R&D Scientist

Howell, Michigan
Koppert Biological Systems
Description:

Who We Are

Koppert Biological Systems is the worldwide market leader in integrated pest management and disease management. Koppert stands at the forefront of sustainable agriculture, having been founded in 1967 by visionary Dutch grower Jan Koppert. Our mission is to make agriculture healthier, safer, and more productive by partnering with nature. We achieve this through the use of natural enemies to combat pests, employing bumblebees for pollination, and leveraging microbials and bio stimulants to support, protect, and strengthen crops. With a clear vision of achieving 100% sustainable agriculture, we collaborate with growers, partners, universities, research institutions, and governmental bodies globally to meet the highest food safety demands while contributing to the better health of people and the planet.

Your Role

The R&D Scientist merges analytics and systematic investigation with specialized knowledge of the biology and mass production of bumblebees and beneficial insects to help drive successful production programs at Koppert. Working cross-functionally, you will actively contribute to the development and continuous improvement of production processes, in order to ensure efficient, cost-effective, high-quality products.

You will engage in a variety of assignments under the scope of R&D. You will perform additional tasks in support of other departments including Quality Assurance, Material Planning and Logistics, and Production.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Continually develop knowledge of our products and their production to become an internal subject matter expert.
• Manage project/trial workflows and the organized documentation of experimental results from conceptualization through execution, troubleshooting, analysis, and communication of outcomes.
• Effectively translate research questions into practical, testable hypotheses.
• Independently perform hands-on bench or field work.
• Ensure the execution and timely completion of high-quality trials.
• Leverage analytics to facilitate increased understanding and improvement of production/biological systems.
• Support development of product specifications and quality metrics to deliver optimal product and process performance.
• Provide guided leadership and/or support for concurrent, independent, or collaborative research projects. Successfully interact and align with various functional roles to drive project completion.
• Provide support to Quality Assurance, Materials Planning and Logistics, and Production.

Requirements:

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree with three to five years of relevant experience or master’s degree in entomology (preferred), ecology, horticulture, animal science or related field required.
• Experience with hymenopterans and insect genetics required.
• Experience using statistical software packages (i.e. Minitab, R, etc.) to analyze data sets of varying complexity.
• Experience and comfort conducting husbandry of live animals and/or rearing of insects in a laboratory setting.
• Experience and comfort conducting research in a field and/or production setting.
• Experience with PCR and other various microbial techniques.

Skills and Qualifications

• Demonstrated capabilities in experimental design and execution within biological/production systems.
• Applied knowledge in statistics, data/database management, and data visualization.
• Ability to effectively communicate technical information to expert and non-expert stakeholders in written and verbal form.
• Effectively prioritizes workload in a timely and proactive way.

Working Conditions

• General office environment: works at a desk in a well-lit, air-conditioned, shared space, with mild to moderate noise levels.
• General laboratory environment: works in a wet lab, containing various types of chemicals and potential hazards.
• General production/field environment: occasionally works in Production/field to facilitate trials.
• Regular exposure to common allergens associated with pollen, bumble bees, mites, and other live insects.
• Regular exposure to hot or humid conditions and outdoor weather conditions.
• Domestic/International travel occasionally required.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to regularly stand or walk for long periods of time.
• Ability to travel (air and ground).
• Ability to regularly lift and/or move up to ten (10) pounds, frequently lift and/or move up to twenty-five (25) pounds, and occasionally lift up to fifty (50) pounds.
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly exposed to vibration, repetitive motion, bending, lifting, twisting, crouching, reaching, pushing, and/or pulling.
• Ability to endure heat or excessively cold conditions.
• Ability to control emotions under various levels of pressures, stress, and fast paced activities.

Working at Koppert

The working atmosphere at Koppert is informal. We are a family company and closely involved with everything that happens within and outside our company. We are consistently looking at ways of improving and continuing to invest in our employees.

Comprehensive Benefits Package to include medical, dental, and vision insurance, employer funded health savings account, tuition reimbursement, employer 401K match, life insurance, wellness program initiatives, employee assistance program, Volunteer Day, Koppert gear, and generous PTO!

Koppert Biological Systems is a veteran-friendly, Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, sexual orientation, marital or veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status. If you want to join a global and growing organization submit your cover letter and resume. At Koppert, we learn something every day!

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