"UC Cooperative Extension Specialist Food Safety, Drones, and Spectral Analysis Located at the University of California, Santa Cruz (25-38)"

Position Overview

The University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR), in collaboration with the University of California, Santa Cruz, invites applications for a UC Cooperative Extension (UCCE) Specialist at the Assistant rank.

Food safety is a major priority for California agriculture, especially in the fresh produce industry. This position will address the evolving food safety challenges in specialty crop production, bringing needed scientific and technical expertise to the field, with a focus on the intersection between food safety and organic/regenerative farming practices. The Specialist will examine the potential of agricultural technologies, such as drones, spectral analysis, and sensors, to help California growers ensure the safety of their harvest while using organic and regenerative practices.

UC Cooperative Extension (UCCE) Specialists

develop and conduct research and educational programs aimed at appropriate clientele groups in communities outside of UC campuses. UCCE Specialists have programs primarily focused on mission-oriented research or creative work that support the university's efforts to extend knowledge, including outreach and community engagement. Mission-oriented research describes the complete research continuum that extends from basic research to applications of research results. This research is generally applied in nature and has, as a goal, finding solutions for problems facing society related to the mission of the UCCE Specialist's discipline and the UCCE mission. UCCE Specialists publish the results of applied research in a combination of peer-reviewed publications and stakeholder-facing materials, including refereed journals, technical reports, and white papers, tailored to the needs of the audiences their programs serve.

Extension programs disseminate knowledge and information to clientele groups to help them better understand and address problems and opportunities they face. The extension educational program serves the University's public service mission. Educational program activities include but are not limited to collaborations with UCCE Advisors, other UCCE Specialists, campus faculty, program teams, workgroups, or clientele groups; developing and presenting educational materials; communicating to clientele through broadcast, print, or electronic media; participating in meetings with clientele; developing and delivering in-service training courses; organizing or participating in workshops, field tours, symposia or conferences. Much of this work is conducted in partnership with UC ANR's locally based UCCE Advisors. The UCCE Specialist-Advisor and faculty partnership creates an applied research network that benefits both the University and the public at large. This position does not include formal classroom instruction at the University.

Location Headquarters

The Specialist will be part of the University of California, Santa Cruz Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The position will be based primarily at the Westside Research Park, near the UCSC main campus, managed by the Baskin School of Engineering, with secondary office space and presence required at the Monterey Bay Education, Science, and Technology Center (MBEST), in the emerging food safety nexus of Monterey County.

Position Details

While the Food Safety Modernization Act dictates federal mandates for food safety regulation, wholesalers and buyers drive current compliance practices with more stringent standards enforced via third-party regulators. This de facto enforcement landscape, with proprietary third-party metrics, is obscure and does not necessarily utilize science-based assessment of food safety outcomes. Moreover, increasing pressures for organic/regenerative farm practices (e.g., compost, hedgerows for biodiversity, conservation setbacks, reduced chemical applications), driven by consumers and produce buyers, are often at odds with food safety risk reduction best practices. Food safety concerns include issues such as E. coli and other bacterial contaminants from animal and bird waste deposited on or around crops, relationships between natural habitats on farms and bacterial pathogens, use or misuse of chemical pesticides, and impacts on worker and community health. As technological innovations advance, there is a need to apply novel technologies to these and other pressing food safety challenges. This Specialist will examine and exploit the potential of agricultural technologies to address food safety.

Primary duties and responsibilities for this Specialist include:

• Collaborating extensively with UCSC faculty, as well as UC ANR's network of advisors, specialists, AES faculty, statewide programs, program teams, and institutes. Additional potential collaborators include other UC campuses, the California State University Monterey Bay, Hartnell College, Cabrillo Community College, other academic institutions, community partners, government agencies, and industry partners.
• Designing and conducting applied research focused on the intersection of food safety and technology. Potential areas of research include:
  • Novel approaches to assessing runoff and water contamination using landscape-level assessments across multiple sources (rangeland/pasture, urban, etc.)
  • New technologies for assessing food safety risk (multispectral imaging, AI) through field scouting (aerial and terrestrial drones) for vector identification and crop characteristics
  • Research on the impact of amendments on food safety outcomes
  • Research on the effects of conservation practices (soil amendments, compost, hedgerows, wetlands, conservation habitat) on food safety outcomes across different cropping systems and climatic regions
  • Legislative recommendations for drone safety, piloting, and licensing in the agricultural context
  • Novel approaches to drone applications (spraying, biological payload delivery, imaging) and effectiveness based on scale and frequency
  • Integration of environmental sensors with drone applications for real-time adaptation based on site data
  • Implications of transitioning to drone spray applications from large aerial vehicles for regulations on drift, overspray, buffers, and community health impacts
• Building an effective extension education program (statewide trainings, workshops, educational resources, website, etc.) that helps partners and clientele implement technology strategies to improve food safety outcomes. The Specialist will serve as a resource for UCCE Advisors, county agricultural commissioners, pest control associations, government scientists, and regulatory personnel. Additionally, the Specialist will have significant engagement with youth training and workforce development, informing the practices and skills needed to train the next generation of agricultural workers with high-tech skills.
• Publishing findings in accessible formats, including peer-reviewed journals, ANR outlets, industry publications, and relevant online platforms, to widen the reach and impact of research outcomes.
• Participating in professional society activities and scholarly contributions, attaining goals of state, national, and international recognition over time.

