Solum is looking for a mechanical engineer and a soil research chemist to help develop our line of soil sensing technologies.  Fertilizer inputs comprise a large and growing portion of agricultural expenses (over 50% of the operating expenses for corn, for example). The advent of GPS- based farming equipment has allowed growers to begin to treat every acre of their land independently, according to the soil’s needs.   Applying fertilizer at a variable rate has been shown to double fertilizer use efficiency, which saves money while increasing yields and greatly reducing the environmental impact of farming. Solum is a Khosla Ventures backed startup company that will provide growers with immediate, high-density data to help them manage their fields.  A successful applicant will help Solum solve a wide variety of problems and will work closely with the three founders who have PhDs in Applied Physics. The position will include a competitive salary, comprehensive benefits, and an equity stake in the company. Our soil measurement technology will allow growers to reduce nutrient inputs by letting them know where, when, and how much fertilizer to apply.

Job Purpose:
The candidate will take part in the mechanical design, testing, and production of our soil nutrient measurement system. This will involve taking a desktop prototype and making it into a rugged, field deployable soil measurement unit. Subsequent development will include the design of automated soil processing systems.

Desired Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities:

• Rapidly prototyping/rapid tooling experience, machine shop and CAD skills
  
• Ability to creatively work within demanding design constraint
  
• Experience designing mechanical systems for harsh environments, especially with ruggedization of electrical, fluidic, and optical systems. Experience developing products for agriculture a plus.
  
• Familiar with designing products for manufacturability; experience with small volume production runs a plus
  
• Programming experience (Matlab, C++, Python, etc.) a plus.
  
• Experience with robotic systems
  
• Strong organization skills and the ability to efficiently handle multiple tasks and projects.
  

Job Purpose:
The candidate will aid in the development of other rapid measurement systems, which may include nitrate, phosphorus, potassium, soil texture, pH, and other soil properties and nutrients.

Functions and Responsibilities:

• Perform characterization of our measurement technology by side-by-side comparisons with standard laboratory soil testing.
  
• Adapt and develop new data analysis methods as required.
  
• Identify and develop collaborations with outside research institutions as needed.

Desired Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities:

• Requires in-depth knowledge and skills in analytical chemistry as typically acquired by an advanced degree in chemistry or related field. Hands-on experience with a variety of analytic instrumentation (FT-IR, fluorescence spectroscopy, ISEs, UV/VIS, atomic absorption, X-ray absorption, etc.) very beneficial.
  
• Knowledge and experience regarding soil analysis and nutrient extraction, especially with regards to N,P,K and pH a strong plus
• Prefer Masters or PhD level
  
• Ability to creatively develop new analytic techniques to perform challenging measurements.
  
• Programming experience (Matlab, Python, C++, etc.) a plus.
  
• Strong organization skills and the ability to efficiently handle multiple tasks and projects.
  
• Experience designing and building custom experimental setups.
  
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills. Experience writing successful grant proposals is a plus