Agricultural Technology Economic Feasibility Analyst Post Doc Research Fellow

Description & Details:

The Department of Agribusiness and Applied Economics at North Dakota State University (NDSU) seeks to appoint a promising early-career research economist to conduct grant-funded research on the economic feasibility, benefit-cost performance, and long-term return on investment (ROI) of agricultural technologies and management practices relevant to the Northern Great Plains. The position is supported by USDA-ARS cooperative efforts aligned with NDSU's Food, Energy, Water Security initiative.

This is a full-time, 12-month, non-tenure track appointment. The initial appointment will be for two years, with the possibility of extension beyond two years based on performance and continued availability of grant funding.

The successful candidate will join a collaborative, interdisciplinary research team at North Dakota State University, working with USDA-ARS project investigators and partners to strengthen the economic basis for evaluating technology/practice adoption in production agriculture. The research will focus on applied farm- and ranch-level economic analysis that produces decision-relevant feasibility metrics (e.g., net present value, payback period, break-even point, sensitivity analysis, and ROI under plausible scenarios) to inform technology translation and adoption.

This position offers outstanding opportunities for independent research and collaboration. The postdoctoral research associate is expected to participate in the University's intellectual life actively and to contribute to peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations, and other research products emerging from the project. Work will emphasize reproducible research practices, transparent documentation, and the development of practical economic assessment templates/tools that enable researchers and stakeholders to replicate feasibility and ROI calculations.

Primary Responsibilities

Conduct independent and collaborative research on the economic feasibility of agricultural technologies and practices, including benefit-cost analysis, partial/enterprise budgeting, and long-term investment appraisal analyses under alternative production scenarios.

Develop and implement applied producer-oriented economic evaluations (e.g., net present value, payback period, break-even analysis, sensitivity analysis, and risk/uncertainty considerations) that are suitable for technology/practice adoption decisions.

Support the construction and harmonization of project datasets that integrate technology performance outcomes with cost, labor, capital, and operational assumptions needed for feasibility analysis.

Translate research outputs from interdisciplinary teams into economic inputs (assumptions, scenarios, and parameterizations) and document methods to ensure analyses are transparent and reproducible.

Produce research manuscripts and technical documentation suitable for peer-reviewed outlets and stakeholder-oriented audiences, and present findings at academic and professional conferences and stakeholder events.

Contribute to project dissemination activities, including preparation of supporting materials for project reporting, code repositories, and user-oriented implementation guidance.

Collaborate with department faculty and students as appropriate on applied research tasks related to data development, budgeting templates, and feasibility/ROI tool creation.

Work Schedule:

This is a full-time, 12-month, non-tenure track appointment. The initial appointment will be for two years, with the possibility of extension beyond two years based on performance and continued availability of grant funding.

Hiring Range: $60,000 - $75,000

Pay is based on several factors, including budget, labor market, prior experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, education, licensure and/or certification and other business considerations.

Minimum Qualifications:

Successful applicants must have received a doctoral degree in agricultural economics, applied economics, economics, or a closely related field, preferably within the last two to three years (or expected before the start date). Equivalent foreign degrees are acceptable.

Applicants must demonstrate excellent oral and written communication skills and strong quantitative training.

Applicants should have experience conducting applied agricultural or technology-focused economic analysis (e.g., benefit-cost analysis, feasibility assessment, enterprise budgeting) and demonstrated proficiency working with data needed for farm/ranch decision analysis.

Proficiency with Excel and strong coding skills in one or more programming languages commonly used for empirical research, such as Python, R, Stata, or similar languages, is required.

Preferred Qualifications:

Proven record of relevant research publications or strong evidence of an active research pipeline.

Knowledge of Northern Great Plains agriculture and familiarity with production constraints relevant to technology/practice adoption.

Experience with farm/ranch management economics tools…