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The Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at the University of California, Davis is recruiting an Assistant Professor of AI-enabled Robotics and Automation for Biological Systems. This is an academic year (9-month), tenure track Assistant Professor position that includes an appointment in the California Agricultural Experiment Station (AES). Faculty members who hold an AES appointment have a responsibility to conduct research and outreach relevant to the mission of the California Agricultural Experiment Station. Participation in outreach programs and performance of university service are also expected.

Transformational changes are needed to address the societal challenges of food security and sustainable food and biomaterials production. The appointee is expected to conduct fundamental and applied research with a focus on AI-enabled Robotics and Automation for Biological Systems, and establish a competitively funded program that incorporates novel machine learning and AI algorithms into advanced perception, intelligent actuation, and robotic manipulation. The appointee is expected to integrate AI-enabled robotic and automation technologies for applications in the agricultural, natural resource, food, biotechnology, and related sectors. The appointee will work closely with other engineers and agricultural and biological scientists to create novel automated machines or systems that can interact intelligently in real-time with entities and systems involved in food and biomaterials production and processing. Example application areas include autonomous robotic or robot-aided monitoring and management of crop or livestock production and their corresponding environments, and intelligent automation for bioproduct production and processing.

The appointee will be responsible for teaching undergraduate courses in the Agricultural and Environmental Technology (AET) major, and undergraduate and graduate courses in the Biological Systems Engineering (EBS) major. The specific teaching assignments will depend on the academic background of the appointee and would typically include courses among TAE 60 (Introduction to Unmanned Aerial Systems for Agriculture and Environmental Science - a lower-division undergraduate course), TAE 100 (Smart Control Systems for Agricultural and Environmental Technologies – an upper-division undergraduate course), EBS 165 (Bioinstrumentation and Control - an upper-division undergraduate course), and EBS 221 (Agricultural Robotics – graduate-level course). The appointee is expected to develop new courses in topics such as AI-enabled robotics and machine systems, Internet of Things, Machine Learning, or other advanced automation-related subjects at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Advising and mentoring of undergraduate and graduate students and performance of departmental, university, and professional service are expected.

Participation in and development of public outreach and/or community engagement programs, and performance of departmental and university service is also expected, along with collaboration with other faculty across the university, Cooperative Extension specialists and advisors, partners in allied industries, or other appropriate public stakeholders. Safety and safe practice are of primary importance to the University of California, and this position involves teaching courses in which safety is a significant consideration. The successful candidate will ensure that Departmental and University safety policies are met and instill safety and help build a culture of safety throughout the academic program.

This position will be recruited at the Assistant Professor rank. The resulting hire will be at the assistant rank, regardless of the proposed appointee's qualifications. This is a tenure-track academic year (9-month) position. This appointment will be 50% Instruction and Research (I&R) FTE in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, and 50% FTE in the California Agricultural Experiment Station through the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. The start date for this position will be no earlier than 7/1/2025.

Initial review of applications will be conducted using anonymized versions of the Statement of Research Accomplishments and Interests and the Statement of Contributions to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Applications demonstrating sufficient potential based on this review will be advanced to full review.

For questions concerning the position, contact the Recruitment Advisory Committee chair, Prof. Stavros G. Vougioukas, at svougioukas@ucdavis.edu, or (530) 752-1890.

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 conducts a reference check on all first-choice candidates for Academic Senate Assistant Professor or Assistant Professor of Teaching, Steps 4, 5, or 6, or Acting Professor of Law positions. The reference check involves contacting the administration of the applicant’s previous institution(s) to ask whether there have been substantiated findings of misconduct that would violate the University’s Faculty Code of Conduct. To implement this process, UC Davis requires all applicants for any open search for assistant professor to complete, sign, and upload the form entitled “Authorization to Release Information” into UC RECRUIT as part of their application. If an applicant 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 Academic Senate Assistant Professor or Assistant Professor of Teaching, Steps 4, 5, or 6, or Acting Professor of Law positions 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

The UC Davis Partner Opportunities Program (POP) and Capital Resource Network (CRN) are services designed to support departments and Deans’ offices in the recruitment and retention of outstanding faculty. For information about POP, please visit https://academicaffairs.ucdavis.edu/partner-opportunities-program-pop. For information about the CRN, please visit https://academicaffairs.ucdavis.edu/capital-resource-network. Please note eligibility for these programs may be based on policy and funding availability.

As a condition of employment, the finalist will be required to disclose if they are subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct, are currently being investigated for misconduct, left a position during an investigation for alleged misconduct, or have filed an appeal with a previous employer.

• “Misconduct” means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant’s previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment, discrimination, dishonesty, or unethical conduct, as defined by the employer.
• UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy
• UC Anti-Discrimination Policy for Employees, Students and Third Parties
• APM - 035: Affirmative Action and Nondiscrimination in Employment

UC Davis is a smoke and tobacco-free campus (http://breathefree.ucdavis.edu/).

We are an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employer, and particularly encourage applications from members of historically underrepresented racial/ethnic groups, women, individuals with disabilities, veterans, LGBTQ community members, and others who demonstrate the ability to help us achieve our vision of a diverse and inclusive community.

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, protected veteran status, or other protected categories covered by the UC nondiscrimination policy.

For the University of California's Affirmative Action Policy, please visit: https://policy.ucop.edu/doc/4010393/PPSM-20

For the University of California's Anti-Discrimination Policy, please visit: http://policy.ucop.edu/doc/1001004/Anti-Discrimination

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 UC Davis positions funded by federal contracts or sub-contracts require the selected candidate to pass an E-Verify check. More information is available at: http://www.uscis.gov/e-verify

The University of California, Davis (UC Davis) is committed to inclusive excellence by advancing equity, diversity and inclusion in all that we do. UC Davis celebrates the multi-cultural diversity of its community by creating a welcoming and inclusive environment demonstrated through a variety of resources and programs available to academics, staff, and students. Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging are core values of UC Davis that are embedded within our Principles of Community and are tied with how to best serve our student population. Our excellence in research, teaching, and service can best be fully realized by members of our academic community who share our commitment to these values, which are included in our Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Vision, our strategic plan: “To Boldly Go,” our Principles of Community, the Office of Academic Affairs’ Mission Statement, and the UC Board of Regents Policy 4400: Policy on University of California Diversity Statement. UC Davis is making important progress towards our goal of achieving federal designation as a Hispanic-Serving Institution and an Asian American, Native American, and Pacific Islander-Serving Institution. The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion offers a plethora of resources on their website, and the Office of Health Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (HEDI) has outlined similar goals in their "Anti-Racism and DEI Action Plan.” There are a plethora of links available on the About Us webpage where you can learn more about our Administration, Diversity and Inclusion, Rankings, Locations, Native American Land Acknowledgement, Sustainability, Visiting UC Davis, UC Davis Health, and Campus Safety.

The university is consistently ranked among the top institutions in the world for campus sustainability practices by the UI Green Metric World University Rankings. UC Davis is focused on achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions and repeatedly shown its commitment to preserving a healthy and sustainable environment for generations to come.

As a University employee, you will be required to comply with all applicable University policies and/or collective bargaining agreements, as may be amended from time to time. Federal, state, or local government directives may impose additional requirements.