Computational Horticultural Modeler

As a Computational Horticultural Modeler (Data Scientist) for our Computational Agronomy organization, you will help enable the integration of data sources with next-generation technologies across functional boundaries. You will collaborate and partner with Syngenta Professional Solutions to deliver artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and predictive analytics models across various Horticultural and Turf use cases. For example, you may leverage data from IoT sensors for moisture probes, irrigation, disease, or insect management.

Through the direction provided by Syngenta Professional Solutions leaders, you will leverage critical thinking skills to innovate solutions for use cases that impact business outcomes. Use cases could be but are not limited to disease & insect management or irrigation scheduling. You will work with analysts, project teams, and other leaders within Syngenta, translating data-driven insights into actions and decisions. Lead and contribute to a culture of creativity and expert support, enabling yourself and the team to identify, design, and deliver appropriate datasets and linkages for complex data.

Critical success factors & key challenges:

• Clearly conveying the message to product and professional solutions lead about the scope and risk of the problem statement.
• Completeness of the data to test the feasibility of development.
• Implementation and validation of the crop science, machine learning, and rules-based models.
• Collaboration with product and digital lead to build the needed solutions.

This is a remote work position (USA or Europe) and an individual contributor role. Must be authorized to work in your respective country. No visa sponsorship will be provided at this time. Around 10% travel may be required.

Duties:

• Conceptualize, analyze, and develop new models and capabilities that will leapfrog traditional approach-based modeling and accelerate new ways of thinking.
• Leverage a wide array of data from both traditional (Internal) and nontraditional (External) sources.
• Work with Syngenta Professional Solutions to understand their needs to develop new or improve existing solutions around data and analytics.
• Develop solutions to meet business requirements, involving translation of requests into use cases, test cases, preparation of training data sets, and iterative algorithm development.
• Collaborate across the Computational Agronomy and R&D teams to develop and validate features.
• Remain current on new developments in data science, deep learning, and ML engineering.

Syngenta Group is one of the world’s leading sustainable agriculture innovation companies, with roots going back more than 250 years. Our 53,000 people across more than 100 countries strive every day to transform agriculture through tailor-made solutions for the benefit of farmers, society and our planet –making us the world’s most local agricultural technology and innovation partner.

Syngenta Group is committed to operating at the highest standards of ethics and integrity. This is a commitment that we are making to investors, customers, society and employees. Syngenta Group is also committed to maintaining a workplace environment free from discrimination and harassment.

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree in informatics, computer science, horticulture, or related fields with 5+ years’ experience in horticulture or data science, including the end-to-end workflow
  • Master’s degree in informatics, computer science, horticulture, or related fields with 3+ years’ experience as described above
• Strong skills in statistical analyses & modeling using Python or R with abilities in advanced data management and statistical programming, which may include designing algorithms, data cleaning, data mining, data clustering and pattern recognition methodologies
• Experience in Data and ML engineering through optimization of model development and deployment
• Proven research background, in industry work or academia, with an emphasis on delivering research that has a critical impact on multiple projects

Preferred:

• Understanding of Horticultural and Turf environments (highly preferred) or Agronomy
• Experience in AWS/GCP/Azure ML platforms and Big Data tools, analysis, methods, and integration
• Expert-level experience in Python, PyTorch, SageMaker, Tensorflow, and Jupyter Notebook

What We Offer: 

• A culture that celebrates diversity & inclusion, promotes professional development, and strives for a work-life balance that supports the team members. Offers flexible work options to support your work and personal needs. 
• Full Benefit Package (Medical, Dental & Vision) that starts your first day.  
• 401k plan with company match, Profit Sharing & Retirement Savings Contribution. 
• Paid Vacation, Paid Holidays, Maternity and Paternity Leave, Education Assistance, Wellness Programs, Corporate Discounts, among other benefits. 

Syngenta has been ranked as a top employer by Science Journal. 
Learn more about our team and our mission here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVCN_51GbNI 

Syngenta is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate in recruitment, hiring, training, promotion or any other employment practices for reasons of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, sexual orientation, marital or veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status.

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