Details
Posted: 21-Apr-22
Location: St Paul, Minnesota
Type: Full Time
Required Education: Doctorate
Salary: See details
Specialty:
Other
Salary Details:
SALARY/BENEFITS
Salary is competitive and commensurate with professional experience and qualifications. Salary will be supplemented with 9 weeks of summer salary for the first three (3) years of the appointment to help establish a research and Extension program. Thereafter, a 9-month salary can be supplemented through research and/or educational grants.
The University of Minnesota offers a comprehensive benefits package including:
Competitive wages, paid holidays; Low cost medical, dental, and pharmacy plans; Health care and dependent daycare flexible spending accounts; Excellent retirement plans with generous employer contribution and immediate vesting; Employer paid disability and life insurance; Wellbeing program with reduced insurance premiums; Tuition reimbursement opportunities covering 75% of eligible tuition; Opportunities for Sabbaticals and other professional leaves; Opportunities for growth and promotion; Employee Assistance Program
Department of Entomology
College of Agriculture Food and Natural Resource Sciences
University of Minnesota
POSITION OVERVIEW
The Department of Entomology at the University of Minnesota seeks to fill a tenure-track position in Corn Entomology. This will be a nine-month appointment at the level of assistant professor with primary research (40%) and extension (60%) responsibilities. The position will be located on the St. Paul Campus of the University of Minnesota.
Corn is the most widely planted crop in Minnesota with >8 million acres of field corn (#4 in the US), and ~125,000 acres of sweet corn (#3 in the US). Both field corn and sweet corn are challenged by above-ground pests (e.g., corn earworm) and below-ground pests (e.g., corn rootworm complex). Sustainable management of these arthropod pests in corn is critical for the economic viability and environmental quality of the state and region. Agricultural stakeholders need research-based guidance to overcome arthropod-related challenges in corn production (e.g., pest resistance to management tactics, invasive species, increased regulation of pesticides, and changing production practices), and to effectively evaluate and implement new pest management technologies.
Research (40%): The successful candidate will establish an externally funded, innovative, and relevant research program (including both applied and basic research) related to integrated pest management (IPM) for arthropod pests in corn production systems. The Department of Entomology seeks individuals with research interests that will complement and expand its existing strengths (https://www.entomology.umn.edu/faculty-staff/faculty). The candidate will have expertise in agroecology and IPM theory and practice, which may include areas such as resistance management, applied toxicology, transgenic and molecular approaches, population genetics, landscape ecology, or precision agriculture (including remote sensing). The candidate will be encouraged to collaborate with faculty in the Department of Entomology and other departments. Multistate and international collaborations are also encouraged. The successful candidate will have access to core research facilities at the University of Minnesota, such as a statewide network of Research and Outreach Centers, the Plant Growth Facilities containing greenhouses and growth chambers, a Biosafety Level 2 Insect Containment Facility, the Genomics Center, and the Supercomputing Institute.
Extension (60%): The successful candidate will establish an effective research-based Extension program focused on ongoing corn producer needs, industry-wide input, and feedback from colleagues including campus and field-based extension specialists and educators. The Extension program will develop and provide short- and long-term IPM solutions for arthropod pests of corn. Extension methods will include assessing stakeholder needs and curricular planning for positive behavior change via a mix of traditional presentations and publications, as well as innovative social media and novel technologies to reach target audiences. The successful candidate will be an active member of the interdisciplinary University of Minnesota Extension Crops Team and the Institute for Agricultural Professionals. Collaborative extension projects are encouraged with Department faculty and colleagues throughout University of Minnesota Extension, including campus-based Extension specialists, field-based Extension Educators, and Extension/Research colleagues at Research and Outreach Centers in the state.
Responsibilities
- Develop a nationally and internationally recognized, externally funded research program focused on the biology, ecology and management of corn pests
- Develop, contribute to and deliver effective extension programming to key agricultural stakeholders, such a farmers, consultants, agronomists, and agency staff, and the public
- Mentor graduate and undergraduate students
- Provide service to the Department, College, University and professional societies
- Contribute to undergraduate and graduate teaching through limited guest lectures on topics related to areas of expertise
Required Qualifications
- Ph.D. or internationally equivalent degree in entomology; or related fields of biological or agricultural sciences with expertise in entomology
- Relevant extension / research training and experience in biology and ecology of arthropod pests, and integrated pest management
- Record of research productivity, including peer-reviewed publications
- Record of extension or outreach education, including development and implementation of extension programming
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Demonstrated record in obtaining extramural funding
- Commitment to advancing and promoting diversity, equity and inclusion including the ability to work respectfully and effectively with individuals with diverse identities and underrepresented groups
- Demonstrated record of working in a collaborative capacity
Preferred Qualifications
- Demonstrated record of developing, evaluating and improving integrated pest management programs for agricultural pests
- Record of advising or mentoring undergraduate or graduate students
- Demonstrated record of working with interdisciplinary teams, industry and other stakeholders to identify research needs and knowledge gaps
