"Assistant Professor"

There is an important need to develop data-driven solutions for addressing complex problems facing agriculture and the environment for a sustainable future. With its central motivation to improve agricultural efficiency and contribute to this need, Minnesota’s AGREETT (Agricultural Research Education, Extension and Technology Transfer) initiative is making significant investments in agricultural research, education, and Extension to work in key areas of agricultural production taking advantage of the technological changes that are transforming agriculture and complementing the University’s MnDRIVE (MN Driven Innovation Economy) initiative investments.

The Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering, College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences (CFANS) at the University of Minnesota, seeks candidates for a 9-month tenure-track assistant professor position in the broader area of Data Science for Agricultural and Ecosystem Sustainability with research and teaching (50%/50%) responsibilities.

The goal of the Data Science for Agricultural and Ecosystem Sustainability position is to improve efficiency in agricultural and ecological systems by developing new ways to collect, interpret, and analyze agricultural and environmental data at various scales, to integrate data science, bioinformatics, computational modeling, and machine learning, and help create sustainable solutions to improve decision-making. Areas of research may include quantifying the interactions between agricultural and ecological systems and the biotic, abiotic and/or physical factors affecting agricultural efficiency and environmental sustainability and incorporating prospective life-cycle assessment (LCA) and techno-economic assessment of emerging/next-generation technologies for solving sustainability challenges related to agriculture and broader ecosystems. The faculty member will be expected to advance the design and implementation of highly efficient sustainable agricultural systems and sustainable environmental management solutions. The scope may cover a broad spectrum of disciplines in Data Science for Agricultural and Ecosystem Sustainability, from data collection, analysis, and integration with computational modeling, systems thinking, analysis, and management, database development to dissemination technologies/platforms.

The University of Minnesota’s robust research, teaching, and Extension programs have a long history of developing and delivering cutting-edge research and education to farmers and other stakeholders. The person in this faculty position will address a critical need in the broad area of data science and agriculture and ecosystem sustainability. Responsibilities include working with both the public and private sectors to develop new technologies and guidelines for improving agricultural systems efficiency and environmental sustainability. This faculty member will help Minnesota maintain its strong leadership position in data science applications in sustainable agriculture.

The person in this position is expected to develop a nationally and internationally recognized research program, seek and secure extramural research funding from state and national competitive grant programs, and develop an independent research program of basic and applied research. The person is expected to build collaborations across disciplines and closely interact with other departments within CFANS and CSE, and across the University including the Precision Agriculture Center, AI-LEAF, U-Spatial, MN Super Computing Institute, GEMS-Informatics, and the University of Minnesota Data Science Institute (DSI). The University of Minnesota offers opportunities to work with engineers, agricultural and ecological scientists, and other faculty on campus and a network of Research and Outreach Centers across the state.

Teaching responsibilities for this position are envisioned to include undergraduate and graduate level courses offered by the department and related to the successful candidate’s discipline and background, including the Sustainable Systems Management (SSM) program courses, computer applications, and potential electives on topics such as big data analytics, machine learning, circular economy, digital agriculture, agro-informatics, and ecoinformatics. The Sustainable Systems Management major aims to advance society’s goals of sustainability in our global economy and the environment (https://bbe.umn.edu/undergraduate/sustainable-systems-management-major). The SSM curriculum includes courses such as Systems Thinking, Environmental Life Cycle Analysis, Environmental Management Systems and Strategy, Sustainability of Food Systems, Recycling: Extending Raw Materials, etc. Other faculty responsibilities include advising graduate students and service commitments to the department, college, University, and the profession.

Required:

• PhD in data science, machine learning, artificial intelligence, computer science, bioinformatics, or a related agricultural, environmental, ecological or sustainability field.
• Basic and relevant applied research experience in agricultural and ecological systems sustainability that are important in Minnesota.
• Demonstrated record of publication within discipline.

Preferred

• Preference will be given to candidates with: a strong peer reviewed publication record and experience in data science or machine learning applications, agro-informatics, eco-informatics; evidence of abilities to work collaboratively on multidisciplinary projects; evidence of potential to develop and manage independent interdisciplinary research programs at the forefront of the discipline; evidence of effective teaching with diverse audiences and excellent written and oral communication skills; demonstrated experience in obtaining external funding; interest in, experience with, and commitment to diversity and inclusiveness.