Training & Education
Seasonal workers and educational trainees at The Land Institute are extraordinarily capable, interesting, and committed. They serve a critical role in fulfilling our shared mission, contributing to our organizational learning culture and our research in perennial grain crops, ecological intensification, ecosphere studies, and crop stewardship.
Current Opportunities
The Land Institute community includes a range of seasonal and temporary workers (general research assistants and program research assistants) and temporary educational trainees (program interns and postbaccalaureate researchers). Please see the careers page for more information on these positions and current opportunities.
Training Pathways Evolution
Throughout our organizational history, The Land Institute has designed and provided innovative educational opportunities. We continue to develop and evolve our training pathways as we seek to inform and inspire the next generation of perennial grain agriculture researchers and technicians, broaden participation in research, and build just learning communities in an ecospheric context.
Interns have come to The Land Institute from across the country and around the world. They have brought with them a diversity of backgrounds and perspectives, along with energy, curiosity, and enthusiasm. They have also helped inform and inspire our own ongoing learning. For instance, The Land Institute designed a research residency program that has now evolved into a postbaccalaureate researcher program. In recent years, interns have stayed on or returned as research residents, post-bacs, and staff members.
We expect to offer several research program-specific intern positions in summer 2022. However, the general research intern program is on pause for 2022 as we explore ways to foster deeper collaboration and emphasize training in agricultural research skills while maintaining our sense of community.
Allison Barleen
Soil Ecology Intern
2024
Angel Almaraz
Farm Research Assistant
Allison Barleen
Soil Ecology Intern
Marie Brockhoff
General Research Assistant
Sam Cusick
Facilities Research Assistant
Malachi DeHaan
General Research Assistant
Matt Dunn
IT and Safety Specialist
Madeline Dykstra
Soil Ecology Research Assistant
Jacob Handel
General Research Assistant
Hannah Harrell
Intern, Perennial Cultures Lab
Zach Jake
Research Assistant, Perennial Sorghum
Benjamin Kraft
General Research Assistant
Isabelle Legrain
Intern, Soil Ecology
Daniela Guerrero Lopez
Intern, Perennial Cultures Lab
Talia Masino
Visiting Researcher, Perennial Cultures Lab
Kendra Velasquez-Munro
General Research Assistant
Frances O’Grady
General Research Assistant
Kaiden O’Dell
Research Assistant, Crop Protection Ecology
Keat Robinson
General Research Assistant
Mirza Sakiroglu
General Research Assistant
Dakota Santiago
General Research Assistant
Kate Schieferecke
General Research Assistant
Mel Smith
General Research Assistant
Evan Starnes
Soil Ecology Intern
Kathrine Welch
Intern, Soil Ecology
2023
Jackson Bowman
General Research Assistant
Jamie Branda
General Research Assistant
Claire Crews
Research Assistant, Soil Ecology
Malachi DeHaan
General Research Assistant
Matt Dunn
IT and Safety Specialist
Madeline Dykstra
Soil Ecology Research Assistant
Jacob Handel
General Research Assistant
Todd Humiston
Integrated Pest Management Specialist
Zach Jake
Research Assistant, Perennial Sorghum
Vanessa Kelly
Intern, Soil Ecology
Mathew King
General Research Assistant
Benjamin Kraft
General Research Assistant
Madison Lawson
General Research Assistant
Sean McCoy
Research Assistant, Soil Ecology
Cameron Morris
General Research Assistant
Kendra Velasquez-Munro
General Research Assistant
Frances O’Grady
General Research Assistant
Keat Robinson
General Research Assistant
Josh Rubino
General Research Assistant
Dakota Santiago
General Research Assistant
Xavian Thompson
Research Assistant
Leah Treffer
Post-Baccalaureate Researcher, Crop Protection Genetics
2022
Ella Ball
General Research Assistant
Jamie Branda
General Research Assistant
Tomas Cassani
Postdoctoral Researcher, Soil Ecology
Evan Craine
Research Scientist II - Crop Stewardship
Malachi DeHaan
