The Department of Horticultural Science at the University of Minnesota seeks applicants for a full-time, tenure-track Assistant Professor faculty position in Turfgrass Science. This is a 9-month (academic year), tenure-track faculty position with research, teaching, and service responsibilities. DEADLINE to apply is noon on August 20, 2023.

Job description

Research 20%: The successful candidate will continue an established turfgrass program at the University of Minnesota, supervise and set directions and objectives for continued plant physiology of turfgrass. The goal of the position is to use appropriate technologies to reduce inputs while increasing the durability of sport, lawn, and/or no/low mow turf. The incumbent is expected to establish a collaborative and productive interdisciplinary research program with the turfgrass breeding & genetics program and other researchers at the University of Minnesota, in addition to collaborations with national and international colleagues. The successful candidate will mentor undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral scientists and research technicians. The individual will be expected to publish regularly in peer-reviewed journals appropriate to the discipline and to compete successfully for external funding to support their scholarly programs.

Teaching (60%): The individual in this position will be expected to teach at least 7 credits a year. Courses included are 1 to 2 turfgrass courses and one large enrollment course that would serve departmental majors in compliance with the College’s policy on teaching workload in the Department of Horticultural Science. Additionally, there is an expectation of participation in professional development opportunities supporting teaching and advising. This position is expected to provide academic mentoring for undergraduate and advising graduate students in Horticultural Science and will also contribute to the department/college/university through service on assigned committees.

Extension (20%): Overall, the incumbent would provide leadership for statewide turfgrass science extension targeting multiple audiences including professional turfgrass managers, grass seed and sod producers, and residents. There is an explicit expectation to work in close collaboration with the Extension Educator in Turfgrass.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

• Ph.D. in Horticulture, Plant Science, Plant Physiology or related discipline
• Demonstrated commitment to excellence in undergraduate and/or graduate teaching and/or advising
• Demonstrated excellence in written and verbal communication skills working with a spectrum of audiences across a number of platforms
• Ability to travel to multiple locations sometimes overnight for field research and/or Extension programming
• Record of publication in peer-reviewed academic journals
• Evidence of ability to pursue and obtain competitive funding
• Experience with formal classroom teaching

Preferred Qualifications:

• Demonstrated research productivity in turfgrass science.
• Evidence of transdisciplinary grant writing success and collaboration.
• Evidence of success in applying contemporary approaches to problem-solving in turfgrass systems.
• Implementation of innovative and inclusive teaching pedagogy via multiple platforms.
• Demonstrated experience in and an ongoing commitment to working effectively with and across diverse communities and identities.

Special/Physical Requirements:
This position requires frequent travel among worksites including travel to offsite locations throughout Minnesota. Occasional national and international travel will also be required. This position may entail working outside under varying climatic conditions and may require lifting up to 50 pounds, operating farm/field equipment, applying fertilizers/pesticides/fungicides, as well as bending/kneeling/standing/etc. as the research, teaching, and extension program dictates.

For more information

• To apply or to learn more about the position, please visit the UMN Jobs website (Job ID: 355962)
• For questions about this position, please contact Professor James Luby ([email protected])