UC Davis Seeks An Assistant Professor of Sustainable Aquaculture & Coastal Systems

As part of UC Davis’ commitment to hire leading research faculty with an outstanding commitment to teaching, research and service that will promote the success of historically underrepresented and marginalized student communities and address the needs of our increasingly diverse state and student population, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, at the University of California announces an Assistant Professor faculty position (9-month in the Department of Environmental Science and Policy, resident at Bodega Marine Laboratory) Applications are encouraged from candidates with a strong background in any current or emerging area that will fit within our department’s interdisciplinary focus in sustainable aquaculture and coastal systems.

Responsibilities:

As one of the country’s leading R1 institutions, UC Davis seeks candidates with exceptional potential for research, teaching, and inclusive excellence. In addition, the successful candidate will demonstrate an understanding of the barriers preventing full participation of members from historically underrepresented and marginalized student communities in higher education, such as (but not limited to) women, underrepresented minorities, individuals self-identifying as LGBTQIA+, veterans, individuals with disabilities, economically disadvantaged groups, first-generation, undocumented students, or students with any intersections in between. Successful candidates will help advance UC Davis’ strategic goal of improving access and building an inclusive community for all marginalized populations. The successful candidate also will have an accomplished track record (calibrated to career stage) of teaching, research, or service activities addressing the needs of underrepresented minorities, and a clearly articulated vision of how their work at UC Davis will continue to contribute to the University’s mission of serving the needs of our diverse state and student population. Applicants’ track record of engagement and activity related to diversity, equal opportunity, and inclusion as well as their plans for future engagement will be a significant part of the overall evaluation of the candidate’s qualifications for a faculty appointment.

This is an academic year (9-month), Assistant Professor tenure-track position with teaching, research, outreach/engagement and service responsibilities

The appointee is expected to establish a competitively funded research program to address critical or emerging issues in aquaculture/mariculture as an integral component of coastal systems and sustainable food from the sea. While past work in aquaculture is desirable, it is not essential. They will have conducted conceptually innovative research and may come from one of many different backgrounds, such as aquaculture, ecology or environmental science/engineering. As examples to illustrate the breadth of our search, prior work may have been on sustainable food systems, environmental management (mitigation of impacts), spatial planning, seascape ecology, systems modeling, coastal oceanography, aquaculture-environment interactions, trophic systems, water quality, disease ecology, integrative analysis, or data science. We envisage development of an innovative program that links the candidate’s research specialty with aquaculture systems science more broadly, including food production, environmental change, or socio-economic context. The successful candidate will have demonstrated individual excellence in research as well as the potential to draw a group of colleagues into integrative analyses of sustainable food from the sea that include coastal aquaculture.

The successful candidate will be expected to teach in undergraduate and graduate programs, and should be committed to mentoring and fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion. Teaching will include existing or new courses appropriate to the candidate’s area of expertise (e.g., ESP 10: Current Issues in the Environment, ESP 110 Principles of Environmental Science, a new course in sustainable seafood), with classes split between Bodega Marine Laboratory and the main campus in Davis, including remote teaching options. Undergraduate teaching will be in the Environmental Science and Management (ESM) and the Marine and Coastal Science (MCS) majors. A typical teaching load depends on departmental need and a typical load the department is 2.5 courses per year. The successful candidate will also be active in graduate teaching and advising, participating in one or more graduate groups, including the pending Graduate Group in Marine Science, as well as in the BML graduate-student community and the broader coastal and marine graduate-student community within the Coastal and Marine Sciences Institute (CMSI).

Participation in and development of public outreach and/or community engagement programs, and departmental and university service is also expected. As a catalyst for integrative aquaculture at UC Davis, the successful candidate will likely develop scholarly engagement with aquaculture practitioners and management agencies, Cooperative Extension specialists and advisors, and a variety of other coastal stakeholders.

The home department is the Department of Environmental Science and Policy (ESP) where this position expands expertise in coastal/marine environmental science and sustainable food from the sea. The successful candidate will be resident at the Bodega Marine Laboratory (BML), located on the coast 60 miles north of San Francisco (100 miles from Davis). It is anticipated that the person hired will develop links with marine ecologists, physiologists, toxicologists, economists, social scientists, environmental engineers and oceanographers at the BML facility as well as in ESP and on the main campus in Davis.