Geographic Area of Responsibility

This state-wide position will serve the agriculture sector across California, helping farmers, growers, and ranchers move towards more organic/regenerative and high-tech agriculture. This is an exciting opportunity to impact diverse communities throughout the state.

Reporting Relationship:

The position will be academically positioned within the UC Santa Cruz Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The appointment is within UC ANR, and UC ANR will oversee the merit and promotion process, consistent with other UC ANR CE Specialists, in consultation with the UCSC Department Chair. The CE specialist will also hold an additional 0% (uncompensated) CE Specialist appointment at UCSC. It is not a remote position; the candidate must be available to work onsite at the UCSC campus and MBEST.

Qualifications and Skills Required

Education

A minimum of a Ph.D. (or equivalent) in electrical engineering, agricultural engineering, computer engineering, or a related field is required at the time of appointment. Applicants who have not yet earned a Ph.D. must be within 12 months of completing their degree to be considered for the position.

Key Qualifications

• Demonstrated expertise in technologies that can be applied in agriculture, such as drones
• Substantive experience in one or more areas related to the position, such as organic and regenerative agriculture, food safety, and technology
• Excellent written, oral, and interpersonal communication skills, with the ability to present information clearly to non-scientific and public audiences
• Demonstrated record of productivity in research as evidenced by publications in peer-reviewed journals
• A track record of effectively engaging with a diverse range of stakeholders
• Experience in leading collaborative research teams
• Applicants need to meet appointment criteria for the respective University of California academic title series per the UC Academic Personnel Manuals
• 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.
• We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa at this time. Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the U.S. at the time of hire.
• As a condition of employment, the finalist will be required to disclose if they are subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct, are currently being investigated for misconduct, left a position during an investigation for alleged misconduct, or have filed an appeal with a previous employer. 'Misconduct' means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant's prior place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment, discrimination, dishonesty, or unethical conduct, as defined by the employer.
• This is not a remote position.

Desired Experience

• Experience with integrated research and educational projects and extension to diverse audiences
• A track record of applying for and securing extramural funding

Skills Required

To be successful, UCCE Specialist positions require skills in the following:

Technical competence
- Conduct and report needs assessments to identify priority issues or problems relevant to the clientele groups served.
- Develop and implement effective UC ANR Cooperative Extension applied research and educational programs to address the identified priority needs of the clientele that are consistent with ANR's Strategic Vision and ANR Initiatives.
- Conduct applied research designed to reduce food safety risk in California agriculture via technology innovations.

Communication
- Disseminate appropriate, science-based information to inform clientele, using extension methods that are responsive to clientele needs and suitable for the audience and situation.
- Maintain and promote UC ANR Cooperative Extension's credibility by providing science-based knowledge.
- Evaluate programs and report accomplishments, results, and potential or actual impacts to scientific and lay audiences through various outreach methods, e.g., peer-reviewed publications, internet, workshops, and newsletters.

Collaboration & Teamwork
- Build collaborative working relationships with CE Advisors, CE Specialists, Academic Coordinators, AES faculty, and program staff across UC ANR, via participation in program teams and work groups.
- Engage with a network external to UC ANR, including agricultural industry stakeholders, agencies that serve farmers, government agency partners, and community partners.

Lifelong Learning
- Participate in professional organizations related to technology and food safety.
- Demonstrate commitment to ongoing growth - both professionally and as a person.

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. Step placement in this series is based on applicable experience and professional qualifications. For information regarding the Cooperative Extension Specialist series salary scales, please refer to https://www.ucop.edu/academic-personnel-programs/_files/2025-26/policy-covered-july-2025-scales/t29.pdf.

This position is eligible for indefinite status, subject to terms noted in Section 315 of UC ANR Policy and Procedure Manual, Section 315. If the successful candidate is currently a UCCE Specialist with indefinite status, the candidate will be offered the position commensurate with applicable experience and professional qualifications with eligibility to retain such indefinite status.

The Cooperative Extension Specialist position is a two-year renewable term appointment. Performance in this position is evaluated annually, with merit actions being evaluated every two years. Upon completing a successful review, you may be reappointed for another definite term. Our intention with this definite term appointment is to be reappointed based on positive performance reviews and the continuing need for the position.

Benefits: The University of California offers comprehensive benefits, including two days per month paid vacation, one day per month paid sick leave, and paid holidays. This position is eligible for sabbatical leave privileges per the terms of University policy. ANR is part of UC's Family-Friendly Policies. For more information, refer to the UC Benefits website at: http://ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/

How to Apply

If interested in this position, please visit: https://recruit.ucanr.edu/ and choose 'applicants' (refer to position #25-38). An in-person finalist interview may be required as part of the search process.

Closing Date: To assure full consideration, application packets must be received by February 10, 2026 (open until filled).

Questions?
Contact Tatiana Avoce at tavoce@ucanr.edu

Application Requirements

Document requirements
* Curriculum Vitae - Your most recently updated C.V.
* Cover Letter
* Statement of Research and Extension - Statement of Research and Extension
Please submit a 2-page Statement of Research and Extension Interests including how your current and/or past research and extension experience could contribute to, or be applicable to, the needs of the local community. Provide examples of potential goals and outcomes from your research and extension activities.
* References - Please provide three references (names, titles and contact information).
* Transcripts - College Level Transcripts
Electronic transcripts or legible scanned copies (PDF) of original transcripts will be accepted. Transcripts must identify course work completed, grades earned, degrees conferred and confer dates. Please DO NOT send transcripts that are password protected.

Reference requirements
* 3-5 required (contact information only)

Three names, titles and contact information.