The Department of Biological & Environmental Sciences (BES) and the Winfred Thomas Agricultural Research Station (WTARS) in the College of Agricultural, Life, and Natural Sciences (CALNS) at Alabama A&M University is seeking to hire a Research Scientist of Plant and Soil Science to support currently funded projects. The individual will be responsible for planning and conducting Plant and Soil research activities for industrial hemp and other crops grown at the WTARS site. Specifically, the individual will lead the effort to phenotypically evaluate, characterize, and select industrial hemp germplasm grown at the WTARS site. The individual will co-lead a comprehensive assessment of industrial hemp on carbon sequestration. Also, the individual will be expected to investigate the growth of industrial and bioenergy crops (hemp, Miscanthus, sorghum) grown at WTARS on soil health improvement. The individual will explore and perform high-throughput phenotyping for field trials at WTARS. The individual will be responsible for report and manuscript preparation as well as trainee mentoring. The individual can leverage the existing resources and his/her expertise set to develop new research projects toward strengthening research and educational capacity at Alabama A&M University.
Examples of Duties
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
Lead multiple industrial hemp projects which focus on the evaluation of varieties and genetic resources in northern Alabama in collaboration with external institutions.
Co-lead a comprehensive evaluation of the impact of industrial hemp as a high-efficiency carbon sequestration model plant.
Investigate the growth of industrial and bioenergy crops (industrial hemp, Miscanthus, sorghum) and other crops on soil health improvement.
Perform high-throughput phenotyping using unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV; drone) for multiple crop field trials in Winfred Thomas Agricultural Research Station.
Lead, train, guide, and allocate work to student employees, research assistants, and/or other research support personnel on specific aspects of research procedure, as appropriate to the role.
Data Quality Assurance & Quality Control.
Draft research progress reports and contribute proposals for submission to granting agency.
Lead and contribute to the development of scientific manuscripts and presentations describing the results of studies.
Typical Qualifications
Minimum Position Requirements (including certifications, licenses, etc.):
Ph.D. in Crop Science, Soil Science, Agronomy, Plant Genetics and Breeding, Environmental Science, or related fields
Extensive research experience (5+ years) in the areas above
Strong track record of primary contributions to peer-reviewed publications and grant proposals
Supplemental Information
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
Excellent written and oral communication skills
Attention to detail and excellent record keeping
Self-motivated individual who can take direction, but does not require direction
Able to independently design, set up, and conduct field, greenhouse experiments for crop and soil research projects
Able to produce scientific reports, presentations, and peer-reviewed manuscripts with minimal supervision
Able to work in a collaborative environment on team-based research