Bodega Marine Laboratory (BML):

More than 30 scientists from 3 colleges are resident year-round at BML, including faculty, research scientists, postdoctoral researchers, and graduate students. This is the core of a broader group of faculty and students from UC Davis and elsewhere that spend portions of the year working and studying at BML, contributing to a large and vibrant community of marine scientists. The Laboratory boasts a state-of-the-art computer-controlled seawater system and specialized facilities that enable studies of invasive species, endangered species, marine fisheries, and the effects of climate change stressors, infectious diseases, and pollution on marine organisms. Further, BML operates a fleet of small boats including a 42-ft research vessel and maintains an ocean observing system including a permanent offshore mooring and other environmental sensors. Laboratory facilities are located on the 362-acre Bodega Marine Reserve, part of the University of California Natural Reserve System. The local environs are known for their strong coastal upwelling, high productivity, and include diverse habitats including rocky intertidal and subtidal habitats, sandy beaches, estuaries, mudflats, eelgrass beds, saltmarsh and offshore pelagic/benthic habitats. BML was founded in 1968 and is part of the UC Davis Coastal and Marine Sciences Institute (CMSI). The CMSI was launched in 2013 as a comprehensive unit to coordinate and catalyze research, education, and outreach programs in marine science and policy on the main campus and at BML. CMSI has over 100 affiliated faculty/researchers and over 120 graduate students and postdoctoral scholars with expertise across the full spectrum of modern marine science and policy, including ecology, biology, microbiology, oceanography, toxicology, geochemistry, political science, wildlife health, natural resource management, environmental engineering, economics, law, and corporate sustainability. See https://marinescience.ucdavis.edu for more information.

Resident at BML, the appointee will likely take advantage of BML facilities (e.g., large experimental tanks, field equipment/vessels and expertise) and its location, which offers links to coastal communities and stakeholders. This new position is also part of a CMSI focus on food from the sea, with the aim of advancing our leadership in coastal sustainability.

Qualifications:

Ph.D. or equivalent degree in biological/physical/engineering sciences at the time of appointment. Post-doctoral experience is preferred. Evidence of research excellence is expected. The candidate should have the ability to develop and instruct undergraduate and graduate courses and the ability to develop and conduct extramurally funded research in sustainable aquaculture and coastal systems

Salary:

Commensurate with qualifications and experience.

Applications:

Application materials must be submitted via the following website: https://recruit.ucdavis.edu/JPF04598. The position will remain open until filled. To ensure consideration, applications should be received by 5 January 2022.

Additional inquiries can be directed to John Largier (jlargier@ucdavis.edu).

Required application materials include:

1) cover letter

2) curriculum vitae including publication list

3) up to three publications

3) transcripts if the applicant is within five years of Ph.D. degree

4) Statement of Research Accomplishments and Interests, including future research plans relevant to sustainable aquaculture and coastal systems

5) Statement of Teaching Interests, Experience, and Philosophy

6) Statement of Contributions to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and 7) the names, addresses, including e-mail, of three professional references and an Authorization to Release Information form. Please ask these references to submit their letters directly on https://recruit.ucdavis.edu by 5 January 2022.

Qualified applicants must have a Ph.D. (or equivalent) at the time of appointment and must have demonstrated outstanding potential in the study of marine/coastal environmental science through published research in peer-reviewed journals. Candidates will be expected to develop a strong, extramurally funded, independent research program, teach undergraduate and graduate courses, and mentor diverse undergraduate/graduate students at BML and on campus. The appointee is also expected to be engaged as a scholar beyond the university and participate in engagement efforts of BML and the CMSI. Applicants with postdoctoral training are preferred.

Initial review of applications will be conducted using anonymized versions of the Statement of Research Accomplishments and Interests and the Statement of Contributions to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Applications demonstrating sufficient potential based on this review will be advanced to full review.

The University of California is committed to creating and maintaining a community dedicated to the advancement, application, and transmission of knowledge and creative endeavors through academic excellence, where all individuals who participate in University programs and activities can work and learn together in a safe and secure environment, free of violence, harassment, discrimination, exploitation, or intimidation. With this commitment, UC Davis conducts a reference check on all first-choice candidates for Academic Senate Assistant Professor or Lecturer with Potential for Security of Employment, Steps 4, 5, or 6, or Acting Professor of Law positions. The reference check involves contacting the administration of the applicant’s previous institution(s) to ask whether there have been substantiated findings of misconduct that would violate the University’s Faculty Code of Conduct. To implement this process, UC Davis requires all applicants for any open search for assistant professor to complete, sign, and upload the form entitled “Authorization to Release Information” into RECRUIT as part of their application. If an applicant does not include the signed authorization with the application materials, the application will be considered incomplete, and as with any incomplete application, will not receive further consideration. Although all applicants for faculty recruitments must complete the entire application, only finalists considered for Academic Senate Assistant Professor or Lecturer with Potential for Security of Employment, Steps 4, 5, or 6, or Acting Professor of Law positions will be subject to reference checks.

UC Davis is an affirmative action/equal employment opportunity employer and is dedicated to recruiting a diverse faculty community. We welcome all qualified applicants to apply, including women, minorities, veterans, and individuals with disabilities.