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The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is committed to creating an environment of inclusive excellence that affirms diversity across a variety of dimensions, including ability, class, ethnicity/race, gender identity and expression. Inclusive excellence is the active process of including and respecting everyone as we strive for excellence and equitable outcomes in all we do at the University of Florida. We particularly welcome applicants who can contribute to such an environment through their scholarship, teaching, mentoring, and professional service. We strongly encourage historically underrepresented groups to apply.

If an accommodation due to a disability is needed to apply for this position, please call 352-392-2477 or the Florida Relay System at 800-955-8771 (TDD) or visit Accessibility at UF .

This is a 9-month tenure-accruing position that will be 40% teaching (College of Agricultural and Life Sciences), 60% research (Florida Agricultural Experiment Station) available in the School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences at the University of Florida.  This assignment may change in accordance with the needs of the unit. Tenure will accrue in the School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences. The successful candidate will build a collaborative research program and teach courses in natural resource policy and economics. Teaching duties will include offering an undergraduate Natural Resources Policy and Economics (FNR4660) course and a graduate Policy and Economics of Natural Resources (FNR6669) course. They will demonstrate the ability to establish a forest-focused, externally funded, internationally recognized research program in natural resource policy and economics. In particular, candidates should apply if their disciplinary focus includes understanding ecosystem service valuation, natural resource policy making, or management decision-making. The faculty member will participate in undergraduate education and graduate education by chairing graduate committees, serving on graduate committees, supervising thesis and dissertation research, supervising undergraduate research, and publishing the results with their graduate students. The faculty member will seek contract and grant funding actively to support their program.  The faculty member will engage in Extension activities in their program area and help support relevant online programs and certificates.  

The successful candidate will engage in scholarly activities related to instruction, including teaching undergraduate and/or graduate courses, advising and mentoring undergraduate and graduate students, participating in curriculum revision and enhancement, seeking funding for the teaching program, supervising undergraduate and graduate research and creative work, publishing teaching-related scholarship, producing learning tools, and engaging in professional development activities related to teaching and advising.  Faculty are encouraged to support and participate in the CALS Honors Program, distance education, and international education.

Because of the IFAS land-grant mission, all faculty are expected to be supportive of and engaged in all three mission areas—Research, Teaching and Extension—regardless of the assignment split specified in the position description.

Background Information :

The School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences (SFFGS) has teaching, research, and Extension education programs in three broad areas: Geomatics; Forest Resources and Conservation; and Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. The SFFGS has 60 faculty members, 60 administrative and programmatic staff, 250 graduate students, and 350 undergraduate students. The School offers bachelor’s degrees in Geomatics, Forest Resources and Conservation, Natural Resource Conservation, and Marine Sciences; thesis and non-thesis master’s degrees in all focal areas, including a number of innovative distance education master’s programs; and Ph.D. degrees in all focal areas.

The School is committed to supporting work-life balance, and creating an environment that promotes and supports a more diverse and welcoming faculty, student body, and overall workforce within the School. We particularly welcome applicants who can contribute to such an environment through their scholarship, teaching, cooperative extension/outreach, mentoring, and professional service.

Several units on or nearby the University of Florida campus complement the teaching and research programs of the School, including the Water Institute; The Florida Climate Institute, an interdisciplinary center hosted at UF and comprising 7 universities; the Tropical Conservation and Development Program in the Center for Latin American Studies; Center for Wetlands; Center for Biological Conservation; Florida Museum of Natural History; National Ecology Laboratory (Sirenia) of USGS; Southeastern Forest Experiment Station unit of the U.S. Forest Service; The Nature Conservancy; the Wildlife Research Laboratory of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission; and others.

Florida boasts a diversity of fauna and flora common to both southern temperate and subtropical climates and is replete with springs, rivers, backwater streams, lakes, freshwater and saltwater marshes, mangrove fringes, cypress swamps, hardwood hammocks, sandhills, scrub, pine flatwoods, and rangeland.  Nested between the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, Florida has more than 2,000 kilometers of coastal beaches and estuaries.  Special features include the Florida Keys, which constitute an archipelago of picturesque subtropical islands, and the unique Everglades, or “river of grass,” which sprawls across the southern peninsula.  As a gateway to the Caribbean and Latin America, Florida provides convenient access to tropical and temperate environments in the southern hemisphere, and diverse expertise on campus. Gainesville is a small city with culture and character directly linked to the university. Attributes of Gainesville include proximity to many natural areas, year-round cycling possibilities, expansive media, and many cultural and historical landmarks. Cost of living in Gainesville is slightly below the national average, helping to make it an attractive place to live.

Commensurate with Experience and Education

Required :

• A doctorate (foreign equivalent acceptable) in policy, economics, natural resources, or a closely related discipline is required before appointment. 
• Candidates should have a demonstrated commitment to teaching, mentoring students, and promoting a diverse educational and professional environment.
• They must have clear evidence of scholarship through first-authored publications.
• Candidates should have demonstrated skills in verbal and written communication, interpersonal relationships, or procurement of extramural funding.
• Candidates must be supportive of the mission of the Land-Grant system. 
• Candidates must also have a commitment to IFAS core values of excellence, diversity, global involvement, and accountability.
• Topical expertise in forest ecosystem services, policy, risk assessment or management is preferred, but candidates with demonstrated excellence in related topics and a willingness to apply this expertise to forest-related issues will be considered.  

Preferred :

• Postdoctoral experience or experience as a primary investigator is desirable.
• A well-developed teaching portfolio and/or demonstrated teaching experience.
• Demonstrated commitment to developing a research program on topics that meets the needs of Florida residents with applicability to other regions or internationally.
• Commitment to focus on critical natural resource issues through policy and economics research.
• Interest in working with state and federal natural resource agencies, NGOs, private landowners and stakeholders to solve economic and policy issues.

For full consideration, candidates should apply and submit additional materials by 9 September 2022.  The position will remain open until a viable applicant pool is determined.

Nominations

Nominations are welcome.  Nominations need to include the complete name and address of the nominee. This information should be sent to:

Please refer to Requisition # 523031

Jason Vogel

Chair, Search and Screen Committee

University of Florida

School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences

PO Box 110410

Gainesville, FL 32611-0410

Telephone:                               352-846-0850

Electronic Mail:                      jvogel@ufl.edu

Application Information

• Individuals wishing to apply should go online to https://explore.jobs.ufl.edu/en-us/job/523031  and submit:
• Cover letter that states applicant’s interest in the position and qualifications relative to the credentials listed above
• Curriculum vitae
• Separate statements of teaching and mentoring philosophies, commitment to diversity, and research goals (3-page, single-spaced limit)
• Contact information (including email addresses) for 3 references, preferably who can speak to the applicant’s research, teaching, and mentoring experience and who are willing to write letters of recommendation
• Unofficial transcripts

Selected candidate will be required to provide an official transcript to the hiring department upon hire. A transcript will not be considered “official” if a designation of “Issued to Student” is visible.  Degrees earned from an education institution outside of the United States are required to be evaluated by a professional credentialing service provider approved by National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) .

Hiring is contingent upon eligibility to work in the US. The University of Florida is a public institution and subject to all requirements under Florida Sunshine and Public Record laws.

The University of Florida is an Equal Opportunity Institution dedicated to building a broadly diverse and inclusive faculty and staff. The University and greater Gainesville community enjoy a diversity of cultural events, restaurants, year-round outdoor recreational activities, and social opportunities.