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Junior Specialist

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Position description

The Junior Specialist will be joining our research team developing and evaluating novel sensor technology for use in water stress detection and irrigation management in grapevines and almonds. The incumbent will be responsible for preparation, set-up, installation, and maintenance of datalogger stations containing infrared radiometers, surface renewal sensors, and microclimatic sensors at various vineyard and orchard research sites throughout northern and central California, including those in commercial plots. The incumbent will maintain the stations throughout the duration of the project, and will be responsible for analyzing, curating, synthesizing, and presenting the resultant data generated for each site. The incumbent will also conduct regular measurements to assess plant stress that include gas exchange and water potential measurements. The Junior Specialist will work under the supervision of Dr. McElrone (reporting and primary), as well as with collaborators to develop a new web-based portal designed to facilitate grower use and interpretation of new infrared radiometers. The Junior Specialist should have strong interpersonal, communication (oral and written), and decision-making skills, and be able to work well independently and as part of a team. The incumbent will be responsible for executing experimental plans developed in partnership with the PI. The incumbent will be expected to analyze and interpret data they collect independently, and then, through critical thinking, propose next steps to be discussed with the PI. The incumbent will contribute significantly to the advancement and planning of projects, and creatively contribute proposals of experimental steps that result from research findings. This process requires thorough knowledge of the field and appropriate research literature. The Junior Specialist will be actively involved in innovative research that requires them to be informed on current findings in the field and will be expected to perform reviews of the literature required for project in question. The junior specialist will be expected to participate and present research results at the annual meetings for the American Society for Enology and Viticulture and The Almond Board of California. Pending the availability of university or external travel funds, The incumbent will also apply to attend the American Society for Horticultural Sciences conference in 2019. At any and all meetings they attend, the junior specialist will present their research in either poster or presentation formats.

This work will provide opportunities to contribute to research publications, including completing a manuscript on which the junior specialist is slated to be contributing author in the next 9-12 months. With the assistance of the PI, the junior specialist will contribute to other manuscripts based on their ongoing work with IRT sensor development, which is already yielding results that are planned for manuscript preparation within 12 months. The Junior Specialist’s contribution to manuscripts is to independently complete data collection, analysis, summary, figure development, and drafting sections of the manuscript. Beyond this, the incumbent will contribute figures/tables to other manuscripts in the lab and will be included as a co-author on those papers. In addition, our intention is to have the Junior Specialist lead reviews of current papers from the scientific literature related to technological innovations in agriculture and their use in irrigation management. The Junior Specialist will present research results at regular lab meetings. The Junior Specialist will also provide mentorship to undergraduate students, who the candidate will mentor on datalogger programming, wiring and field installation.

Basic Qualifications
• B.S. in Viticulture and Enology or related fields

Additional Qualifications
• Formal Computer Science coursework
• Experience in computer programming including mobile app and database programming in C, Java, R, Matlab
• Field datalogger programming using loggernet
• Experience in vineyard/orchard water potential and LiCor 6400 measurements

Preferred Qualifications
• Experience in deploying and maintaining field station installations
• Experience in biometeorology through coursework or practical experience

Note: The junior specialist rank is an entry level position, accordingly it is inappropriate to hire applicants with advanced degrees in this field, or those with bachelor’s degrees and three years’ relevant work experience. (See APM-UCD 330)

This position is available immediately. For full consideration, please apply by July 31, 2019. Click the link to apply https://recruit.ucdavis.edu/apply/JPF02867.

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age or protected veteran status. For the complete University of California nondiscrimination and affirmative action policy see:
http://policy.ucop.edu/doc/4000376/NondiscrimAffirmAct.
Under Federal law, the University of California may employ only individuals who are legally able to work in the United States as established by providing documents as specified in the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. Certain UCSC positions funded by federal contracts or sub-contracts require the selected candidate to pass an E-Verify check. More information is availablehttp://www.uscis.gov/e-verify.
UC Davis is a smoke & tobacco-free campus (http://breathefree.ucdavis.edu/).
If you need accommodation due to a disability, please contact the recruiting department.

Application Requirements

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

  • Cover Letter

  • Statement of Research (Optional)

  • Statement of Contributions to Diversity - Diversity contributions 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 diversity statement and why one is requested.

Reference requirements
  • 3-5 required (contact information only)
2023 Forbes Award: Best Employers for Diversity 2023 Forbes Award: Best Employers for Women

Job location

Davis, CA