Shane Svoboda

Experience

• 

  DuPont Pioneer

  May 2002 - Aug 2003

  Intergrated Pest Management Scout

  • Inspected seed corn manufacturing fields for insects, weeds, & diseases.• Consulted growers & site management to analyze possible chemical applications.• Assisted area supervisors in arranging detasseling machine & crew logistics.• Provided accurate wheel pull counts in order to draft detasseling contracts.

• 

  Dow AgroSciences

  May 2004 - Aug 2004

  Seed Corn Production Intern

  • Inspected seed corn manufacturing fields for insects, weeds, & diseases.• Mapped fields using GPS software & equipment.• Provided accurate silk & shed statistics while following state & federal regulations.

• 

  PHI Financial Services

  Oct 2005 - Feb 2006

  Agricultural Credit Assistant

  • Provided support to the credit analysts, preparing loan information.• Analyzed balance sheets, cash flow, & other ratios determining loan eligibility. • Contacted customers to obtain lost information avoiding delays in product delivery.• Researched credit reports to determine loan risk & qualifications.

• 

  Monsanto Company

  Sept 2008 - May 2015

  Research Assistant

  Supported a conventional plant breeding program by performing nursery and yield trial planting, phenotyping, and harvesting operations. • Managed 8,000 rows of foliar and stalk rot disease-resistance plots for the plant pathology breeding team. • Recruited new members to meet site management staffing goals within specific deadlines. • Managed inventory records of previously packaged screening sets, enabling accurate identification and retrieval from the warehouse.• Partnered with team members to establish and introduce a process that reduced turnaround time for samples from several weeks to one week, satisfying genotype requirements. • Directed domestic and international material movement for the Williamsburg breeding team and coordinated with the USDA APHIS, following phytosanitary requirements to ensure successful shipments.• Reduced shipping costs for global and domestic germplasm (seed) movement through strategic and conscientious use of shipping methods, utilizing freight speed vs. overnight shipping when possible. • Contributed to building a plant breeding program (plant pathology) from the ground up. o Experimented with equipment not commonly found with other teams within the breeding organization.o Networked with other Pathology programs and gathered best practices information and ideas.• Selected multiple years for contra season nursery assignments on the Hawaiian Islands; tasked with opening and closing nursery pollination fields, isolated crossing block inspections, and phenotype data collection. Show less

• 

  DuPont Pioneer

  Feb 2016 - Jul 2017

  Research Specialist

  Managed activities inside the multi-crop yield trial and nursery operations department. • Collected phenotype data, completed seed packaging and treatment applications, set up and verified field yield trials, and seed inventory management.• Supervised a crew of up to 10 temporary and full-time employees to complete phenotype data collection.• Implemented systems processes ensuring accurate and high quality data collection throughout the field, troubleshooting issues promptly.• Minimized lost time when operating yield trial packaging equipment by introducing an excel spreadsheet displaying the information needed to fill out each entry, enabling planning accuracy. Show less

• 

  BASF

  Jul 2017 - Mar 2019

  Field Trial Associate

  Carried out activities for the Biological Performance and Field Operations teams.• Conducted mechanical tillage, chemical applications, and research-based combine and planter operation, accurately completing multi-crop yield trial test plots within scope of management's specifications and timelines.• Drove efforts to improve planning and enhance communication between field and laboratory operations to correctly execute tillage and chemical application on the plots.• Oversaw 5-10 seasonal employees for accurate phenotype data from wheat, corn, and soybean experiment plots. • Gathered and documented measurements for pipeline product development and reported to decision-makers.• Acquired Iowa Commercial Pesticide applicators license categories 1A, 1B, 1C, 10, & 4 to support company needs of application safety when applying restricted use pesticides onto research soybean plots.• Rewarded with 100% of the bonus potential both years of employment. Show less

• 

  Iowa State University

  Sept 2019 - Sept 2020

  Breeding Research Associate

  Supported legume pulse crop and soybean breeding and genetics groups in the Agronomy Department by delivering high quality phenotype data and financial record keeping.• Served as liaison for cultivar development for the mung bean germplasm program.• Partnered with Plant Pathology & Computer Engineering researchers to support soybean breeding and trialing.• Coordinated international and domestic material movement for contra season nurseries demonstrating knowledge of documentation, local USDA requirements, and regulatory compliance • Built relationships and collaborated with USDA Seed Inspectors and third-party shipping vendors.• Developed weekly scheduling spreadsheet to organize, communicate, and fulfill Ph.D. scholars' and employees' needs of seasonal undergraduate support. • Completed expenditure record keeping, grant money spending allocation, and financial analysis. KEY SKILLSPlant & Seed Science | Agriculture | Plant Breeding & TrialingResearch & Development | Seed Health Management | Seed Conditioning & StorageData Collection & Statistical Analysis | Quality Assurance Management | Seed Policy & Trade RegulationsField & Laboratory Operations | Inventory Management | Communication & CollaborationLogistics & Strategic Planning | Seed Physiology | USDA Regulations Show less

• 

  Pivot Bio

  Oct 2022 - Oct 2023

  Product Development Research Associate

  Supported Field Trial Managers with testing protocol stewardship, data assessment, & site evaluations. Served as a liaison between contract research organizations & internal stakeholders.• Conducted validation, late-stage efficacy field trials on microbial strains for nitrogen fixation. • Generated data packages in order to make advancement decisions for bio-technology based scientists.• Implemented established & innovative technology methods with interdepartmental collaboration to support the pipeline advancement & ultimately the sale of Pivot Bio products. • Obtained Part 107 certification to operate UAV’s, achieving a level of high-throughput data capture.• Provided guidance, clarity, & troubleshooting support to contract research organizations (CRO’s) for approximately 140 Pivot Bio sponsored trials spread throughout the mid-section of the United States.• Compiled visual dashboard progress reports for strategic planning & work prioritization.• Mastered 4-corner GPS coordinate field mapping for location & experiment design purposes. Show less

• 

  US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS)

  Sept 2024 - Feb 2025

  Agricultural Research Technician (Soils)

  I worked at the National Laboratory of Agriculture and the Environment (NLAE), supporting soil scientists dedicated to soil, water, and atmospheric stewardship.Responsible for water sample collection efforts in saturated buffer, riparian zones, and the Kelley Tile project.Kelley Tile is a long-term agricultural research project centered around testing sub-surface drainagetechniques, crop rotations, and tillage methods. These treatments help discover innovative methods tominimize nitrate levels found in sub-surface drainage and ultimately to nearby surface water sources.Monitored 5 saturated buffer zones and 24 sub-soil drainage treatments using remote sensing and complex research grade technical equipment.Completed Planter University, a seminar sponsored by ISU Extension covering prep, calibration, & operation. Show less