Recruiting Postdoctoral Scholar - Organic Agriculture Knowledge Network Analysis
Dr. Houston Wilson, Dept. Entomology, UC Riverside | UC Organic Agriculture Institute
Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center
Wilson Lab Website: http://treecrops.ucr.edu/
Organic Agriculture Institute: http://organic.ucanr.edu/
Location: Fresno, CA | Annual Salary: $54,540 - $65,292 | Apply By: 3/11/22
Submit Application via Email to: houston.wilson@ucr.edu
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Position Description
The UC ANR Organic Agriculture Institute (http://organic.ucanr.edu/) and UC Riverside Department of Entomology (http://entomology.ucr.edu/) invites applicants for a full-time post-doctoral scholar position to conduct applied research under the mentorship of Dr. Houston Wilson at the UC Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Parlier, CA (http://treecrops.ucr.edu/). The position will be for a one-year residence with possible second year renewal depending on funding. The position will begin in spring 2022, or as soon as possible after that time. Salary ranges from $54,540 to $65,292 annually depending on experience.
Research Projects
This postdoctoral scholar position will be part of two projects: (1) a USDA NIFA funded project titled “Collaborative Knowledge Networks for Planning Organic Agriculture Research and Extension in California” (co-PI Dr. Mark Lubell at UC Davis) and (2) a California Dept. of Food & Agriculture Specialty Crop Block Grant funded project titled “Life Cycle Assessment of Environmental Impacts and Tradeoffs for Certified Organic Practices in Key Specialty Crops” (co-PIs Dr. Alissa Kendall, Dr. Mark Lubell at UC Davis, and Sonja Brodt with UC ANR Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program). These two projects will be conducted in partnership with UC Riverside (Wilson), UC Davis (Lubell, Kendall), the UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (Brodt) and the UC Organic Agriculture Institute (Wilson).
The purpose of this postdoctoral scholar position is to help carry out survey work associated with these two separate but related projects to characterize current organic agriculture knowledge networks, production practices and key challenges across California. That information will then be used to (1 - USDA project) identify opportunities for targeted research and extension support and (2 - CDFA project) develop models for life-cycle analysis of different organic farming systems. The final candidate will primarily help design, implement and analyze a series of qualitative and quantitative surveys of organic agriculture growers, consultants, certifiers and other stakeholders to determine (i) knowledge networks, (ii) research and extension needs and priorities, and (iii) key differences in technical details of production practices between various types of organic farming systems.
Location and Affiliation
While the postdoctoral scholar will be a member of Dr. Houston Wilson’s laboratory (http://treecrops.ucr.edu/), they will be expected to work collaboratively with all project PIs. Dr. Wilson's lab is based at the UC Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center (http://kare.ucanr.edu/) in Parlier, CA. This position will ideally be based at the Kearney Ag Center, but if needed the postdoc can be located in Davis or elsewhere TBD within the Central Valley. Dr. Wilson is Director of the UC Organic Agriculture Institute (UC OAI) and this postdoc opportunity is primarily focused on efforts associated with the UC OAI. The postdoc will have opportunities to participate in other network science projects on sustainable agriculture and pest management.
Qualifications
Applicants should be recent recipients of a doctoral degree (or anticipated recipient in spring 2022), with demonstrated interest and publication ability in computational social science, network science, and the programming and analysis of quantitative online and in-person surveys and interviews. They should be experts in statistical and network analysis (including statistical models of networks such as exponential random graph models, multilevel networks, and stochastic actor-oriented models) in R and other appropriate software, including programming of online surveys in Qualtrics or other survey software. The academic record must have demonstrated capacity to work independently and lead the development and publication of research results. Experience working with orchard or other crop production systems, prior coursework on agronomic details of crop production systems, and/or experience communicating with growers about technical details of their production systems is strongly preferred. Interest in organic agriculture, cooperative extension, knowledge networks and/or life-cycle analysis is preferred but not required. The position is open with respect to academic discipline, and could include computer science, network science, decision theory, economics, political science, sociology, or other appropriate social science training.
Application Process
Please notify Dr. Houston Wilson (houston.wilson@ucr.edu) as soon as possible if you intend to apply, and send full applications electronically to houston.wilson@ucr.edu by March 11, 2022. Applications received by this date will be given first consideration, although we will continue to accept applications after that date. Applications should include a CV, letter describing research interests and background as applied to this project, examples of any relevant publications, and contact information for three references. Top candidates will be interviewed by Zoom or phone with possibility of a campus visit, and asked to supply letters of reference. For more information about this position, please contact Dr. Houston Wilson, Asst. Cooperative Extension Specialist, Department of Entomology, at Houston.wilson@ucr.edu.
UC Riverside Notifications
UCR is a world-class research university with an exceptionally diverse undergraduate student body. Its mission is explicitly linked to providing routes to educational success for underrepresented and first-generation college students. A commitment to this mission is a preferred qualification.
The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
University of California COVID-19 Vaccination Program Policy: As a condition of employment, you will be required to comply with the University of California SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) Vaccination Program Policy. All Covered Individuals under the policy must provide proof of Full Vaccination or, if applicable, submit a request for Exception (based on Medical Exemption, Disability, and/or Religious Objection) or Deferral (based on pregnancy) no later than the applicable deadline. For new University of California employees, the applicable deadline is eight weeks after their first date of employment.