Senior R&D Engineer System Dynamics and Controls

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Build the Future of Agriculture

If you want your engineering work to matter outside the labon real machines in real farm fields with real impactthis is the role for you.

Who We Are

The Digital Ag Innovation Lab partners with leading agricultural companies to imagine design 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 and ultimately into industry adoption.

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.

The Opportunity

We are seeking a Senior R&D Engineer to lead the architecture integration and deployment of advanced digital agriculture systems.

This is a hands-on systems engineering leadership role with ownership from concept through field deployment. You will design and integrate hardware and software systems develop production-representative platforms and deliver solutions that are robust scalable and deployment-ready.

You will work directly with OEM and industry engineering teams to define requirements lead execution and ensure systems meet real-world performance expectations.

What Youll Do

• Lead system architecture and integration of automation and control systems for real-time vehicle applications

• Design and implement multi-sensor data pipelines to support control development and system performance analysis

• Develop and validate vehicle dynamics and system models to inform control strategies and hardware selection

• Define and execute validation strategies across simulation HIL lab and field environments

• Integrate embedded systems with vehicle networks (e.g. CAN Ethernet) and real-time control architectures

• Evaluate and integrate emerging technologies into deployable production-representative systems

• Lead cross-functional engineering efforts delivering against technical milestones and partner expectations

• Develop technical documentation scopes of work and deliverables for external partners

• Mentor engineers and contribute to a high-performance engineering culture focused on ownership innovation and execution

The successful candidate will bring deep experience designing and integrating complex hardware-software systems for vehicle dynamics and controls from modeling and simulation through embedded deployment lab and field validation and extraction of meaningful performance metrics. Strong project management communication and leadership skills are essential when collaborating with interdisciplinary teams industry partners and externally funded engineering projects.

Technology & Systems You May Work With

• Vehicle communication networks (CAN CAN FD Ethernet)

• Sensor integration data acquisition and multi-sensor fusion systems

• Model-based development tools (MATLAB Simulink Simscape)

• Embedded systems and real-time control architectures

• Mechanical electrical and hydraulic system integration

• Agricultural and off-highway equipment platforms

This is a term position with the expectation of long-term renewal.

Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. without sponsorship.

This position is hired as an R&D Engineer IV and will remain open until filled.

Preferred Qualifications

• M.S. or Ph.D. in Engineering Computer Engineering Computer Science or a related field

• Background in agricultural equipment offhighway machinery robotics or precision ag systems

• Experience commercializing applied engineering solutions

• Experience mentoring engineers in fastpaced development environments

Application Instructions:
To apply for this position please click on Apply and complete the Employment Application. Please be prepared to enter or attach the following:

Resume/Curriculum Vitae

Letter of Application/Cover Letter

Why Choose Iowa State University
Iowa State Employees enjoy comprehensive health and work-life benefits including medical and dental as well as:

• Retirement benefits including defined benefit and defined contribution plans

• Generous vacation holiday and sick time and leave plans

• Onsite childcare (Ames Iowa)

• Life insurance and long-term disability

• Flexible Spending Accounts

• Various voluntary benefits and discounts

• Employee Assistance Program

• Wellbeing program

If you have questions regarding this application process please email or call or Toll Free: 1-.

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Iowa State University does not discriminate on the basis of race color age ethnicity religion national origin pregnancy sexual orientation genetic information sex marital status disability or status as a U.S. Veteran. Inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies may be directed to Office of Equal Opportunity 2680 Beardshear Hall 515 Morrill Road Ames Iowa 50011 Tel. email .

General ISU compensation information can be found on the University Human Resources website. Please note that this is only a list of ranges and individuals will be paid commensurate with qualifications.