: Any time (Spring or Summer)
• Hours: Flexible; part‑time or up to 40 hrs/week in summer
• Compensation: Hourly pay (based on experience) or research credits applicable toward degree completion
• Work environment: Hybrid; some on‑campus meetings with remote work supported

Skills / Knowledge / Abilities

Skills/knowledge will vary depending on project and area of research.

Does this position have supervisory responsibilities?
No

Preferred Education/Experience

• ArcGIS Pro, QGIS, or Google Earth Engine
• Python (rasterio, geopandas, numpy), R, or similar
• Remote‑sensing or spatial modelin
• (Bonus) Statistical modeling or machine learning

Deadline to Apply
04/02/2026

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Any candidate offered a position may be required to pass pre-employment screenings as mandated by University of Kentucky Human Resources. These screenings may include a national background check and/or drug screen.