Assistant Professor - Specialty Crop Weed Scientist

Department of Horticulture

Specialty Crop Weed Scientist

The Department of Horticulture in the College of Agriculture at Auburn University is seeking applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor position in specialty crop weed science. This full-time, nine-month appointment includes 75% research and 25% instruction responsibilities. The successful candidate will develop a nationally recognized, externally funded program focused on weed management in specialty crop production systems. The projected start date is August 16^th, 2027.

Responsibilities: The successful candidate will establish an innovative, externally funded research program that advances scientific understanding and develops practical solutions for weed detection, management, and control in economically important specialty crops, including food and ornamental crops produced in conventional and organic systems. The candidate is also expected to conduct applied field research that addresses critical weed management challenges and delivers practical, research-based solutions that benefit commercial specialty crop producers in Alabama. Depending on the candidate’s expertise and program direction, the research may integrate chemical and nonchemical approaches with emerging technologies such as advanced sensors, unmanned aerial vehicles, rovers, autonomous scouting, precision application, and other smart systems. The incumbent will exhibit excellent written and oral communications skills while collaborating with departmental and university scientists, Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station personnel, Alabama Cooperative Extension System specialists and regional agents, industry partners, commodity groups, and commercial producers. The candidate will publish in peer-reviewed journals, present findings to scientific and industry audiences, and provide research-based information that supports Extension education and producer decision-making. Instructional responsibilities will include developing and teaching a four-credit undergraduate/graduate course in Weed Management in Specialty Cropping Systems and developing and teaching an additional graduate course aligned with the candidate’s expertise and student needs. The incumbent will mentor undergraduate researchers and graduate students and participate in departmental, college, university, and professional service.

Qualifications: Minimum qualifications include an earned Ph.D. in horticulture, crop science, agronomy, or another closely related plant science discipline from an accredited institution by the time employment begins; experience conducting field research in agricultural cropping systems; experience using conventional or novel methods for weed detection and control in an agricultural cropping system. The ideal candidate is also expected to exhibit a record of scholarly productivity that includes peer-reviewed publications and presentations at scientific conferences; success in securing competitive research grant funding; and teaching experience at the undergraduate level. The incumbent must meet eligibility requirements for work in the United States at the time the appointment is scheduled to begin and maintain legal authorization to work for the term of employment.

Desirable qualifications include: Postdoctoral experience; specialized scholarly research in specialty crop weed science; experience conducting field research in specialty crop production systems; experience with both conventional and novel weed management systems, including organic production systems; experience serving as principal investigator on competitive grants supporting research or Extension outreach; experience mentoring undergraduate researchers and serving as major professor for M.S. or Ph.D. students; experience working in crop protection, agricultural technology, or related agricultural industry sectors; experience conducting collaborative research trials on commercial farms; and experience as instructor of record for an undergraduate weed science course.

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