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Plant Microbiome Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Roberts Recruiting

Senior Data Scientist

Boston, MA · On-site

Experience in and/or eagerness to learn about agriculture, agronomy, GIS, spatial statistics, plant biology, microbiology, agricultural economics, and the plant microbiome. * Absolutely high fluency ...

The Pennsylvania State University

POSITION SPECIFICS The Pennsylvania State University Department of Plant Pathology and ... A desire to participate in Penn State Virology and One Health Microbiome Center activities, as well ...

Penn State University

Post-doctoral

University Park, PA · On-site +1

$47K - $65K/yr

Responsibilities will include plant and insect rearing, chemical analyses, microbiome analyses, planning, conducting and supervising experiments, student mentoring, data management and analysis ...

The Pennsylvania State University

$48K - $65K/yr

Responsibilities will include plant and insect rearing, chemical analyses, microbiome analyses, planning, conducting and supervising experiments, student mentoring, data management and analysis ...

The Pennsylvania State University

$19 - $26/hr

Our research focuses on microbial ecology and microbiome research. Examples of topics include ... incoming soil and plant samples, and collect field samples together with Crandall lab members.

The Pennsylvania State University

This position requires a PhD in food science, plant pathology, microbiology, microbial ecology ... A desire to participate in Penn State One Health Microbiome Center activities, as well as provide ...

Duke University

Postdoctoral Associate

Durham, NC · On-site

... gut microbiome. We are particularly interested in creating new ways to measure and analyze food ... We are developing new DNA sequencing-based techniques that track the dietary plant and animal ...

Duke University

Postdoctoral Associate

Durham, NC · On-site

... gut microbiome. We are particularly interested in creating new ways to measure and analyze food ... We are developing new DNA sequencing-based techniques that track the dietary plant and animal ...

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Showing results 1-20

All JobsPlant Microbiome Jobs

Plant Microbiome information

See salary details

$41.5K

$99.9K

$143K

How much do plant microbiome jobs pay per year?

As of Jun 10, 2026, the average yearly pay for plant microbiome in the United States is $99,873.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $78,500.00 and $120,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is the difference between Plant Microbiome vs Plant Pathologist?

AspectPlant MicrobiomePlant Pathologist
Required CredentialsBotany, Microbiology, or Plant Science degrees; often advanced degreesPlant Science, Plant Pathology, or related degrees; often advanced degrees
Work EnvironmentResearch labs, field studies, agricultural settingsResearch institutions, labs, agricultural extension services
Industry UsageResearch on plant-associated microbes, sustainable agricultureDisease diagnosis, crop protection, disease management

Plant Microbiome specialists focus on studying the microbial communities associated with plants to improve growth and health, while Plant Pathologists diagnose and manage plant diseases. Both roles require a background in plant sciences and often overlap in research settings, but their primary goals differ: microbiome experts optimize beneficial microbes, whereas pathologists focus on disease control.

What is a plant microbiome specialist?

A plant microbiome specialist is a researcher or scientist who studies the community of microorganisms—including bacteria, fungi, and viruses—that live in association with plants. These experts investigate how these microbes interact with plants, influence plant growth, affect plant health, and contribute to sustainable agriculture. Their work helps develop strategies to improve crop yields, enhance disease resistance, and reduce the need for chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Plant microbiome specialists may work in academic research, agricultural industries, or environmental organizations.

How does a Plant Microbiome specialist typically collaborate with other departments within an agricultural organization?

Plant Microbiome specialists often work closely with agronomists, soil scientists, and crop protection teams to integrate microbial solutions into broader crop management strategies. They may also coordinate with R&D departments to design and interpret experiments, and with data analysts to assess the impact of microbiome interventions. Regular cross-functional meetings and field visits are common, fostering a collaborative environment aimed at improving plant health and yield through microbiome research.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Plant Microbiome Scientist, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Plant Microbiome Scientist, you need a strong background in microbiology, plant science, molecular biology, and typically a graduate degree in a related field. Familiarity with genomic sequencing technologies, bioinformatics software, and laboratory techniques such as PCR and microbial culturing is crucial. Analytical thinking, attention to detail, and effective collaboration are valuable soft skills for research and problem-solving. These competencies are vital for advancing our understanding of plant-microbe interactions and driving innovation in agriculture and environmental sustainability.
Infographic showing various Plant Microbiome job openings in the United States as of June 2026, with employment types broken down into 50% Full Time, and 50% Part Time. Highlights an 100% In-person job distribution, with an average salary of $99,873 per year, or $48 per hour.
Senior Data Scientist

Senior Data Scientist

Roberts Recruiting

Boston, MA • On-site

Other

Posted 21 days ago

Job description

We are working to harness nature to sustainably feed the planet. We have discovered a transformational opportunity to improve global crop yield and reduce the use of agricultural chemicals and fertilizers by utilizing the core microbiome inside plants to confer material yield and crop protection benefits across a variety of crops, geographies and stresses. The challenge and opportunity for usis to gain critical first mover advantages by scaling quickly and effectively (~$1B 2020 revenue.)
The Data Scientist will enable optimal data-driven decision making and dramatically improving farmers' outcomes.
The Data Scientist will analyze and model expected crop yield under various scenarios. Using large-scale cloud and machine learning algorithms, the Data Scientist will construct data preprocessing pipelines, predictive models, optimization algorithms, and decision support systems.
Key Outcomes:
  • Collect and preprocess IoT-scale data from on-farm and remote monitoring equipment including: yield, farm treatments, irrigation, soils, satellite and drone imagery
  • Analyze agricultural data to understand the impact of agronomic decisions on crop health and crop yield.
  • Use state-of-the-art machine learning tools to understand crop yields as a function of microbiome, crop, planting conditions, soil, weather, farm treatments, and farm conditions
  • Produce compelling and clear visualizations of agronomic and statistical findings.
  • Partner closely with Software Development to turn Data Science products into best-in-class end-user applications.
Key Competencies:
  • Masters Degree + 2-5 years industry experience in a relevant field such as applied computer science, machine learning, mathematics, statistics, quantitative agronomy, environmental science, applied physics or engineering.
  • Outstanding communication skills - Outgoing and enthusiastically enjoys explaining statistical analyses and methods to customers and decision makers throughout the organization.
  • Experience in and/or eagerness to learn about agriculture, agronomy, GIS, spatial statistics, plant biology, microbiology, agricultural economics, and the plant microbiome.
  • Absolutely high fluency with R and/or Python and Bayesian MCMC tools such as JAGS or STAN, as well as conventional statistical analyses, machine learning, and GIS. Strong ability to produce lucid graphical plots, maps, and highly interactive visualizations. Experience working in various computational environments, such Linux, ec2, S3, Spark, and H2O.
  • Team player - someone who thrives working in cross functional teams throughout the organization.
  • A curious, scientific mind dedicated to teasing apart new results through careful, quantitative analysis joined with sound scientific practice.
  • Extremely strong customer focus, seeing growers and agronomists as our key end users, and grower success as our ultimate goal.
  • Easily adapts to new types of problems and questions. Flexible to different types of analysis and different stakeholders (e.g. lab science, field trials, commercial team).
  • Experience working in industry and a dedication to Data Science performed in an industrial setting.
  • Deep understanding of modern Bayesian statistics, ensemble classifiers, regression algorithms, as well as off the shelf machine learning techniques. Experience with model validation and evaluation, and data imputation.
  • Familiarity with SQL as well as NoSQL columnar databases. Experience with MILP, combinatorial optimization, metaheuristics, and other types of optimization are an added advantage.
  • Experience with agronomy or ecology work including modeling, forecasting, decision support, and optimization

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