Junior Specialist/Swett lab

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES AND DESIGNATED AREAS OF EXPERTISE

Junior Specialists in the Swett lab are expected have an interest in sustainable agriculture, plant health management, fungal evolution and ecology, extension, disease diagnostics, or a related field. The incumbent must be a motivated, organized, and independently driven individual who is able to work and collaborate with members of the lab in a professional manner. They must therefore have excellent organization skills, including abilities for short term and long-term time management. As a contributor to research projects, the incumbent is expected to contribute to scholarly manuscripts, outreach publications and reports, and present work at local, statewide and national meetings. Work will be conducted in the lab, in campus greenhouses, field research stations on and off campus, and on commercial farms. Crop foci include tomato, garlic, and onion, although some research projects encompass a wide range of allied rotation crops. The Swett lab is a supportive community strongly committed to mentoring, and aims to position Junior specialists to be competitive for diverse career tracks or to graduate programs; career mentoring is included as part of this position.

I. Research (70%)

Diverse research project directions are available and can be adapted to the incumbent's interests. Current research projects can be found at: https://swettlab.faculty.ucdavis.edu/research/

The incumbent of this position will be actively and significantly involved in publishable research activities through the following roles and duties:

* Assist the PI in discovery and documentation of new pathogens through analyses of unknown diseases present in vegetable and field crops in California, pathogen characterization (molecular identification and Koch's postulates) and preparation of outreach articles for trade journals and first reports for publication in peer reviewed journals.

* Assist the PI and research cooperators in development and establishment of field trials (experimental design, study set up), data collection, quantitative microbial risk assessment analyses, data analysis and interpretation.

* Contribution to resulting reports, grant proposals, outreach articles for trade journals, and scholarly manuscripts for peer reviewed journals.

* Under PI supervision, develop and conduct laboratory and greenhouse trials to test hypotheses relating to fungal pathogen ecology, evolution, and management through design, study installation, data collection and analysis, and preparation of scholarly manuscripts and reports-either relevant sections, or entire manuscripts, based on the extent of the contribution.

* Project development will involve active engagement of literature in project development and interpretation beyond that expected in a purely technical capacity, for hypothesis development, development and optimization of protocols, and development of introductory and discussion material in the preparation of manuscripts and reports.

* As a full time lab member, this position includes responsibility for maintaining safety standards and meeting regulatory requirements, staff training and mentoring (undergraduate student technicians), and general laboratory maintenance.

II. Professional Competence (10%):

* The incumbent will present research at both statewide outreach meetings, regional plant pathology meetings (e.g. Soil Borne Pathogens Conference, American Pathological Society, Pacific Division) and national meetings (e.g. American Pathological Society Annual Meeting). Presentations will be delivered in poster and oral presentation formats. The incumbent will have opportunities to develop presentation abilities in laboratory meetings and the UC Davis plant pathology department retreat and other local (on-campus) events.

* The incumbent will be encouraged to have membership with the American Phytopathological Society, Pacific Division and national.

III. University and Public Service (5%):

* As part of UC service and service to the public, the incumbent will help serve critical disease diagnosis needs for crop producers as well as for research projects. These diagnosis services are conducted free of charge, representing a significant service to the agricultural producers research community.

* As a component of university service, the incumbent will also be asked to serve on one or more department committees, such as the Department Safety Committee or the Facilities Committee.

* As a public service, the incumbent will also be encouraged to deliver oral presentations at public events, such as those held by California Department of Water Resources and Sonoma County Mycological Association meetings.

* She/he is also encouraged to participate in public disease diagnosis clinics run by UC Davis-this is a public diagnostic service for the community, held at the UC Davis Arboretum Plant Sales.

This position requires a minimum of a Bachelor of Science in Plant Pathology or related discipline in hand by start date.

NOTE: The junior specialist rank is an entry level position; accordingly, it is inappropriate to hire applicants with advanced degrees in this field, or those with BS degrees and three years' relevant work experience

• 3-5 required (contact information only)

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 previous 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.
• UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy
• UC Anti-Discrimination Policy for Employees, Students and Third Parties
• APM - 035: Affirmative Action and Nondiscrimination in Employment

To implement this process, UC Davis requires all applicants for any open search to complete, sign, and upload the form entitled, "Authorization to Release Information" into UC RECRUIT as part of their application. If an applicant does not include the signed authorization with the application materials, the application will be considered incomplete, and as with any incomplete application, will not receive further consideration.

UC Davis is a smoke and tobacco-free campus (http://breathefree.ucdavis.edu/).

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected status under state for federal law.

Under Federal law, the University of California may employ only individuals who are legally able to work in the United States as established by providing documents as specified in the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. Certain UC Davis positions funded by federal contracts or sub-contracts require the selected candidate to pass an E-Verify check. More information is available at: http://www.uscis.gov/e-verify

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