Scientific Research Assistant – Warsaw
QED (https://qed.ai) is a tech company focused on public health and food security in Sub-Saharan Africa. We build the digital infrastructure and AI used at the intersection of aid and scientific inquiry, including surveillance of HIV and malaria, and nutrient analysis of crops and soils, working at national-scale in several African countries. Our funding comes from multiple philanthropic and governmental organizations, including the Global Fund, Gates Foundation, CDC, and USAID.
We are looking for a Research Assistant to join our team in Warsaw, Poland working on ScanSpectrum (https://scanspectrum.qed.ai), a low-cost and handheld spectrophotometry kit being used to analyze food quality and monitor climate change.
Scope of Work
Assist QED’s Hardware team with device construction and scientific research.
Assist with construction and packaging of ScanSpectrum devices, including 3D printing, DIY device construction, and basic circuits.
Testing, benchmarking, and comparison of ScanSpectrum devices.
Collection of data in the field, including at farms, research labs, factories, etc.
Assistance with writing hardware manuals and research reports.
Preparation and management of “raw” data from experiments such that they can be effectively used and analyzed by data scientists.
Assistance in finding new use cases, designing experiments, and making reports from them.
Assist in effective communication with scientific institutes, companies, or researchers that QED currently collaborates with or wishes to collaborate with.
Search online databases for new funding opportunities and research projects, and assist with the composition of proposals, in both Polish and English.
Composition of pedagogical materials for a Learning Lab Curriculum centered around ScanSpectrum to enthusiastically teach fundamental concepts in physics, chemistry, and plant science to high school or college students.
Requirements
Formal academic studies in science or engineering, coupled with practical lab experience in one of the natural sciences, such as chemistry, physics, biology, geology, soil science, crop science, or environmental science.
Experience with some common makerspace techniques for constructing DIY products, such as 3D printing, Raspberry Pi, Arduino, breadboarding etc.
Working proficiency (≥C1) in speaking, reading, and typing both English and Polish (≥45 words per minute).
Logical reasoning and ability to express ideas clearly, both orally and in writing.
Willingness and interest in working with people from other cultures.
Some experience with teaching in the natural or mathematical sciences, and giving lectures to students
Capable of direct in-person communications with scientists and vendors from around the world.
Emotional resilience and at least mediocre social intelligence.
… and you have to care about the work that you do
… and you have to be optimistic at least sometimes, although pessimism tends to be useful
Below are additional skills that are a bonus, but are not required:
domain knowledge and/or interest in the sustainable development goals, particularly in agriculture, climate change, public health, and/or assisting developing countries.
What can you expect:
unusual, socially conscious projects
little bureaucracy
significant ownership
ability and encouragement to explore technologies other than your main expertise
optional travel to learn more about problems we're trying to solve
Requires a full-time commitment physically based in Warsaw, Poland, with a hybrid of remote and in-person work throughout the week. We expect at least 2-3 days per week in the office. The working hours are flexible, for example you do not need approval to take out a small chunk in the middle of the day to handle some personal business.