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Assistant/Associate Professor of Plant Reproductive Biology

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Position description

The Department of Plant Sciences in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at the University of California, Davis is recruiting an Assistant/Associate Professor of Plant Sciences with an emphasis in Plant Reproductive Biology. This is an academic-year (9-month), position that includes an appointment in the California Agricultural Experiment Station. Faculty members who hold an Agricultural Experiment Station appointment have a responsibility to conduct research and outreach relevant to its mission.

Responsibilities:

The person appointed will join a dynamic department, routinely ranked #1 globally, and where seven new appointments were made in the past year in nutritional plant breeding, agronomy, digital agriculture, grassland ecology and management, urban plants and orchard management, with significant investment on-going across Plant Sciences (plantsciences.ucdavis.edu). The successful candidate will be a member, and will eventually have a leadership role at the Seed Biotechnology Center (SBC, sbc.ucdavis.edu), one of eight departmental Research and Information Centers (RICs) with SBC dedicated to engagement with the global seed industry and delivery of world-leading training in plant breeding. Significant collaborative opportunities exist with departmental expertise in plant breeding, crop production and management, plant physiology, post-harvest biology and technology and plant and environmental sensing. There is an outstanding opportunity to collaborate across the campus with colleagues in Plant Biology with the Plant Breeding Center and with other expert groups, including California’s extension and farm advisors located across the state.

The appointee is expected to establish and direct a competitively funded research program to address critical or emerging issues in plant reproductive biology, seed biology and production, and plant developmental biology of economically important crops. The appointee will be responsible for teaching all or part of undergraduate and graduate classes as assigned by the department chair, e.g., PLS 171 (Plant Propagation), PLS 100 (Plant Growth and Yield) or Plant Biology 200B (Plant Development). The typical teaching load is equivalent to two courses per year (on a quarter system), with additional team teaching of graduate students. Participation in and development of public outreach and/or community engagement programs, contribute to the mission of the Seed Biotechnology Center, and performance of departmental and university service is expected.

Qualifications:

Ph.D. in plant sciences, molecular and cellular biology, plant physiology, plant biology, horticulture, seed biology, agronomy, or an equivalent field. Evidence of research excellence is expected, as described in the statement of research. Post-doctoral research experience highly desirable. The candidate should have the ability to develop and teach undergraduate and graduate courses and develop and conduct extramurally funded research in plant reproductive biology and seed biology, as evidenced in the research statement.

Salary:
Commensurate with qualifications and experience.

Applications:
Application materials must be submitted via the following website: https://recruit.ucdavis.edu. The position will remain open until filled. To ensure consideration, applications should be received by February 29, 2020.

Required application materials include:

  1. curriculum vitae including publication list;
  2. up to three selected publications;
  3. transcripts if the applicant is within five years of Ph.D. degree;
  4. statement of research accomplishments;
  5. statement of teaching accomplishments and philosophy;
  6. statement of future research plans relevant to plant reproductive biology or seed science;
  7. statement of contributions to diversity, equity and inclusion; (please see the following webpage for guidance on writing the diversity statement https://academicaffairs.ucdavis.edu/guidelines-writing-diversity-statement)
  8. the names, addresses, and e-mail addresses of five professional references.
  9. Completed “Authorization to Release Information” form.
    https://aadocs.ucdavis.edu/your-resources/forms-and-checklists/forms/authorization-release-form.pdf

Additional inquiries should be directed to Professor Gail Taylor, Chair of Plant Sciences, gtaylor@ucdavis.edu, or Professor Steven J. Knapp, sjknapp@ucdavis.edu.

Initial screening and selection of candidates will be undertaken blind and anonymized, based on the content of the research (4, 6) and diversity (7) statements described above.

The University of California is committed to creating and maintaining a community dedicated to the advancement, application, and transmission of knowledge and creative endeavors through academic excellence, where all individuals who participate in University programs and activities can work and learn together in a safe and secure environment, free of violence, harassment, discrimination, exploitation, or intimidation. With this commitment, UC Davis requires all candidates of ladder rank faculty tenured or security of employment searches to complete, sign, and upload the form entitled “Authorization to Release Information” into RECRUIT as part of their application. If the candidate does not include the signed authorization with the application materials, the application will be considered incomplete, and as with any incomplete application, will not receive further consideration. Although all applicants for faculty recruitments must complete the entire application, only finalists considered for positions with tenure or security of employment will be subject to reference checks.

UC Davis supports Family-friendly recruitments. UC Davis covers travel expenses for a second person to accompany an invited faculty recruitment candidate who is a mother (or single parent of either gender) of a breast or bottle-feeding child less than two years of age. http://academicaffairs.ucdavis.edu/programs/work-life/index.html

UC Davis recognizes the necessity of supporting faculty with efforts to integrate work, family and other work-life considerations. To recruit and retain the best faculty, the campus sponsors a Work Life Program that provides programs and services that support faculty as they strive to honor their commitments to work, home and community. http://academicaffairs.ucdavis.edu/programs/worklife/index.html

UC Davis was ranked #1 in 2016 on Forbes Magazine list of the 13 most important STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) universities for women, and in May 2019 was designated as a “Hispanic Serving Institution” by the U.S. Department of Education. UC Davis celebrates the multi-cultural diversity of its student body by creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for students through such organizations and programs as the Center for African Diaspora Student Success; the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual Resource Center; Casa Cuauhtémoc Chicano-Latino Theme House; Asian Pacific American Theme House; ME/SA (Middleastern/South Asian) living-learning community; Multi- Ethnic Program (MEP); Chicano/Latino Retention Initiative; and Native American Theme Program. We particularly value candidates who have experience working with students from diverse backgrounds and a demonstrated commitment to improving access to higher education for disadvantaged students.

The UC Davis Partner Opportunities Program (POP) is a service designed to support departments and deans’ offices in the recruitment and retention of outstanding faculty. Eligibility for POP services is limited to full-time Academic Senate Ladder Rank faculty (including Lecturers with Security of Employment, LSOE), Lecturers with Potential Security of Employment (LPSOE), Senior Lecturer with Security of Employment (SLPSOE), and Cooperative Extension Specialists.

UC Davis is a smoke- and tobacco-free campus effective January 1, 2014. Smoking, the use of smokeless tobacco products, and the use of unregulated nicotine products (e-cigarettes) is strictly prohibited on any property owned or leased by UC Davis-- indoors and outdoors, including parking lots and residential space.

Application Requirements

Document requirements
  • Curriculum Vitae - Your most recently updated C.V.

  • Statement of Teaching

  • Statement of Research

  • Statement of future research plans relevant to plant reproductive biology or seed science;

  • Statement of Contributions to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion - Contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion documented in the application file will be used to evaluate applicants. Visit https://academicaffairs.ucdavis.edu/faculty-equity-and-inclusion for guidelines about writing a statement and why one is requested.

  • Publication #1

  • Publication #2 (Optional)

  • Publication #3 (Optional)

  • Completed "Authorization to Release Information" form

  • Please submit transcripts if you are within five years of Ph.D. degree completion (Optional)

Reference requirements
  • 5-7 required (contact information only)
2023 Forbes Award: Best Employers for Diversity 2023 Forbes Award: Best Employers for Women

Job location

Davis, California