The School of Plant and Environmental Sciences (SPES) in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) at Virginia Tech seeks to fill an academic year (9-month) tenure-track faculty position in Plant Resilience to Water Stress. As our climate is changing, the stresses that plants experience are increasing. To address this challenge, the incumbent is expected to develop an internationally recognized program focusing on plant resilience to drought and/or flooding. The incumbent’s program may focus on basic research in molecular genetics, genomics, biochemistry, and/or physiology of plant water stress, operate in the area of pre-breeding in support of commodities relevant to the region, and/or focus on any other aspect of plant sciences that could be leveraged to make plants more resilient to environmental stresses. The successful candidate is expected to be a good citizen of SPES, CALS, and the University by following Virginia Tech’s Ut Prosim (That I may serve) motto. SPES offers the incumbent a vibrant community of plant and environmental scientists working on topics related to this position on campus as well as at agricultural research and extension centers (ARECs) throughout the state of Virginia, providing many opportunities for collaboration. The incumbent will find opportunities to engage with colleagues in the Center for Advanced Innovation in Agriculture, the Translational Plant Sciences Center, the Global Change Center, and other cross-cutting university-wide initiatives. Assistant Professor: 70% research, 20% teaching, and 10% service. Research related to plant resilience to water stress, teach courses in their field of expertise at the graduate level and more broadly in the plant sciences at the undergraduate level.

Position requires occasional travel to attend conferences and meetings. There is a criminal conviction check requirement for this position.

-A Ph.D. in the plant sciences or related field of study by appointment start date
- A research background in plant resilience to water stress
- Demonstrated communication skills
-A commitment to research and teaching excellence, collaboration, mentoring students, and equity, diversity, and inclusion
-Develop a nationally/internationally recognized research and teaching program in plant resilience to water stress
-Obtain external funding to conduct original, high-impact research, and publish results in quality peer-reviewed journals and other appropriate outlets consistent with the field.                              -Recruit and mentor undergraduate research assistants, graduate students, and postdocs
-Teach undergraduate and graduate courses as assigned

Perferred:

- A record of grantsmanship and peer-reviewed publications in plant resilience to water stress
- Experience working with both model and non-model plant species
- Ability to work in transdisciplinary teams
- Experience mentoring and teaching