President's Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics

The Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics at the University of Minnesota is seeking an agronomist, weed scientist, biochemist, biotechnologist, physiologist, geneticist/genomicist, breeder, or bioinformatician within the realm of climate smart agriculture.

The University seeks applicants whose research, teaching, and service will contribute to diversity, inclusion, and equal opportunity in higher education and at the University of Minnesota. Our goal is to recruit diverse applicants who may be considered for tenure track positions at the University of Minnesota. The President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program is interested in scholars with the potential to bring to their research and teaching the perspective that comes from their educational background or understanding of the experiences of groups historically underrepresented in higher education. Post-Doctoral Associates conduct research and/or service that provides further development of career skills or allows them opportunities to learn new research techniques. They are trained by and work in conjunction with a faculty mentor who determines the training agenda. This position does require the PPFP recipient to be in residence in Minnesota. Participating departments in the PPFP program have a commitment to providing professional development and mentoring to the selected fellow which will include:

1. Mentoring plan
The department will have multiple tiers of support, mentoring, professional development and academic networking opportunities for the fellow including: a welcoming committee, mentoring committee, department head, personnel committee, and host laboratories. Our overall goal is to provide the type of mentoring, professional development and academic networking that will ensure success.

a. Welcoming committee. This committee will be composed of faculty members, a graduate student, staff member and postdoc. This committee will be primarily responsible for helping the fellow become comfortable with the basic workings (eg., grant submissions, seminar schedules, Minnesota Supercomputer Institute account, growth chamber, greenhouse and field rental, etc.) of the department, college and University. The welcoming committee will also host a department-wide coffee to introduce the fellow to the department.

b. Mentoring committee. This committee will meet with the fellow quarterly and discuss research progress and future plans. The Fellow will be asked to develop an Individual Development Plan that the mentoring committee can use to benchmark progress.

c. Personnel committee. This is a standing committee in the department that is tasked with evaluating faculty in the department. The fellow will be evaluated yearly by the personnel committee and feedback will be provided by the Head in an annual one-on-one meeting.

d. Head. The head will formally meet with the fellow twice per year (and more frequently if needed) to discuss research progress, issues, and answer questions. The head will also meet with the Fellow to provide a yearly evaluation.

e. Host labs. The fellow will be aligned with two host labs that share aspects of the fellow’s research area. The fellow will attend lab meetings. In addition, space in the host labs will also help integrate the fellow with other faculty labs on campus.

f. Seminar. In year 1, the fellow will be asked to present a seminar in the Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics seminar series, which will be accompanied by a reception. This will introduce the fellow to the larger plant sciences community and campus.

g. Networking. Networking opportunities exist within the department and campus including: (1) social activities; (2) seminars; (3) membership in campus institutes and initiatives (e.g., the Forever Green Initiative, or the Center for Precision Plant Genomics).

2. Teaching and research plan and expectations
a. Teaching plan and expectations. In year one, the PPF will participate in at least one University workshop focused on teaching and in year two will co-teach, with a senior faculty member, a graduate level course in their area of expertise. Thus, the Fellow will receive mentoring and instruction during the first year and then teach with an experienced faculty member in year two. With the goal to improve the Fellow’s teaching, a peer review will be conducted by two faculty in the department and feedback provided to the Fellow.

b. Research plan and expectations. The PPF will develop an individual research plan focused on agronomy, weed science, biochemistry, biotechnology, plant physiology, plant genetics/genomics, plant breeding, or bioinformatics applied to climate smart agriculture. The mentoring committee and Head will evaluate the individual research plan, provide feedback and use it to benchmark progress. The PPF will be encouraged to develop collaborations with faculty on campus and at other Universities and Institutes. The PPF will work in a host lab that shares the PPF’s research interests, attend lab meetings, and be encouraged to develop collaborations with faculty members in the department, on campus and at other Universities and Institutes.

Note: These are not positions to which permanent residency can be granted for international appointees, however all applicants are encouraged to apply, regardless of their citizenship status.

CFANS is committed to the University of California mentoring mission of the postdoctoral fellowship program, The identified mentor will be named after final candidate selection.  While applying through the University of California portal, applicants for this position are asked to use Brian Buhr (cfans-ppfp@umn.edu) where a template letter of support from the college will be provided.  After interview and selection, our finalist will receive a single letter of support from their identified University of Minnesota faculty mentor.

The PPF will develop a research program with a focus on climate smart agriculture for upper midwestern landscapes. The PPF will participate in professional development activities to improve their teaching and co-teach a graduate level course.

Required Qualifications:
●    Ph.D. in agronomy, weed science, biochemistry, biotechnology, plant physiology, plant genetics/genomics, plant breeding, bioinformatics or a related discipline.
●    Demonstrated commitment to advancing and promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion including the ability to work respectfully and effectively with individuals with diverse identities and underrepresented groups.
●    Demonstrated research emphasis in agronomy, weed science, biochemistry, biotechnology, plant physiology, plant genetics/genomics, plant breeding, bioinformatics or a related discipline

Preferred Qualifications:
●    Strong publication record in disciplines related to the position
●    Evidence of potential to initiate and sustain extramurally funded research
●    Evidence of ability to teach undergraduate and graduate level courses