Assistant Professor in Microbiology and Cell Science

Ast Prof

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is creating an environment that affirms community across all dimensions. We particularly welcome applicants who can contribute to such an environment through their scholarship, teaching, mentoring, and professional service. If an accommodation due to a disability is needed to apply for this position, please call 352-392-2477 or the Florida Relay System at 800-955-8771 (TDD) or visit Accessibility at UF .

This is a 9 month tenure-accruing position that will be 30% teaching (College of Agricultural and Life Sciences) and 70% research (Florida Agricultural Experiment Station), available in the Ft. Lauderdale Research and Education Center, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, at the University of Florida.  This assignment may change in accordance with the needs of the unit.  Duties will include maintaining an externally funded research program in the preferred areas of environmental microbiology or natural product interactions between host and microbe.  Other areas may be considered.  Teaching will include teaching our required undergraduate lab courses for our undergraduate majors.  This includes our introductory lab course (MCB 3023L) in the Fall semester and our advanced lab course (MCB 4034L) in the spring semester.  The focus of Graduate teaching will be the mentoring of Ph.D. students in the incumbent’s research program.  Tenure will accrue in the Department of Microbiology and Cell Science. The faculty member will seek contract and grant funding actively to support their program.  The faculty member will engage in Extension activities in their program area.  

The successful candidate will engage in scholarly activities related to instruction, including teaching undergraduate and/or graduate courses, advising and mentoring undergraduate and graduate students, participating in curriculum revision and enhancement, seeking funding for the teaching program, supervising undergraduate and graduate research and creative work, publishing teaching-related scholarship, producing learning tools, and engaging in professional development activities related to teaching and advising.  Faculty are encouraged to support and participate in the CALS Honors Program, distance education, and international education.

Because of the IFAS land-grant mission, all faculty are expected to be supportive of and engaged in all three mission areas—Research, Teaching and Extension—regardless of the assignment split specified in the position description.

Background Information :

The University of Florida is a Land-Grant, Sea-Grant, and Space-Grant institution, encompassing virtually all academic and professional disciplines, with an enrollment of more than 56,000 students.  UF is a member of The Association of American Universities.  The University of Florida is home to HiPerGator 3.0 , one of the most powerful supercomputers available to a University in the world.  It includes 49,920 AMD cores for traditional computing and 608 NVIDIA GPUs for artificial intelligence analyses.

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences includes the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences , the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station , the Florida Cooperative Extension Service , the College of Veterinary Medicine , the Florida Sea Grant program, and encompasses 16 on-campus academic departments and schools, 12 Research and Educational Centers (REC) located throughout the state, 6 Research sites/demonstration units administered by RECs or academic departments, and Florida Cooperative Extension Service offices in all 67 counties (counties operate and maintain). The School of Natural Resources and Environment is an interdisciplinary unit housed in IFAS and managed by several colleges on campus.  UF/IFAS employs nearly 4,500 people, which includes approximately 990 salaried faculty and 1,400 permanent support personnel located in Gainesville and throughout the state. IFAS, one of the nation’s largest agricultural and natural resources research and education organizations, is administered by a Vice President and four deans: the Dean of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, the Dean for Extension and Director of the Florida Cooperative Extension Service, the Dean for Research and Director of the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station, and the Dean for the College of Veterinary Medicine.  UF/IFAS also engages in cooperative work with Florida A&M University in Tallahassee.

The Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center is a unit in the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences at the University of Florida and has diverse teaching, research, and extension education programs with 19 faculty members located on the Davie campus. Other agencies represented at the Center are the USDA-ARS Invasive Plant Research Laboratory, US Geological Survey, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and US Fish and Wildlife Service.  The Center is located in central Broward County, providing rich and diverse cultural opportunities, while also being minutes from the Everglades Ecosystem and the Atlantic Ocean.

The Microbiology and Cell Science Department has 27 tenured or tenure-track faculty, 6 lecturers, 60 PhD students, 700 MS students, and 1,000 undergraduate students.  The Department has a broad portfolio of external funding sources including NIH, NSF, USDA, NASA, DoD, DOE, JDRF, CRDF, and many more.  The Department has a strong commitment to computational and bioinformatics training that is crucial for our graduates to be blue chip recruits for positions in the life sciences.  We have close partnerships with Miami Dade College, Indian River State College, and Valencia College.  Our students include both residential and distance students at the B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. levels. 

Commensurate with Education and Experience

A doctorate (foreign equivalent acceptable) in microbiology, cell biology, or a closely related discipline is required.  Candidates should have demonstrated skills in verbal and written communication, interpersonal relationships, and procurement of extramural funding.  Experience in publishing in the peer-reviewed literature of the candidate’s field is required. Candidates must be supportive of the mission of the Land-Grant system.  Candidates must also have a commitment to UF core values of excellence, discovery & innovation, inclusion, freedom & civility, community, and stewardship.  Postdoctoral experience is required.

Current external funding that can be brought to the University of Florida.

For full consideration, candidates should apply and submit materials by February 15, 2024.  The position will remain open until a viable applicant pool is determined.

Nominations

Nominations are welcome.  Nominations need to include the complete name and address of the nominee. This information should be sent to:

Please refer to Requisition # 530042

Dr. Willm Martens-Habbena

Chair, Search and Screen Committee

University of Florida

Ft. Lauderdale Research and Education Center

3205 College Avenue

Davie, FL 33314-7799

Telephone:                               954-577-6372

Electronic Mail:                      [email protected]

Application Information

• Individuals wishing to apply should go online to Careers at UF and submit:
• Cover letter that states applicant’s interest in the position and qualifications relative to the credentials listed above
• Curriculum vitae
• Contact information (including email addresses) for three individuals willing to write letters of recommendation
• One-two page description of research plans
• One page teaching philosophy description
• Unofficial transcripts

Selected candidate will be required to provide an official transcript to the hiring department upon hire. A transcript will not be considered “official” if a designation of “Issued to Student” is visible.  Degrees earned from an education institution outside of the United States are required to be evaluated by a professional credentialing service provider approved by National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) .

Hiring is contingent upon eligibility to work in the US. The University of Florida is a public institution and subject to all requirements under Florida Sunshine and Public Record laws.

The University of Florida is an Equal Opportunity Institution. The University and greater Gainesville community enjoy a variety of cultural events, restaurants, year-round outdoor recreational activities, and social opportunities.