The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is committed to creating an environment of inclusive excellence that affirms diversity across a variety of dimensions, including ability, class, ethnicity/race, gender identity and expression. Inclusive excellence is the active process of including and respecting everyone as we strive for excellence and equitable outcomes in all we do at the University of Florida. We particularly welcome applicants who can contribute to such an environment through their scholarship, teaching, mentoring, and professional service. We strongly encourage historically underrepresented groups to apply.
If an accommodation due to a disability is needed to apply for this position, please call 352-392-2477 or the Florida Relay System at 800-955-8771 (TDD) or visit Accessibility at UF .
This is a 9-month tenure-accruing position that will be 20% teaching (College of Agricultural and Life Sciences) and 80% research (Florida Agricultural Experiment Station), available in the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center (GCREC) in Wimauma, Florida with the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, at the University of Florida. This assignment may change in accordance with the needs of the unit. The successful candidate will develop a nationally recognized tomato genetics program that translates basic discoveries into breeding applications in close collaboration with the tomato breeding program at GCREC. Areas of research will include gene discovery, modification and selection through next-generation genomics and genetic engineering methods. The faculty member will also actively collaborate with an interdisciplinary statewide team of other research and extension personnel that include horticulturalists, plant pathologists, entomologists, nematologists, weed scientists, and county extension agents whose goal is to enhance and sustain the tomato industry in Florida.
The successful candidate will engage in scholarly activities related to instruction, including teaching undergraduate and/or graduate courses, advising and mentoring undergraduate and graduate students, participating in curriculum revision and enhancement, seeking funding for the teaching program, supervising undergraduate and graduate research and creative work, publishing teaching-related scholarship, producing learning tools, and engaging in professional development activities related to teaching and advising. Specifically, the faculty member is expected to become an active member of the Plant Breeding Graduate Program in instructional and advising capacities. Teaching faculty are encouraged to support and participate in the CALS Honors Program, distance education, and international education.
Tenure will accrue in the Department of Horticultural Sciences. The faculty member will seek contract and grant funding actively to support their program. The faculty member will engage in Extension activities in their program area. Because of the IFAS land-grant mission, all faculty are expected to be supportive of and engaged in all three mission areas—Research, Teaching and Extension—regardless of the assignment split specified in the position description.
Please review information and apply using the official posting:
For full consideration submit applications by March 1, 2023. This position is available May 1, 2023 and will be filled as soon thereafter as an acceptable applicant is available. Compensation is commensurate with the education, experience, and qualifications of the selected applicant.
Nominations
Nominations are welcome. Nominations need to include the complete name and address of the nominee. This information should be sent to:
Individuals wishing to apply should go online to Careers at UF and submit:
Cover letter that states applicant’s interest in the position and qualifications relative to the credentials listed above
Curriculum vitae
Contact information (including email addresses) for three individuals willing to write letters of recommendation
Additional Information:
The Gulf Coast Research and Education Center has diverse research, extension and teaching programs with 25 faculty members located at Wimauma (35 minutes drive from downtown Tampa) and the Plant City teaching program, with specialization in agricultural education and communications, economics, geomatics, horticulture, pest management, plant breeding, and resource management. GCREC is a modern research and education facility that includes offices and laboratories, 15 greenhouses, approximately 500 acres of field operations, and housing for up to 16 resident graduate students.
The Horticultural Sciences Department at the University of Florida is currently ranked 9th in the world and 2nd in the U.S. The mission of the Horticultural Sciences Department is to conduct research, extension, and teaching to meet the needs and goals of a diverse statewide fruit and vegetable industry that ranges from tropical to temperate environments. Fundamental research and graduate training in plant genetics, genomics, molecular biology, metabolism, and physiology are integral parts of the Department’s activities, and principles-driven fundamental and applied research and extension programs are the hallmark of statewide efforts. The department has 35 faculty members located on campus in Gainesville and 26 faculty located at the Research Centers (RECs) throughout the state.
