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Assistant Professor of Digital Agriculture

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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 a tenure-track faculty position in Digital Agriculture with an emphasis on the study, development, application, and teaching of digital approaches in agricultural production or ecological research that utilize novel sensing and modeling technologies to enhance understanding of plant systems. The person appointed will join a dynamic department, routinely ranked #1, globally and where significant investment is occurring in the area of digital agriculture alongside the ‘smart farm’ UC Davis Big Ideas initiative across the campus. There is an outstanding opportunity to collaborate with colleagues in various areas in Plant Sciences, Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Land Air and Water Resources and with expert groups on campus such as in spatial mapping.

This is an academic year (9-month), Assistant Professor tenure-track position with teaching, research, and service responsibilities and includes the expectation that the appointee will conduct mission-oriented research and outreach/engagement of relevance to the California Agricultural Experiment Station (https://aes.ucdavis.edu).

Responsibilities:
The appointee is expected to establish a competitively funded research program in digital agriculture to address critical or emerging scientific questions and/or applied issues in agriculture and ecology. The appointee will be responsible for teaching undergraduate and graduate classes, which will include a new upper division undergraduate class devoted to advanced (digital) production technologies in agriculture. This class will complement existing classes in crop production (e.g., PLS110: Crop management systems for vegetable production; PLS112: Forage crop production; etc.). At the graduate level, the appointee can contribute to several courses in plant breeding, international agricultural development, ecology, and plant biology. The typical teaching expectation is two courses per year (quarter system). Participation in departmental and university service is expected.

Qualifications:
Ph.D. or equivalent degree in plant science, physiology, informatics, genetics/genomics, ecology, biological/agricultural engineering or a related field. Post-doctoral experience is preferred. Evidence of research excellence is expected. The candidate should have the ability to develop and instruct undergraduate and graduate courses and the ability to develop and conduct extramurally funded research. Candidates with a willingness to build relationships with relevant State of California and federal agencies, farmers, land and resource managers, plant breeding companies, and other stakeholders are desired.

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 January 1, 2019.

Required application materials include: 1) curriculum vitae including publication list, 2) up to three 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 the position 7) statement of contributions to diversity, and 8) the names, addresses, including e-mail, of four professional references. Additional inquiries should be directed to the search committee chair, Paul Gepts (plgepts@ucdavis.edu) or department chair, Gail Taylor (gtaylor@ucdavis.edu).

UC Davis is an affirmative action/equal employment opportunity employer and is dedicated to recruiting a diverse faculty community. We welcome all qualified applicants to apply, including women, minorities, veterans, and individuals with disabilities. Applicants with disabilities can contact University of California, Davis, Accessibility Services with questions at http://accessibility.ucdavis.edu/index.html

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 is expecting to earn the U.S. Department of Education’s “Hispanic Serving Institution” designation by 2018-2019. 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 (Middle astern/South Asian) living-learning community; Multi- Ethnic Program (MEP); Chicano/Latino Retention Initiative; and Native American Theme Program.

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) will be 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. including publication list.

  • Statement of Teaching - Statement of teaching accomplishments and philosophy.

  • Statement of Research - Statement of research accomplishments.

  • Statement of future research plans relevant to the position.

  • Statement of Contributions to Diversity - Diversity contributions documented in the application file will be used to evaluate applicants. Visit http://academicaffairs.ucdavis.edu/diversity/equity_inclusion/index.html for guidelines about writing a diversity statement and why one is requested.

  • Publication #1

  • Publication #2 (Optional)

  • Publication #3 (Optional)

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

Reference requirements
  • 4-10 required (contact information only)
2023 Forbes Award: Best Employers for Diversity 2023 Forbes Award: Best Employers for Women

Job location

Davis, CA