Research Scientist

  • Tokyo
  • Partial Remote
  • Full-time
  • April 18, 2025
Conditions
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¥4M ~ ¥9M /yr
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Apply from Japan Only
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No relocation to Japan
(No visa sponsorship from overseas)
Requirements
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Language Requirements
Japanese: Business Level
English: Business Level
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Minimum Experience
Mid-level or above

#Recruitment Background

Sagri aims to create carbon credits and MRV services by analyzing soil carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas emissions through satellite data analysis. To generate carbon credits, it is necessary to prove the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions through certification bodies. Therefore, the Sagri R&D team aims to establish a methodology to prove the creation of carbon credits using satellite data and input data from farming apps. We are looking for research scientists to join us in this endeavor.

 

#Mission of the Position

The farming application "Sagri" visualizes soil conditions of farmland analyzed by satellite data, helping farmers reduce fertilizer use and contribute to mitigating global warming. This development is supported by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan.

 When using fertilizers in agriculture, farmers typically rely on intuition to determine where, how much, and what type of fertilizer to apply. This can lead to excessive use, increasing costs and leaving unabsorbed fertilizer in the soil, which contributes to global warming. Soil testing involves labor-intensive processes of soil collection and laboratory analysis.

 The "Sagri" app develops AI models to analyze soil components from satellite images, allowing farmers to easily view field conditions on a map. This application helps farmers quickly understand the optimal type and amount of fertilizer to use for each plot.

 Reducing chemical fertilizers decreases CO2 emissions and creates carbon credits. While the impact of carbon credits on farmer profits is about 2% in Japan, it can be around 15% in emerging countries, significantly improving farmers' revenues. Sagri aims to enhance the income of farmers in developing countries through extensive use of satellite data.

 

#Job Description

Specific Job Responsibilities

- Collect data on crop, soil, and greenhouse gas emissions domestically and internationally (mainly overseas) in cooperation with local fieldwork teams.

- Organize and preprocess data to make it ready for training machine learning models and calibrating process-based models.

- Handle individual PoC projects with responsibilities for data collection, analysis, paper writing, and patent applications under mentor guidance.

 

Sagri's Development Environment

We already have multiple products with significant growth potential, and the scope of development themes is broad. Even in unfamiliar areas, you can take on challenges if you are motivated.

 

Technologies

Languages: TypeScript / Python / Rust

Architecture: Redux / Atomic Design

Libraries/Frameworks: React.js / Next.js / Django REST framework

DB: PostgreSQL (PostGIS)

Infrastructure: AWS (EC2 / EKS / S3 / RDS, etc.)

Version Control: Git Repository

Management: GitHub

Communication Tools: Slack / Zoom / Discord / Google meet

 

#Culture

About the Department

Department: Engineering Dept.

Members: 11 full-time employees

Supervisor: CRO Tanaka

 

Department Culture

Sagri is a private company, but we offer an environment where you can engage in research activities alongside your duties. You can continue your career in writing papers, attending conferences, and participating in academic societies. Depending on your achievements and suitability, we can consider arrangements where you remain affiliated with a university or research institution while working at Sagri (such as contracting or joint research). We welcome individuals who wish to build their careers in academia or research institutions in the future.

 

#Desired Candidate Profile

Required Experience/Skills

- Proven research achievements using mathematical modeling, statistical analysis, and machine learning.

- Development of machine learning and statistical models.

- Fieldwork experience in agriculture or environmental sectors.

- Ability to write peer-reviewed papers independently (PhD).

- Proficiency in presenting research in English (communication with international business units, reviewing, and writing academic papers).

 

Preferred Experience/Skills

- Holding a PhD.

 

Who We Want to Work With

- Shares Sagris vision, mission, and values.

- Proactively collaborates with universities and research institutions.

- Challenges themselves to develop future-oriented products that solve social issues.

- Expands their work scope beyond their specialty and continuously catches up with new technologies.

- Values team communication and information sharing, with a high willingness to learn new skills.

- Listens sincerely to customer feedback and responds proactively.

- Enjoys working in a fast-paced environment and embraces significant changes.

 

#Other Conditions

Contract Period
Trial period of 3 months 

Location
Tokyo Headquarters Shinjuku Sumitomo Building, 18th Floor, 2-6-1 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 163-0218

 Nearest Stations
Toei Oedo Line, "Tochomae Station," A6 exit, directly connected
Marunouchi Line, "Nishi-Shinjuku Station," Exit 2, 4-minute walk
All lines, "Shinjuku Station," West Exit, 8-minute walk

 

Scope of Assignment Changes

Immediately after hiring: according to job listing

Scope of changes: Possible reassignment to all tasks (including temporary transfers)

 

Working Hours

Flexible time system (with core time)

Starting time: 6:00 AM - 10:00 AM

Ending time: 3:00 PM - 10:00 PM

Core time: 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Break time: 1 hour

 

Holidays

Annual holidays: 120+ days

Principally two days off per week (Saturday and Sunday), national holidays

 

Benefits

- Transportation expenses (provided according to regulations)

- Annual paid leave (10 days granted on the start date)

- Maternity leave and childcare leave (available immediately upon joining)

- Nursing care leave, nursing leave, work-related injury and illness leave, etc.

 

Insurance

Complete social insurance (employment insurance, workers' compensation insurance, health insurance, employee pension insurance)

 

Anti-smoking Measures

Non-smoking indoors

 

#Selection Process

- Document screening

- First Interview + Presentation

- Second interview

- Final interview

- Offer meeting

 

Join us!

Sagri is a pioneering social impact startup leveraging satellite data and AI technology to address the global food crisis and climate change.

Sagri provides three primary services.

Actaba: This service focuses on surveying the use of agricultural land. It's already deployed in over 40 municipalities and aims to expand further, evolving based on customer feedback. Actaba stands out as it has no direct competitors and has received positive evaluations from its users.

Detaba: This is an app for surveying crop planting. Utilizing satellite imagery, Detaba infers the crops planted in a given area. This aids municipalities in ensuring lands are used as declared, simplifying the process of granting subsidies and gathering statistical data.

Sagri: Sagri is an app tailored for farming operations. It assists in optimizing fertilizer use by analyzing soil components through satellite imagery. Minimizing excess fertilizer use reduces workload and addresses environmental concerns like global warming.

These services aim to support sustainable agriculture, reduce carbon emissions, and improve farmers' profitability by leveraging carbon credits, particularly in emerging countries.

View Sagri's company page
Research Scientist at Sagri
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