"Specialist in Cooperative Extension (Professor of Cooperative Extension)-Groundwater Quantity and Quality - Located at the West Side Research and Extension Center (25-31)"

Position Overview

The University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR), in collaboration with the University of California, Merced, invites applications for a Professor of Cooperative Extension at the Assistant Rank, which has the formal appointment title Specialist in Cooperative Extension.

The Professor of Cooperative Extension-Groundwater Quantity and Quality will address the challenges of drought, climate change, and their link to long-term groundwater overdraft through an innovative research and extension program. In collaboration with academics, public agencies, and non-profit and private sector partners, they will build capacity across California to sustainably manage groundwater quantity and quality. The successful candidate is expected to develop applied research that supports sustainable use strategies and to conduct outreach that facilitates the adoption of new, science-based knowledge for water management in California's Central Valley. We seek a candidate with expertise in areas including hydrogeology, hydrogeochemistry, sustainable groundwater management, current (e.g., salinity, nitrates, TCPs) and emerging (e.g., microplastics, PFAS) contaminants in groundwater, groundwater monitoring and modeling, managed aquifer recharge, and strategic cropping systems.

Major duties and responsibilities include:

• Develop and implement a collaborative research, education, and outreach program with the goal of enhancing the sustainable use and quality of groundwater
• Conduct applied research on topics such as:
  • Subsurface hydrology and assessing groundwater quality in the San Joaquin Valley
  • Development and use of models of groundwater hydrology, groundwater/surface water interactions, and chemical fate and transport for management and planning activities, including various scenarios for water use in agriculture
  • Design of conjunctive use scenarios for sustainable farming under different cropping patterns
  • Evaluation of the impacts of climate change, droughts, floods, nitrates, pesticides, and other chemical applications on groundwater quality and quantity, and development of novel groundwater use strategies considering the quantity-quality relationship approach
  • Development of different scenarios and practical guidelines for groundwater recharge through field measurements, remote sensing, and modeling
  • Agricultural drainage and its impact on salinity management and groundwater quality
• Extend knowledge on groundwater quality and management through different modalities and approaches, which may include extension publications, newsletters, web pages, blogs, policy briefs, UCCE Advisor meetings, on-site visits to farmer locations, stakeholder validation workshops, and grower workshops.
• Develop and implement, in collaboration with UC ANR academics, educational programs on groundwater management, with a focus on conjunctive use that maximizes the sustainable use of available water. This includes groundwater assessment, development of irrigation management, and crop selection strategies.
• Collaborate with UCCE Advisors and Specialists, UC Merced faculty, UC Research and Extension Centers, and UC ANR statewide programs, institutes, and program teams to conduct applied research and inform extension efforts at the local, regional, and statewide levels.
• Engage with networks of groundwater management professionals throughout the state, including the Groundwater Resources Association, and provide expertise to agencies responsible for implementing and overseeing groundwater management, including the California Department of Water Resources (DWR), the State Water Resources Control Board, and regional Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs).
• Network with scientists from DWR, the California Department of Food and Agriculture, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the US Geological Survey, as well as with private sector experts and stakeholders working on groundwater management plans and technologies.
• Work closely with Westland and other water districts and relevant authorities to address implementation requirements and challenges of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) and other related programs (e.g., The Multibenefit Land Repurposing Program).
• Publish in relevant UCANR outlets and external scientific journals appropriate for the field of groundwater management.

Qualifications and Skills Required

Education: A minimum of a Ph.D. (or international equivalent) in Hydrogeology, Hydrogeochemistry, Geophysics, Water Resources, Hydrological Sciences, Natural Resources Management, or a closely related field is required at the time of appointment.

Key Qualifications

• Experience in groundwater research and extension
• Excellent written, oral, and interpersonal communication skills
• Strong publication record
• Experience in leading collaborative research teams
• Ability and means to travel on a flexible schedule as needed, proof of liability, and property damage insurance on the vehicle used are required. Must possess or obtain a valid California Driver's License to drive a university vehicle.
• Applicants must have unrestricted and permanent work authorization in the United States.
• This is not a remote position.

Salary & Benefits

Salary: The beginning salary will be in the Assistant Cooperative Extension Specialist Rank Step 1- $90,600 to Step 6 - $118,500 annually.

This position is eligible for indefinite status, subject to terms noted in Section 315 of the ANR Policy and Procedure Manual (PPM).

How to Apply

If interested in this position, please visit UC Recruit and choose 'applicants' (refer to position #25-31). To assure full consideration, application packets must be received by April 22, 2026 (open until filled).

Questions? Contact Tatiana Avoce at tavoce@ucanr.edu