The University of Florida is a Land-Grant, Sea-Grant, and Space-Grant institution, encompassing virtually all academic and professional disciplines, with an enrollment of more than 56,000 students. UF is a member of The Association of American Universities. The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences includes the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station, the Florida Cooperative Extension Service, the College of Veterinary Medicine, the Florida Sea Grant program, and encompasses 16 on-campus academic departments and schools, 12 Research and Educational Centers (REC) located throughout the state, 6 Research sites/demonstration units administered by RECs or academic departments, and Florida Cooperative Extension Service offices in all 67 counties (counties operate and maintain). The School of Natural Resources and Environment is an interdisciplinary unit housed in IFAS and managed by several colleges on campus. UF/IFAS employs nearly 4,500 people, which includes approximately 990 salaried faculty and 1,400 permanent support personnel located in Gainesville and throughout the state. IFAS, one of the nation’s largest agricultural and natural resources research and education organizations, is administered by a Vice President and four deans: the Dean of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, the Dean for Extension and Director of the Florida Cooperative Extension Service, the Dean for Research and Director of the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station, and the Dean for the College of Veterinary Medicine. UF/IFAS also engages in cooperative work with Florida A&M University in Tallahassee.
Required:
A doctorate degree (foreign equivalent acceptable) in plant genetics or a closely related discipline is required. Candidates must also have demonstrated skills in verbal and written communication, interpersonal relationships, and procurement of extramural funding. Candidates must be supportive of the mission of the Land-Grant system. Candidates must also have a commitment to the UF/IFAS core values of excellence, diversity, global involvement, and accountability.
Preferred:
Postdoctoral research experience, teaching at the undergraduate and/or or graduate level, and mentoring experience are desirable. Demonstrated skills in translating basic discoveries to applications in plant breeding are also highly preferred.
About Gulf Coast Research and Education Center, IFAS, University of Florida
The Gulf Coast Research and Education Center has diverse research, extension and teaching programs with 25 faculty members located at Wimauma (35 minutes drive from downtown Tampa) and the Plant City teaching program, with specialization in agricultural education and communications, economics, geomatics, horticulture, pest management, plant breeding, and resource management. GCREC is a modern research and education facility that includes offices and laboratories, 15 greenhouses, approximately 500 acres of field operations, and housing for up to 16 resident graduate students.
The Horticultural Sciences Department at the University of Florida is currently ranked 9th in the world and 2nd in the U.S. The mission of the Horticultural Sciences Department is to conduct research, extension, and teaching to meet the needs and goals of a diverse statewide fruit and vegetable industry that ranges from tropical to temperate environments. Fundamental research and graduate training in plant genetics, genomics, molecular biology, metabolism, and physiology are integral parts of the Department’s activities, and principles-driven fundamental and applied research and extension programs are the h...allmark of statewide efforts. The department has 35 faculty members located on campus in Gainesville and 26 faculty located at the Research Centers (RECs) throughout the state.
The University of Florida is a Land-Grant, Sea-Grant, and Space-Grant institution, encompassing virtually all academic and professional disciplines, with an enrollment of more than 56,000 students. UF is a member of The Association of American Universities. The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences includes the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station, the Florida Cooperative Extension Service, the College of Veterinary Medicine, the Florida Sea Grant program, and encompasses 16 on-campus academic departments and schools, 12 Research and Educational Centers (REC) located throughout the state, 6 Research sites/demonstration units administered by RECs or academic departments, and Florida Cooperative Extension Service offices in all 67 counties (counties operate and maintain). The School of Natural Resources and Environment is an interdisciplinary unit housed in IFAS and managed by several colleges on campus. UF/IFAS employs nearly 4,500 people, which includes approximately 990 salaried faculty and 1,400 permanent support personnel located in Gainesville and throughout the state. IFAS, one of the nation’s largest agricultural and natural resources research and education organizations, is administered by a Vice President and four deans: the Dean of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, the Dean for Extension and Director of the Florida Cooperative Extension Service, the Dean for Research and Director of the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station, and the Dean for the College of Veterinary Medicine. UF/IFAS also engages in cooperative work with Florida A&M University in Tallahassee.
