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Form of workAbout CowBell Labs:
We envision a world where inventors, researchers, and farmers can develop and validate agricultural climate solutions regardless of geography. We are working towards a liveable planet with sustainable production of food, and our mission is to build and demonstrate testing standards for agricultural greenhouse gas emissions, starting with methane. Culturally speaking, our team is optimistic about our climate future and centered in community action. We see the planet in the context of human efforts, and so we build infrastructure that supports systemic change. This project is funded in part by Lyda Hill Philanthropies, Schmidt Futures, and Spark Climate Solutions. These partners empower us with strategic relationships throughout the public and private climate innovation space.
By simulating the dynamics of greenhouse gas emissions by crops and cows with products that perform controlled release of those gasses, we will enable the rapid development and validation of on-farm emissions measurement with techniques such as UAV, spatially-resolved eddy flux, and plume mapping by open-path laser absorption. Our controlled release product will enable the creation of large datasets for the development of algorithms to determine quantified spatial emissions maps from gas concentration measurements.
Role Overview:
We seek a climate-impact motivated Senior Scientist or Research Engineer to join our team. Through direct hands-on work as a researcher, technical relationship support, and hiring a small team, this role will develop CowBell Lab's emission sensing system test program. This role is responsible for driving the scientific development of internal greenhouse gas measurement methods. In addition, this role will have the opportunity to author publications and represent the team at academic research conferences.
Because we work with external partners who are technical and non-technical and have a cross-functional team, the right person for this role will enjoy communicating in ways that are well-calibrated to their audience. This role will collaborate directly with the engineering team that is responsible for our controlled release products and with the partnership team that is responsible for developing our user community. This is an opportunity to be a key technical voice, both internally and externally, for a rapidly growing climate innovation organization with the potential to enable massive reductions in global greenhouse gas emissions.
Responsibilities:
- Design and execution of experimental programs, including hands-on technical work with controlled release emitters of greenhouse gasses and tools for measuring them.
- Build out CowBell's lab space, including the determination of best equipment to purchase based on technical analysis.
- Working with the partnership team and partners to design and execute initial partner experiments, visiting with them as necessary to ensure scientific excellence. Being a technical expert and resource for internal non-technical and technical team members, as well as external partnership staff.
- Acting as the internal customer for custom controlled release tools developed by the engineering team, providing helpful feedback.
- Hiring and managing a small team of research associates and interns.
- Lead and contribute to publications on the technical findings of our teams and its partners.
Requirements:
While we like to be detailed about the requirements of this role, we welcome applications from candidates who fulfill several of the stated requirements and feel confident that they could learn/acquire the others in a reasonable period of time.
- PhD in civil and environmental engineering, atmospheric sciences, hydrology, fluid dynamics, metrology, or another field relevant to the design and execution of micrometeorology experiments.
- Comfortable with design and implementation of experimental programs and facilitation of experimentation in partnership with external groups.
- Strong hands-on experience with technical equipment - excellent ability to debug technical problems with scientific equipment.
- Proficient with use of computational tools for data analysis - should be able to implement and modify other people's algorithms.
- Track record of successful collaboration with technical and non-technical team members.
- Skilled at technical scientific communication
- Willingness to travel up to 15% of the time.
Preferred Requirements:
- Able to write papers without supervision and effectively communicate with a technical audience.
- Experience building out a lab space.
- Skilled at hiring and management of research associates, technicians, and interns.
- Thriving in a startup or a small team environment.
- Experienced with analysis of available technologies and providing recommendations.
What we're offering:
Autonomy and Influence: Enjoy a high degree of autonomy. Your insights and expertise will be instrumental in steering our technical direction, and your voice will be vital, both internally and externally.
Collaborative Environment: Work alongside a dedicated and talented team committed to creating a significant positive impact on the climate. The collaborative and open culture at CowBell Labs will enable you to share ideas and drive initiatives that could redefine our approach to climate solutions.
Global Reach: With a mission that transcends borders, your efforts will have a global footprint.
Purpose-Driven Work: Wake up every day to work that matters. Be at the forefront of addressing climate challenges by developing experimental programs and authoring publications that propel CowBell Labs and our mission forward.
Innovative Culture: Thrive in a culture of innovation that encourages continual learning, experimentation, and pushing the boundaries of what's possible in climate technology.
Learning Opportunities: Benefit from the diverse experiences and backgrounds of your colleagues and our network, fostering a rich environment for professional and personal growth.
Community Engagement : Engage with a broad network of industry experts, innovators, and passionate professionals in the climate tech community, enriching your professional network and forging meaningful relationships that could last a lifetime.
Salary / Benefits:
CowBell Labs offers a competitive annual salary ($100k to $200k) and a comprehensive benefits package including a 6% 401k match. We prioritize the well-being and future of our team members and provide support for a balanced, fulfilling work life. More details will be provided to candidates during the interview process.
$100,000 - $200,000 a year
Depending on experience.
The Company aims to help fill a structural gap in today's R&D system. We enable fundamental research that requires unusual levels of scale and coordination yet is not rapidly monetizable by industry. We're bringing together top talent from academia, industry, and startups to build a new model for innovative R&D. As an incubator within the Schmidt Futures Network, we identify high-impact scientific or technical research and development opportunities, ultimately defining and launching these projects as Focused Research Organizations.
The Company is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer that proudly pursues and hires a diverse workforce. We do not make hiring or employment decisions on the basis of race, color, religion or religious belief, ethnic or national origin, nationality, sex, gender, gender-identity, sexual orientation, disability, age, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local, state, or federal law or Company policy. We strive for a healthy and safe workplace and strictly prohibit harassment of any kind.
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