Research Assistant
Levi Geyer
General Research Assistant
Jacob Handel
General Research Assistant
Gina Harding
Research Assistant, Crop Protection Genetics
Zach Jake
Research Assistant, Perennial Sorghum
Madison Lawson
Farm Research Assistant
Andy Marshall
General Research Assistant
Mayson Metcalf
General Research Assistant
Benjamin Kraft
Research Assistant
Dezni Ortiz
General Research Assistant
Greyson Pembleton
General Research Assistant
Laura Phillips
Post-Baccalaureate Researcher, Perennial Legumes
Keat Robinson
General Research Assistant
Joshua Rubino
General Research Assistant
Emma Shulda
General Research Assistant
Sophia Skelly
Upper Midwest Hub Coordinator
Andrea Sweeting
Program Research Assistant, Crop Protection Ecology
Leah Treffer
Post-Baccalaureate Researcher, Crop Protection Genetics
Brenna Wilcox
Operations Project Coordinator
2021
Emma Baker
Intern
Camille Bouvet-Boisclair
Intern
Jack Braley
Intern
Evan James Cobey
Intern
Elise Elizondo
Intern
Belle Furman
Research Assistant, Soils Lab
Megan Gladbach
Research Resident, Ecosphere Studies
Abigail Han
Research Resident, Perennial Legumes
Stacy Holt
Intern
Zachary Kariya
Intern
Patricia Mathu
Intern
Nolan Monaghan
Intern
Sammie Moore
Intern
Noël Prandoni
Intern
Jocelyn Pembleton
Research Assistant
Camden Smithtro
Intern
Courtney Tharp
Intern
Luke Van Tassel
Research Assistant
Ana Villamizar
Intern
Malachi DeHaan
Research Assistant
Olivia Hamilton
Research Assistant, Greenhouse
Blaze Johnson
Research Resident, Crop Protection Ecology
Maya Kathrineberg
Research Technician, Perennial Wheat and Crop Protection Genetics
Lydia Nicholson
Research Technician, Educational Design
Dezni Ortiz
General Research Assistant
Siena Polk
Post-Baccalaureate Researcher, Ecosphere Studies
Laura Phillips
Post-Baccalaureate Researcher, Perennial Legumes
Sophia Skelly
Upper Midwest Hub Coordinator
Leah Treffer
Post-Baccalaureate Researcher, Crop Protection Genetics
Claire Wineman
Research Technician, Soil Ecology
2020
Emma Baker
Intern
Camille Bouvet-Boisclair
Intern
Katy Dix
Intern
Alexandra Griffin
Research Resident
Megan Gladbach
Research Resident, Ecosphere Studies
Abigail Han
Research Resident, Perennial Legumes
Philip Hodges
Intern
Hannah Mellecker
Intern
Matthew Tanis
Intern
Ethan Van Valkenburg
Intern
Angela Brekalo
Research Resident, Crop Protection Genetics
Eric Cassetta
Phenomic Breeding Technician
Malachi DeHaan
Research Assistant
Madeline DuBois
Lab Manager, Soil Ecology
Jarrod Fyie
Research Resident, Crop Protection Ecology
Blaze Johnson
Research Resident, Crop Protection Ecology
Siena Polk
Post-Baccalaureate Researcher, Ecosphere Studies
2019
Alexandra Griffin
Research Resident
Megan Gladbach
Research Resident, Ecosphere Studies
Abigail Han
Research Resident, Perennial Legumes
Gus Jaynes
Intern
Crystal Ma
Intern
Hannah Schafer
Intern
Konilo Zio
Intern
Natalia Gonzalez
Intern
Tehya Peters
Intern
Rena Detrixhe
Research Resident
Angela Brekalo
Research Resident, Crop Protection Genetics
Eric Cassetta
Phenomic Breeding Technician
Madeline DuBois
Lab Manager, Soil Ecology
Jarrod Fyie
Research Resident, Crop Protection Ecology
Westen Gehring
Grants Specialist
Blaze Johnson
Research Resident, Crop Protection Ecology
Siena Polk
Post-Baccalaureate Researcher, Ecosphere Studies
2018
Alexandra Griffin
Research Resident
Megan Gladbach
Research Resident, Ecosphere Studies
Abigail Han
Research Resident, Perennial Legumes
Philip Hodges
Intern
Anna Andersson
Research Technician, Civic Science
Collyn Fouard
Intern
Nicole Leslie Gentili
Natural Systems Agriculture Intern
Jack Graddis
Intern
Nima Homami
Intern
Emily Meier
NSA and Ecosphere Studies Intern
Dan Patel
Intern
Hannah Rodgers
Intern
Laila Sticpewich
Intern
Bryce Hostetler
Intern
Eric Cassetta
Phenomic Breeding Technician
2017
Katie Collins
Intern
Nadine Dyskant-Miller
Intern
Rachel Heitmann
Intern
Bryce Hostetler
Intern
Siwook Hwang
Intern
Meg MacDonald
Intern
Graham Mathews
Intern
Reece Mathews
Intern
Marya Merriam
Intern
Jacob A. Miller
Intern
Emily Ralston
Intern
Maya Kathrineberg
Research Technician, Perennial Wheat and Crop Protection Genetics
Kelsey Peterson
Intern; Oilseeds Technician
2016
Cindy Thompson
Greenhouse Assistant