F1347P

Tenure Track Assistant/Associate/Professor of Integrative Precision Agriculture (IPA)

CAES-Ag Leadership, Ed & Comm

Since our founding in 1785, the University of Georgia has operated as Georgia’s oldest, most comprehensive, and most diversified institution of higher education (https://www.uga.edu/). The proof is in our more than 235 years of academic and professional achievements and our continual commitment to higher education. UGA is currently ranked among the top 20 public universities in U.S. News & World Report. The University’s main campus is located in Athens, approximately 65 miles northeast of Atlanta, with extended campuses in Atlanta, Griffin, Gwinnett, and Tifton. UGA employs approximately 3,000 faculty and more than 7,700 full-time staff. The University’s enrollment exceeds 40,000 students including over 30,000 undergraduates and over 10,000 graduate and professional students. Academic programs reside in 18 schools and colleges, as well as a medical partnership with Augusta University housed on the UGA Health Sciences Campus in Athens.

The Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication is a diverse group of award-winning researchers and teachers committed to Georgia’s land grant mission. Our work is focused on preparing agricultural educators to work in schools and other educational settings, evidence-based and theoretically-driven science- and agricultural-focused communication research, and the scholarship of organizational leadership as it relates to agricultural and environmental sectors. We are situated in a two-campus environment in Athens and Tifton. ALEC has an excellent reputation for research, teaching, and extension activities. Two undergraduate majors are based in the Department: Agricultural Education and Agricultural Communication. In addition, students may pursue a certificate in leadership (uLEAD). At the graduate level, students are pursuing MS or Ph.D. degrees.

External

Employee

Benefits Eligible

Commensurate with qualifications and experience.

01/02/2023

08/22/2022

Yes

Applicants should submit the following: (1) a letter of application; (2) curriculum vitae; (3) a teaching portfolio that includes a teaching philosophy and up to three previous years of teaching evaluations if available; (4) a statement of research interests and how the candidate’s research (a) complements ongoing IPA work being conducted at UGA and (b) contributes to scholarly discovery related to agricultural innovation; and (5) contact information for three letters of reference.

Please contact Dr. Abigail Borron, aborron@uga.edu, Search Committee Chair, with questions. Review of applications will begin September 22, 2022 and continue until the position is filled.

Athens Area

The University of Georgia is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ethnicity, age, genetic information, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation or protected veteran status. Persons needing accommodations or assistance with the accessibility of materials related to this search are encouraged to contact Central HR (hrweb@uga.edu).

Open Rank

Open Rank (Tenure Track)

Academic (9 mo.)

Tenure Track or Tenured

Applicants must have a Ph.D. or equivalent degree by December 2022.

The Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication at the University of Georgia is seeking applications for an Assistant/Associate/Full Professor to complement the Integrative and Precision Agriculture initiatives across campus through collaborative research and teaching efforts. This is a nine month, academic-year tenure track position with a 75% Research and 25% Instructional appointment.

The University of Georgia is leveraging faculty expertise and industry ties through a new Institute for Integrative Precision Agriculture whose research and outreach will help address production sustainability, post-production processes, and food security for a growing global population. The Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication (ALEC) invites applications from candidates at any tenure-track or tenured academic rank who have a strong research record focused on the human and social factors related to integrative precision agriculture (IPA).

We welcome applications from researchers conducting theory-driven, engaged scholarship with implications for leading innovation, brokering knowledge, and supporting capacity development relative to IPA in agricultural businesses, families, schools, and communities. The successful candidate will be prepared to work on multidisciplinary research teams within the department and across the university. Further, this faculty member will collaborate closely with practitioners and agricultural stakeholders in rural and urban communities. We imagine social scientists interested in precision agriculture engaging with areas of inquiry such as trust and decision making relative to precision technology, communication and education strategies for addressing consumer perceptions and/or resistance to change, identification of nascent agricultural challenges addressable through IPA, or co-creating understanding of new technologies impacting the industry.

This position will be based on the UGA campus in Athens, GA with additional responsibilities on the Tifton, GA campus virtually and occasionally in person.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS: The strongest applicants will demonstrate the following:

1. A social scientific perspective on the human factors and processes (inputs, throughputs, and outputs) of agricultural innovation, with knowledge of agronomy, animal science, crop production systems, and/or precision farming.
2. A clearly-defined, high-impact research program and a strong trajectory toward tenure and promotion in rank (where applicable), evidenced by a publication record and/or the potential for publication in relevant top-tier peer-reviewed journals and widespread citation. Evidence of national or international prominence (or emerging prominence, dependent upon rank).
3. The ability to translate their research findings and co-create sustainable knowledge and solutions to pressing problems with practitioners and agricultural stakeholders.
4. History in working effectively on multidisciplinary research teams.
5. Evidence of the ability and motivation to ensure the sustainability of their research program by securing external funding.
6. Ability and willingness to contribute to the growth and development of the department’s graduate and undergraduate academic programs, as well as to mentor graduate students and postdoctoral scientists.
7. Teaching excellence in undergraduate and graduate courses in their respective area of expertise, and the ability to teach a range of courses.
8. Ability and willingness to contribute to a diverse, inclusive academic community.

Yes

Yes

No

No

Yes

No

No

Be advised a credit check will be required for all positions with financial responsibilities. For additional information about the credit check criteria, visit the UGA Credit Background Check website.

The successful candidate will (1) teach two graduate or undergraduate courses in the department per academic year (with the opportunity to design and teach new courses within their field of expertise); (2) advise M.S. and Ph.D. students; (3) advance the mission of the department and the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences through a high impact nationally and internationally recognized research program supported by competitive external funding; and (4) engage in service to the department, college, university, and the discipline (providing strong representation for the department at the institutional and disciplinary levels in ways appropriate for their career stage).