Plant Pathology Technology Specialist

Plant Pathology Technology Specialist

At Corteva Agriscience™, you will help us grow what's next. No matter your role, you will be part of a team that is building the future of agriculture – leading breakthroughs in the innovation and application of science and technology that will better the lives of people all over the world and fuel the progress of humankind.

Corteva Agriscience is seeking a science-driven Plant Pathology Technology Specialist to support, validate, and deploy cutting-edge pathology solutions to support North America breeding teams. In this role, you will drive technical advancements in disease screening, high-throughput phenotyping, automation, and data analytics, accelerating the discovery, selection, and advancement of disease-resistant germplasm. You will work closely with breeders, and data scientists to ensure high-quality phenotypic and genomic data advance seamlessly into our predictive-breeding pipelines.

Responsibilities - What You'll Do:

• Germplasm Evaluation: Support field and laboratory evaluation of germplasm for disease resistance, assisting breeding selection and product characterization. Design, optimize, and validate controlled-environment and field assays for quantitative disease-resistance phenotyping across diverse crops and maturity groups.
• Platform Innovation: Help implement and optimize high-throughput inoculation, imaging, and sensor-based phenotyping workflows that interface with genomic selection and marker-assisted selection (MAS) systems.
• Data Visualization & Reporting: Build or utilize intuitive dashboards, visualization, and reporting tools to support managed environments and disease data interpretation. Summarize and present key findings to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Technical Research & Communication: Contribute to hypothesis-driven research to understand disease mechanisms, host-pathogen interactions, and trait integration. Support preparation of reports, scientific publications, and presentations.
• Problem Solving & Cross-Functional Collaboration: Use deductive reasoning and creativity to solve technical and scientific problems. Support proof-of-concept projects, help manage timelines, and communicate progress to multidisciplinary teams and stakeholders.
• Compliance & Stewardship: Ensure biosafety, stewardship, and phytosanitary compliance in laboratory, greenhouse, and field operations; uphold a strong culture of safety and scientific integrity.

Qualifications- What You'll Need:

• M.S. in Plant Pathology, Plant Breeding, Plant Biology, or related field (or equivalent industry experience), or bachelors with 5+ years of experience in pathology or breeding.
• Demonstrated expertise in at least two of the following:
• Disease-resistance phenotyping (field nurseries, growth chambers, greenhouses)
• Pathogen/host genomics for disease resistance gene discovery
• Molecular or imaging-based pathogen detection
• High-throughput phenotyping or laboratory automation
• Statistical programming & data analytics (R, Python, SQL, scientific-computing libraries)
• Diagnostics for row crops
• Experience communicating results and collaborating with multidisciplinary teams.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Familiarity with major row-crop diseases and resistance screening methodologies (corn, soybean, wheat, sunflower, sorghum).

***Please note there is no visa sponsorship or relocation assistance provided for this role.

Benefits – How We'll Support You:

• Numerous development opportunities offered to build your skills
• Be part of a company with a higher purpose and contribute to making the world a better place
• Health benefits for you and your family on your first day of employment
• Four weeks of paid time off and two weeks of well-being pay per year, plus paid holidays
• Excellent parental leave which includes a minimum of 16 weeks for mother and father
• Future planning with our competitive retirement savings plan and tuition reimbursement program
• Learn more about our total rewards package here - Corteva Benefits

Are you a good match? Apply today! We seek applicants from all backgrounds to ensure we get the best, most creative talent on our team.

Corteva Agriscience is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to embracing our differences to enrich lives, advance innovation, and boost company performance. Qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, age, military or veteran status, pregnancy related conditions (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), disability or any other protected status in accordance with federal, state, or local laws.