Also called: Phenotyping Engineer, High-Throughput Phenotyping Specialist
Builds the camera robots, drones and greenhouse conveyor systems that photograph thousands of plants a day so breeders can pick the best ones.
A conveyor carries 2,000 potted corn plants past your imaging booth, where cameras snap them in color, infrared and 3D. You fix a misaligned camera, then write code that measures each plant's height and leaf angle. Breeders use your numbers to decide which plants become next year's seeds.
Estimated from seed company and university research postings.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Bachelor's in agricultural, biological or computer engineering; many have a master's.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Agricultural Engineering, Biological Systems Engineering, Computer Engineering, Plant Science.
Growing faster than average. Seed companies and universities are adding robots and drones to plant breeding.
Medium risk for 10 years. AI now measures plants from images, but engineers still build, calibrate and fix the robots and cameras.
Classes: AP Computer Science, Biology, Physics.
Official data: O*NET occupation 17-2021.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.