Assistant Professor Plant Systems Biology

Assistant Professor Position – Plant Systems Biology

Department of Plant Biology
College of Biological Sciences
University of California, Davis

As part of UC Davis’ commitment to hire leading research faculty with an outstanding commitment to research, teaching, and service who will promote the success of all students, including historically underserved and marginalized student communities, and address the needs of our increasingly diverse state and student population, the College of Biological Sciences announces a 9-month, tenure track Assistant Professor Position in the Department of Plant Biology (PLB).

This position is for an Assistant Professor in any area of plant biology with an emphasis on systems biology. Candidates’ research programs should answer questions of fundamental biological importance in plants. Relevant research topics include (but are not limited to) the development or use of large-scale experimental, quantitative, and computational
approaches for understanding biological systems in photosynthetic organisms.

The appointee will be expected to carry out high-level and innovative teaching and curriculum development, including contribution to teaching within a new interdisciplinary undergraduate major, in areas consistent with the broad goals of the undergraduate majors in the College of Biological Sciences (CBS). The appointee will be expected to teach 1.5 undergraduate courses per year in the departmental and/or in the CBS undergraduate curriculum.

As one of the country’s leading R1 institutions, UC Davis seeks candidates with exceptional potential for research, teaching, and inclusive excellence. In addition, the successful candidate will demonstrate an understanding of the barriers preventing full participation of members from historically underserved and marginalized student communities in higher education, such as (but not limited to) , black, indigenous, people of color, women, individuals self- identifying as LGBTQIA+, veterans, differently-abled individuals, economically disadvantaged groups, first-generation, undocumented students, or students at the intersections of these categories. The successful candidate will have an accomplished track record (calibrated to career stage) of teaching, research, or service and outreach activities addressing the needs of these underserved groups, and a clearly
articulated vision of how their work at UC Davis will contribute to the University’s mission of serving the needs of our diverse state and student population. Applicants’ track record of engagement and activity related to diversity, equal opportunity, and inclusion as well as their plans for future engagement will be a significant part of the overall evaluation of the
candidate’s qualifications for this faculty appointment. Guidelines for the Statement of Contributions to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion can be found here: https://academicaffairs.ucdavis.edu/guidelines-writing-diversity-statement .

We desire applicants who have identified strengths and experiences in the following
areas:
● A Ph.D. in a biological science, computational, mathematics, statistics, engineering
or related quantitative field, with significant post-doctoral research experience in the
field of systems biology.
● Excellence in research that complements or extends existing research strengths in
the Department of Plant Biology and the ability to establish a cutting-edge research
program and attract extramural funding on topics related to systems biology in
photosynthetic organisms that conforms with the mission of both the Plant Biology
Department and the College of Biological Sciences.
● Evidence of commitment to or strong potential for commitment to the advancement
of diversity, equity, and inclusion for historically underserved and marginalized
student communities, and how this commitment integrates with teaching, research,
and service.
● Commitment to excellence in teaching. Must demonstrate potential or evidence of
ability to perform well at both graduate and undergraduate levels and to develop
and teach undergraduate and graduate courses.

Appointment will be as an academic year (9-month) tenure-track Assistant Professor.
Participation in department, college, and university service as a member of UC Davis
Division of the Academic Senate is an expectation under our faculty shared governance
model.

For fullest consideration, please review the full position description, which provides
guidance on application requirements and recommendations to strengthen your
application: https://recruit.ucdavis.edu/JPF03885 . Applicants should submit the following
materials online: a Cover Letter, current Curriculum Vitae, Statement of Research and
Future Research Plans (3-4 pages), Statement of Teaching Accomplishments,
Philosophy, and/or Interests (1-2 pages), and Statement of Contributions to Diversity,
Equity, and Inclusion (1-2 pages), and contact information of three to five referees who
could write a supporting letters on your behalf. Initial review of applications will be
conducted using anonymized versions of the Statement of Research, and the
Statement of Contributions to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. For questions
regarding this recruitment and search, please contact the Search Committee Chair,
Professor Julin Maloof (jnmaloof@ucdavis.edu) or PLB Department CAO, Lisa Blake
(lmblake@ucdavis.edu).

Our Commitment
Diversity, equity, and inclusion are core values of the University of California, Davis that
are embedded within our Principles of Community and are tied with how to best serve our
student population. Please review the full Job Posting to learn about the initiatives that
keep UC Davis an inclusive and safe campus for our incredibly diverse students and
faculty: https://recruit.ucdavis.edu/JPF03885

The University
UC Davis is a distinguished university, ranked 5th nationally by the Wall Street
Journal/Times Higher Education and 11th nationally by US News and World Report
among U.S. public universities overall and for research funding. It is also ranked #1 by
Forbes Magazine as “The 13 Most Important STEM Colleges for Women.” Forbes has
also ranked UC Davis as 52nd among the Best Employers for Diversity . Please review
the full position description to learn more about the acclaimed University and the notable
rankings we have received regarding diversity, environmental sustainability, work- life
balance, more: https://recruit.ucdavis.edu/JPF03885

Apply Here: https://recruit.ucdavis.edu/JPF03885

In compliance with federal and state laws and university policy, the College of Biological Sciences
and the Department of Plant Biology will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national
origin, ancestry, marital status, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, handicap, medical
condition, or against disabled veterans or veterans of the Vietnam era.

UC Davis has a strong institutional commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and received an
NSF ADVANCE Institutional Transformation award for promoting diversity in STEM faculty, with
emphasis on Hispanic Women/Latinas ( http://ucd-advance.ucdavis.edu/ ). Several UC Davis
ADVANCE initiatives, such as the Center for Multicultural Perspectives in Science (CAMPOS), in
addition to Work-Life programs offered by the Office of the Vice Provost Academic Affairs are
working together to make UC Davis a model for inclusivity and collegiality for all academic faculty,
staff and students.

UC Davis supports family-friendly recruitments. UC Davis covers travel expenses for a second
person to accompany an invited faculty recruitment candidate who is a mother (or single parent of
either gender) of a breast or bottle-feeding child less than two years of age.

The UC Davis Partner Opportunities Program (POP) and Capital Resource Network (CRN)
( https://academicaffairs.ucdavis.edu/capital-resource-network ) are services designed to support
departments and deans offices in the recruitment and retention of outstanding faculty. Eligibility for
POP services is limited; for full program details please visit the website:
https://academicaffairs.ucdavis.edu/partner-opportunities-program-pop . For questions regarding
how these policies/programs affect academic appointees, contact Assistant Vice Provost Binnie
Singh at binsingh@ucdavis.edu .

UC Davis recognizes the necessity of supporting faculty with efforts to integrate work, family and
other work-life considerations. To recruit and retain the best faculty, the campus sponsors a
nationally recognized Work-Life Program for Academics
( https://academicaffairs.ucdavis.edu/work-life ) that provides programs and services that support
faculty as they strive to honor their commitments to work, home and community.

We are an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employer, and particularly encourage applications
from members of historically underserved racial/ethnic groups, women, individuals with
disabilities, veterans, LGBTQ community members, and others who demonstrate the ability to help
us achieve our vision of a diverse and inclusive community. For the complete University of
California nondiscrimination and affirmative action policy see this website:
https://policy.ucop.edu/doc/4000376/DiscHarassAffirmAction . If you need accommodation due to a
disability, please contact the recruiting college.

Under Federal law, the University of California may employ only individuals who are legally able to
work in the United States as established by providing documents as specified in the Immigration
Reform and Control Act of 1986. Certain positions funded by federal contracts or sub-contracts
require the selected candidate to pass an E-Verify check ( https://www.e-verify.gov ).