This recruitment will be used to fill one (1) part-time Student Technical position for the Department of Biological & Ecological Engineering at Oregon State University (OSU).

Smart-TAP (Smart Technical Assistance Platform) is an interdisciplinary research initiative that integrates data, modeling, and AI-enabled tools to support agricultural water management and decision-making. The project brings together sensor data, modeling workflows, and cloud-based infrastructure to produce reusable, scalable decision-support services for research and extension applications.

This position will specifically support Smart-TAP Pilot 2, which focuses on developing and testing analytical and machine learning components that can be deployed within a broader Function-as-a-Service (FaaS) architecture. This role centers on building, testing, and refining machine learning models that use agricultural and environmental data to generate meaningful outputs for pilot case studies. The student’s work will contribute directly to demonstrating how Smart-TAP can integrate modeling and analytics into an automated, cloud-based system.

OSU is committed to ensuring students are prepared for success after graduation through intentional skill development as student employees. The competencies students develop while working at OSU are defined by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) as the essential skills employers seek in their hires. In this position, students learn and build vital career-readiness skills in the primary areas below:

Critical Thinking, Teamwork, and Professionalism.

Machine learning model development (60%): Develop, test, and refine machine learning models using agricultural, environmental, or sensor-based datasets. This includes data preprocessing, model training, evaluation, and iteration to support Smart-TAP Pilot 2 case studies.

Integration support with FaaS workflows (20%): Coordinate with other students and technical staff responsible for FaaS infrastructure to ensure machine learning models can be deployed or triggered within existing workflows.

Collaboration and technical communication (10%)Participate in project meetings, discuss modeling choices with faculty and collaborators, and respond to feedback from pilot case study leads.

Documentation and reproducibility (10%)Document modeling approaches, assumptions, and results using GitHub repositories, README files, and basic usage notes to support reproducibility and reuse.

Full Employment Eligibility Requirements can be found here: https://hr.oregonstate.edu/student-employment-manual/500-employment-eligibility-requirements

*International students may be allowed to carry fewer hours than specified above and still be considered “full-time” by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). A reduced course load is approved by the Office of International Services (OIS), and must be provided to the Student Employment Center.

For more information on this position, please email malena.orduna@oregonstate.edu

When applying you will be required to attach the following electronic documents:

● A Resume

● A Cover Letter clearly stating how you meet requirements

For additional information please contact: Malena Orduna Alegria at malena.orduna@oregonstate.edu

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability, protected veteran, and other protected status.

OSU will conduct a review of the National Sex Offender Public website prior to hire.

Note: All job offers are contingent upon Human Resources final approval