The School of Plant and Environmental Sciences (SPES) at Virginia Tech seeks a Research Associate to support the Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) Innovation Center, a partnership between Virginia Tech and the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR) located in Danville, Virginia. The primary work location is Danville, Virginia.
This position is supported through the funded project sponsored by the Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission, Meeting the Need of the CEA Industry Through Testing Services and Educational Material Development (2026–2028), and will play a key role in expanding research, testing services, educational programming, and technology adoption within the controlled environment agriculture (CEA) industry.
The Research Associate will lead the implementation and management of applied research as well as projects in industry-sponsored trials with greenhouse, indoor vertical farm, hydroponic, lighting, automation, environmental control, and agricultural technology companies to evaluate products, technologies, and production practices. The incumbent will collaborate with industry partners, faculty, graduate students, and research staff to develop testing protocols, conduct research, collect and analyze data, develop technical reports, and communicate findings. In addition to overseeing industry-sponsored trials, the Research Associate will contribute to scholarly outputs, including peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations, and will support Virginia Cooperative Extension programming through the development of educational materials, such as factsheets. A long-term goal of this position is to help establish a sustainable testing service program that supports the continued growth of the regional and national CEA industry.
