*Assistant Professor (SEEMS/Biology– Cluster Hire in Agriculture Sciences – Integrated Pest Management and Plant Pathology)*
https://careers.utrgv.edu/postings/20058 <https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcareers.utrgv.edu%2Fpostings%2F20058&data=02%7C01%7Cbradley.christoffersen%40utrgv.edu%7C45edda881ee04398126a08d67374740e%7C990436a687df491c91249afa91f88827%7C0%7C0%7C636823341351642384&sdata=QB0gSXkSxu7%2BNFRDp3iXCgp6Nm%2FtWrqY9psSQ%2BHgMC4%3D&reserved=0> The University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley is seeking applications for a two (2) tenure track faculty positions (Assistant Professor) within the College of Sciences with cross appointment in the School of Earth, Environmental and Marine Sciences (SEEMS) and the Department of Biology. These are full-time, tenure track positions involving teaching, scholarly research and service, and complement recent hires to form a core group at UTRGV of faculty in Agriculture and Food Systems Sciences. Qualified candidates should be able to teach and create a variety of courses across two main foci: (a) plant pathology and (b) integrated pest management, as well as related courses in plant physiology, mycology, plant sciences, plant-insect interactions, or microbiology. The successful candidate will collaborate with other faculty and other related programs that leverage the unique subtropical agricultural landscape of the Rio Grande Valley, existing connections to the USDA Agricultural Research Service and USDA APHIS, committed grower cooperators, and the burgeoning expertise and interest in sustainable agriculture and food systems. Applicants should include a cover letter describing their academic qualifications and professional experiences, and how they align with current faculty research interests. The successful candidate is also expected to demonstrate a strong, extramurally funded research program in their area of specialization, and complement ongoing systems research in food and agricultural sciences at UTRGV. The candidate is expected to mentor undergraduate and graduate students. Well qualified candidates should be able demonstrate interest in community engaged research and teaching, and a commitment to advancing the university, college, and program missions and to UTRGV’s guiding principles (http://www.utrgv.edu/en us/about-utrgv/transition-plan/guiding-principles) . Applicants’ statements should detail how their teaching, service and/or scholarship has supported the success of students from diverse backgrounds that are underrepresented in their academic field; applicants who have not yet had the opportunity for such experience should note how their work will further UTRGV mission for student success. *Required Qualifications: * A Ph.D. in either (a) plant pathology and (b) integrated pest management, or other agricultural or food sciences-related disciplines. *Preferred Qualifications: * Commitment to student success (innovative teaching approaches and pedagogies, use of technology in the classroom, experience mentoring graduate and undergraduate student etc) especially for students that are underrepresented in the sciences. Strong theoretical grounding in one or more disciplines, and experience in systems research with collaboration with other scholarly disciplines. Demonstrated excellence in research (ie funding, dissemination of scholarship, etc) with experience or strong interest in interdisciplinary research and community engaged scholarship. *Desired Start Date* 09/01/2019 *EEO Statement * UTRGV is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer that strives to hire without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information or veteran status. UTRGV takes affirmative action to hire and advance women, minorities, protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.. D*iversity Statement* UTRGV is a Hispanic-serving Institution dedicated to student success and building a diverse faculty committed to working in a multicultural environment. UTRGV has an NSF ADVANCE grant to increase the representation of women in STEM fields and to promote a positive, family friendly workplace for all faculty. We strongly encourage applications from women and minorities. We are also committed to creating a supportive workplace and family-friendly climate at UTRGV. Open Date 12/01/2018 Close Date 1/15/2018 *Additional Information* UTRGV is a distributed institution. As such and as assigned, the position may require presence at multiple locations throughout the Rio Grande Valley. Work is performed primarily in a general office environment. This position is security sensitive and thereby subject to the provisions of the Texas Education Code §51.215. The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length. This position has the option to elect the Optional Retirement Program (ORP) instead of TRS, subject to the position being 40 hours per week and at least 135 days in length. *Special Instructions to Applicants * Dear Applicant, Human Resources will not be held responsible for redacting any confidential information from the documents you attach with your application. The confidential information includes the following: *Date of Birth *Social Security Number *Gender *Ethnicity/Race Please make sure that you omit this information prior to submission. We are advising that Human Resources will be forwarding your application to the department as per your submission. Please Note: Texas law requires faculty members whose primary language is not English to demonstrate proficiency in English as determined by a satisfactory paper-based test score of 500 (computer-based of 173 or internet-based of 61) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or a satisfactory test score of 6.0 on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). Incomplete applications will not be considered.
