Junior Specialist/Swett lab

One position to be filled

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES AND DESIGNATED AREAS OF EXPERTISE

The Junior Specialist is expected to have interests in two or more of the following areas: sustainable plant health management, climate change-plant disease interactions, fungal biodiversity, fungal ecology, disease diagnostics, and / or science communication.

The incumbent must be a motivated, organized, and independently driven individual who is able to manage research projects and support staff. They must have excellent organizational skills and strong communication skills, including abilities for short-term and long-term time management. As a contributor to research projects, the incumbent is expected to contribute to scholarly manuscripts, outreach publications and reports, and present work at local, statewide and national meetings. Work will be conducted in the lab, in campus greenhouses, field research stations on campus, and on commercial farms. Crop foci include tomato, garlic, and onion, although some research projects encompass a wide range of allied rotation crops. The Swett lab is a supportive community strongly committed to mentoring and aims to position Junior specialists to be competitive for diverse career tracks or to graduate programs; career mentoring is included as part of this position.

Research (85%)

Diverse research project directions are available and can be adapted to the incumbent's interests. Current research projects can be found at: https://swettlab.faculty.ucdavis.edu/research/

The incumbent of this position will be actively and significantly involved in publishable research activities through the following roles and duties:

* Assist the PI in discovery and documentation of new pathogens through analyses of unknown diseases present in vegetable and field crops in California, pathogen characterization community and preparation of outreach articles for trade journals and first reports for publication in peer reviewed journals.

* Assist the PI and research cooperators in development and establishment of field trials (experimental design, study set up), data collection, data analysis and interpretation.

* Contribution to resulting reports, grant proposals, outreach articles for trade journals, and scholarly manuscripts for peer reviewed journals.

* Under PI supervision, develop and conduct laboratory and greenhouse trials to test hypotheses relating to fungal pathogen ecology, biodiversity, and management through design, study installation, data collection and analysis, and preparation of scholarly manuscripts and reports-either relevant sections, or entire manuscripts, based on the extent of the contribution.

* Project development will involve active engagement of literature in project development and interpretation beyond that expected in a purely technical capacity, for hypothesis development, development and optimization of protocols, and development of introductory and discussion material in the preparation of manuscripts and reports.

Professional Competence (10%):

* The incumbent will present research at statewide outreach meetings, regional plant pathology meetings (e.g. Soil Borne Pathogens Conference), and national meetings (e.g. American Pathological Society Annual Meeting). Presentations will be delivered in poster and oral presentation formats. The incumbent will have opportunities to develop presentation abilities in laboratory meetings and the UC Davis plant pathology department retreat and other local (on-campus) events.

* The incumbent will be encouraged to have membership with the American Phytopathological Society, Pacific Division and national.

University and Public Service (5%):

* As part of UC service and service to the public, the incumbent will help serve critical disease diagnosis needs for crop producers as well as for research projects.

* As a component of university service, the incumbent will also be asked to serve on one or more department committees, such as a search committee for student research assistants.

* As a public service, the incumbent will also be encouraged to deliver oral presentations at public events, such as those held by California Department of Water Resources and Sonoma County Mycological Association meetings.

* As a full time lab member, this position includes responsibility for maintaining safety standards and meeting regulatory requirements, staff training and mentoring (undergraduate student technicians), and general laboratory maintenance.

This position requires a minimum of a Bachelor of Science in Plant Pathology or related discipline in hand by start date.

NOTE: The junior specialist rank is an entry level position; accordingly, it is inappropriate to hire applicants with advanced degrees in this field, or those with BS degrees and three years' relevant work experience

• 3-5 required (contact information only)

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For the University of California's Affirmative Action Policy, please visit: https://policy.ucop.edu/doc/4010393/PPSM-20

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