Assistant Professor and Chair of the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture Strategic Research Program (SRP) in Soils and Environment–Soil Nutrient Management

Applications are invited from qualified individuals for a full-time position as Assistant Professor and Chair of the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture Strategic Research Program (SRP) in Soils and Environment–Soil Nutrient Management. The successful candidate will be located within the Department of Soil Science in the College of Agriculture and Bioresources and will report to the Head of the Department of Soil Science.

The SRP conducts research to provide innovative soil nutrient management solutions to ensure profitable crop and livestock production while maintaining or improving soil, water, and air quality. They do this with the goal of providing solutions for Saskatchewan producers that support sustainable land management, while helping deliver on the Province’s climate change strategy.

Sustainable development of soil resources is the foundation on which agricultural production is based and is key to ensuring future food security. One key issue facing farmers in Canada and across the globe is climate change – recognizing the role that agricultural soils can play in sequestering carbon and reducing greenhouse gas (nitrous oxide in particular) emissions while also recognizing that future adaptations to climate change will be based upon improvements to current mitigation strategies (climate smart agriculture). Soil nutrient management plays significantly into mitigation strategies, while at the same time keeps the profitability of each strategy at the forefront for producers. Thus, the successful candidate will be responsible for research that focuses on soil nutrient management, and/or biological inputs, including the development and/or evaluation of fertilizers and soil amendments that optimize and enhance crop production, maintain or enhance soil quality, nutrient use efficiency, and provide definable environmental benefits for producers. This includes basic and applied research, though the focus is on field-based studies that will help inform producers as to best crop production practices that will maximize their ability to balance environmental interactions while maintaining or enhancing productivity of the cropping system as a whole.

The successful candidate will be expected to interact with producers and producer groups to identify and/or develop strategies that lead to a robust, sustainable agriculture sector. The successful applicant also will participate in the Department’s undergraduate and graduate teaching program, and mentor graduate and postdoctoral students. Teaching will not exceed 10% of the Chair’s time, with research, publishing findings, and engaging with the agricultural community encompassing the majority of their time.

In addition to establishing and maintaining professional relationships with faculty, staff and students, the candidate must establish successful research collaborations and relationships with potential soil science partners including new faculty hires in the digital agriculture cluster, Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada, the Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS), and across the University of Saskatchewan campus (e.g., Geography and Planning, School of Environment and Sustainability, Computer Science, Engineering). Key stakeholders may include members of the Saskatchewan Institute of Agrologists, Indigenous communities, non-profit organizations in the region, government, and industry. The successful candidate will have access to an extensive suite of state-of-the-art analytical instrumentation in the BMO Soil Analytical Lab and the Department’s Stable Isotope Lab.

Candidates should have completed (or nearly completed) a Ph.D. in an appropriate discipline, such as Soil Science or Agronomy. A demonstrated ability to plan and execute complex research activities is essential, and post-secondary teaching experience would be considered an asset.