Assistant Professor of Plant Pathology

The Department of Plant Pathology in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at the University of California, Davis is recruiting an Assistant Professor of Plant Pathology with an emphasis on plant health and microbiomes. This is an academic year (9-month), tenure-track Assistant Professor position that includes an appointment in the California Agricultural Experiment Station (AES), with responsibility for research and outreach relevant to the AES mission, as well as university service.

The appointee is expected to establish a competitive, externally funded research program in plant microbiome science that addresses critical and emerging issues in plant pathology. The program should advance microbiome-informed approaches to the diagnosis, prediction, and/or management of plant diseases and develop science-based solutions to promote plant health. Research should generate fundamental and applied understanding of the composition, function, and/or dynamics of plant-associated microbial communities (including bacteria, fungi, oomycetes, viruses, and/or other microorganisms) and their interactions with plant hosts and each other. Areas of interest may include disease-suppressive microbiomes, dysbiosis and pathobiomes, host-microbiome-pathogen interactions, pathogen-pathogen and pathogen-nonpathogen interactions, disease complexes and multi-infections, microbiome engineering, synthetic communities, and the ecology and evolution of pathogens within the phytomicrobiome. Research may also address climate-driven changes in plant-microbiome interactions and emerging diseases, span model, agricultural, and/or natural plant systems, and should have a strong mechanistic and/or predictive foundation. The appointee will complement existing departmental strengths in plant-microbe interactions, disease epidemiology, and disease management, while expanding microbiome-informed approaches relevant to food security, agricultural sustainability, climate resilience, and the broader One Health framework.

The appointee will be expected to teach GDB103: The Microbiome of People, Animals and Plants, a 3-unit, upper-division undergraduate course that serves Global Disease Biology (GDB) and other students. The appointee is also expected to contribute to required GDB courses, such as GDB90: Introduction to Global Disease Biology, GDB 187: Global Disease Biology Seminar, and PMI129Y: One Health: Human, Animal & Environment Interfaces, and will have opportunities to contribute to graduate courses such as PLP201B: Ecology and Epidemiology of Plant Pathogenic Organisms and PLP298: Microbial Ecology.

Training and mentoring of graduate students, undergraduate student advising, curricular development, outreach, and departmental and university service are expected. The successful candidate will be an active member of the Plant Pathology Graduate Program and other graduate groups as appropriate and will have opportunities to collaborate with Cooperative Extension specialists and advisors, relevant industries, and other public stakeholders.

This recruitment is conducted at the Assistant Professor rank, and the resulting appointment will be at that rank regardless of the appointee's qualifications.

Initial review of applications will be conducted using anonymized versions of the Statement of Research Accomplishments and Interests. Applications demonstrating sufficient potential based on this review will advance to full review, at which time letters of recommendation will be requested and included in subsequent evaluations.

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Ph.D. in plant pathology, microbiology, microbial ecology, or a related field with experience, interest, and academic coursework related to microbial communities of healthy and diseased plants. Degree must be awarded by start of position.

* Postdoctoral experience preferred.

* Evidence of leadership and organizational skills relevant to the development of successful research, teaching and outreach programs in the discipline of plant microbiome science in the context of plant health and disease.

* Evidence of scholarship during graduate and post-graduate activities, including peer-reviewed publications.

* Demonstrated ability or potential to obtain extramural support for research activities.

* Demonstrated ability or potential to develop and instruct undergraduate and graduate courses and to present information to scientific and other audiences.

* Willingness and interest to advise undergraduates.

* Demonstrated ability, potential, and/or interest to mentor M.S. and Ph.D. students and possibly postdoctoral researchers.

* Evidence of communication skills and collegiality consistent with effective departmental, campus and professional citizenship.

* Interest in, understanding of, and commitment to the objectives of a land-grant university and the Agricultural Experiment Station, including mission-oriented research.

• 3-5 required (contact information only)

As a condition of employment, the finalist will be required to disclose if they are subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct.

• "Misconduct" means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant's previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment or discrimination, as defined by the employer.
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• APM - 035: Affirmative Action and Nondiscrimination in Employment

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