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Open Rank Professor - Grazing Lands Ecologist

Employer
The University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Location
Lincoln, NE

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Job Details

Working Title:

Open Rank Professor - Grazing Lands Ecologist

Department:

Agronomy & Horticulture-0827

Requisition Number:

F_220063

Posting Open Date:

04/12/2022

Application Review Date: (To ensure consideration, please submit all application materials before review date):

05/30/2022

Open Until Filled:

Yes

Description of Work:

The Grazing Lands Ecologist holds an academic-year (9-month) appointment in the Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, and/or the School of Natural Resources, in the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources (IANR). The apportionment for the incumbent will be 60% teaching and 40% research. The incumbent provides leadership for integrated research and education in rangeland systems across multiple disciplines including active engagement with the Center for Grassland Studies (CGS) and collaborates with IANR faculty members to identify and address issues important to sustaining healthy rangelands in Nebraska. This position will be located in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Research conducted by the incumbent will focus on characterizing spatial and temporal dynamics of rangelands and how different management practices and disturbances affect livestock production, biodiversity, resilience, and community restoration. Collaborators include natural resource scientists, animal scientists, social ecologists, and economists. In the integrated teaching and research program the incumbent addresses grassland conservation through habitat management, biodiversity dynamics, resilience thinking, and trans-disciplinary research; beef cattle production through the Nebraska Integrated Beef Systems (NIBS) hub; and landscape resilience through the CGS and the Center for Resilient Agricultural Working Landscapes (CRAWL). The incumbent works with UNL partners (e.g., the National Drought Mitigation Center, Conservation and Survey Division, the Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, and Platte Basin Timelapse) and outside stakeholders (e.g., Sandhills Task Force).

Teaching contributions average 0.60 FTE, including team-teaching courses in grassland ecology and management (NRES/PLAS 245), grassland conservation (NRES 438), and livestock management on range and pasture (ASCI 451/851, PLAS 445/845, RNGE 445), that contribute to several degree programs in IANR. In addition, the incumbent recruits and advises undergraduate students in the Grassland Systems major and the Range Management Club, contributes to the Nebraska Range Short Course and the Nebraska Youth Range Camp, mentors Plant Biology undergraduate students with the Ecology and Management option, and works with graduate students in Range and Forage Science, Applied Ecology, and related fields. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln has extensive properties including Nine-Mile Prairie, Dalbey Prairie, the Barta Brothers Ranch, and the Gudmundsen Sandhills Laboratory that provide a unique capacity for experiential learning and research with students in grasslands and rangelands.

The incumbent maintains a high impact, nationally and internationally recognized, externally supported research and teaching program contributing as an effective scholar, citizen, and leader for the integrated (extension, research, and teaching) land-grant mission of the Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, and/or the School of Natural Resources, and the IANR, including supporting student recruitment and IANR science literacy.

The incumbent seeks and establishes effective collaborations including integration with local stakeholders, complementary research groups, extension teams, educational programs, and other partners. The incumbent accepts committee assignments, reporting responsibilities, and other special ad hoc assignments as requested at the administrative unit, college/division, institute, and/or university levels.

As an EO/AA employer, qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to race, color, ethnicity, national origin, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, and/or political affiliation. See https://www.unl.edu/equity/notice-nondiscrimination.

Minimum Required Qualifications:

  • Ph.D. in Rangeland Ecology and/or Management, Agronomy, or closely related field

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Demonstrated competitiveness and a high level of success through award of grant funding at various levels focused on grasslands.
  • Demonstrated field experience and excellence in grazing lands research and publishing.
  • Commitment to excellence in undergraduate teaching and advising.
  • Excellent oral and written communication skills with emphasis on communication with a variety of stakeholders including but not limited to ranchers and federal and state agency personnel that apply policies related to grazing lands.
  • Ability to engage in scientific teamwork with natural resource scientists, animal scientists, social ecologists, and economists to address major issues related to grazing lands.
  • Experience in land grant university course design, development, and management in grazing lands ecology and management.
  • Evidence of work with diverse or underrepresented communities or groups.

How to Apply:

Click “Apply to this job” and complete the information form. Attach the following documents:

  1. A letter of interest that describes your qualifications for the job, anticipated contributions.
  2. Your curriculum vitae.
  3. Contact information for three professional references.
  4. Statements that describe your philosophy and approach to teaching and research.
  5. A statement of your experience contributing to inclusive environments (one page maximum).
Please note: the statements (items 4 and 5 above) need to be combined into a single documents and attached as “Other Document."

For questions or accommodations related to this position contact:

Rachel Szelag
rszelag2@unl.edu

Job Category (old):

Faculty Tenure/Tenure Leading

Job Type:

9 Month

Position funded by grant or other form of temporary funding?:

No

Organization

Working at University of Nebraska-Lincoln

For 150 Years, A Leader in Higher Education 
Always a place of high ambition, University of Nebraska was one of the first institutions west of the Mississippi River to award doctoral degrees - the first was granted in 1896. The University of Nebraska established the world's first undergraduate psychology laboratory. The discipline of ecology was born here, and the campuses reflect that tradition, being recognized as botanical gardens and arboreta. An early institutional interest in literature and the arts provided the foundations for today's Prairie Schooner literary magazine, for the University of Nebraska Press, and for the Sheldon Museum of Art, which houses one of the world's most significant collections of 20th century American art.

Today, Nebraska is one of the nation's leading teaching institutions, and a research leader with a wide array of grant-funded projects aimed at broadening knowledge in the sciences and humanities. Nebraska is also a land-grant university and a member of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU). The university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

Benefits
The University of Nebraska offers an extensive benefits package that includes health, life, disability and long term care insurance; retirement accounts; tuition reimbursement for employees and their spouses and dependent children; and reimbursement accounts for health care and dependent day care. Leave policies are designed to help employees deal with personal or family events or crises.

Diversity and Inclusion
In the spirit of the phrase "Every Interaction Matters", UNL has an enacted commitment to diversity and inclusive excellence for our faculty, staff, and students. On our campus, diversity and inclusion are important priorities. Examples include: Husker Dialogues, which is an event that helps first-year students focus on diversity and inclusion and practice handling difficult conversations around difference; three Chancellor's Diversity Commissions that are charged with informing and advising the Chancellor and addressing issues of constituent campus communities; and the establishment of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion whose leader operates at the Vice Chancellor level. At the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, we strive for excellence in all that we do. True excellence requires that each individual be able to work and learn in an atmosphere of respect, dignity, and belonging. Our commitment to diversity and inclusion requires each of us to continuously ensure our interactions are respectful, protect free speech, and inspire academic freedom.

About Lincoln
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln is located in an up-and-coming and safe city of 300,000 people that has many of the cultural and entertainment benefits of a much larger city, with the feel of a friendly Midwestern community. The Pinnacle Bank Arena, opened in 2013, routinely hosts major touring acts. A buzzing entertainment district, the Railyard, connects the arena area to the Historic Haymarket. Cuisines from all continents provide the entree to dynamic urban nightlife and a wide variety of ways to enjoy time with friends. Nebraska's City Campus is one with Lincoln's city center, as it has been since the university was founded.Lincoln has more parkland per capita than Austin, Texas; Portland, Oregon; and all but a handful of U.S. cities. The well-manicured Pioneers Park, the native woods of Wilderness Park and the open grassland of Nine-Mile Prairie are each within a 10-minute trip from campus. Connecting many of these parks is an extensive trails network.

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