Tenured/Tenure Track: Assistant or Associate Professor in Microbial Forensics and Biosecurity

Job description

Tenured/Tenure-Track: Assistant or Associate Professor in Microbial Forensics and Biosecurity Plant Pathology and Microbiology

Location College Station

Open Date 12/17/2024

Position ID 154162


Description
The Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology (https://plantpathology.tamu.edu/) at the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences on the main College Station campus of Texas A&M University invites applications for one full-time, tenure-track or tenured position with a 9-month academic appointment beginning March 1, 2025.

Applicants will be considered for the faculty title of Assistant or Associate Professor.

The breakdown of effort for this position is research (60%), teaching (30%), and service (10%).

The successful candidate will be offered a competitive salary, startup package, and laboratory space in the state-of-the-art Plant Pathology and Microbiology building.

GENERAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The successful candidate is expected to develop and lead an independent, high-impact, extramurally funded, and internationally recognized research program relevant to the anticipation, identification, mitigation, description, and/or management of threats to agricultural biosecurity.

Candidates with background in any discipline applicable to the development of such a program, including but not limited to disease and pest management, computational biology, risk assessment, epidemiological modeling, diagnostics, actuarial sciences, or microbiology are encouraged to apply.

Potential research emphases for the position include origins and movement of microbial pathogens, robust microbial forensics methods and technologies, disease dynamics and epidemiology of emergent and novel pathogens, and computational applications such as surveillance and modeling, digital twin systems, and threat detection.

Additional responsibilities will include teaching graduate and undergraduate level courses, chairing and serving on graduate committees, and service to the department, university, and the profession.

The Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology (PLPM) hosts undergraduate programs in Bioenvironmental Sciences and Environmental Studies and a graduate program in Plant Pathology.

The department also includes faculty in the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Centers located across Texas.

Collaboration opportunities at Texas A&M include College- and University-level developments such as faculty specialization in Agricultural Forensics (Department of Entomology), a Microbiomes faculty cluster (multiple departments, including PLPM, in the College of Agriculture and Life Science), and a new Biosecurity and Pandemic Policy Center within the Bush School of Government and Public Service.

RESOURCES

Texas A&M University is a public, land-grant institution with many high-quality academic units conducting research in the various fields of agriculture and life sciences.

The university promotes multiscale-based interdisciplinary research to advance foundational knowledge and application in agriculture, engineering, and medicine.

In addition to departments, Texas A&M University has several interdisciplinary graduate programs including Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Genetics and Genomics, and Molecular and Environmental Plant Sciences.

The campus has core facilities (https://vpr.tamu.edu/research-resources/core-facilities/) supporting research requiring protein and nucleic acid technologies, high- and super-resolution fluorescent imaging, high-performance computing, plant growth and transformation facilities, as well as animal facilities, including BSL3 facilities.

Texas A&M University houses the Center for Phage Technology, the AgriLife Genomics and Bioinformatics Core Facility, the Experimental Genomics Core Facility, the High-Performance Research Computing facility, the Initiative in Plant Pathology & Microbiology on the Root Rhizosphere, the Microscopy and Imaging Center, and the Integrated Metabolomics Analysis Core.

ABOUT THE COMMUNITY

The University is in College Station, which combined with the twin city of Bryan, forms a metropolitan community of approximately 275,000 people with high-quality amenities and a low cost of living.

In addition to excellent health, education, and recreational services, the community affords a rich variety of cultural activities typical of a major university environment, including sports, museums, music, art, and theater.

The College Station-Bryan area is also centrally located between Texas’ major metro areas including Houston, Dallas-Ft Worth, Austin, and San Antonio.

Texas A&M University is aware that attracting and retaining exceptional faculty often depends on meeting the needs of two careers and having policies that contribute to work-life balance.

For more information, visit Equal Employment Opportunity at Texas A&M University (https://employees.tamu.edu/employee-relations/eeo.html) or Faculty Affairs Dual Career (https://facultyaffairs.tamu.edu/resources/dual-career-program.html) .


Qualifications
A Ph.D. in an area including but not limited to genetics, genomics, biology, ecology, entomology, microbiology, plant pathology, soil science, crop science, or computational biology.

Candidates with post-doctoral research experience are preferred.

Evidence of the potential for developing an outstanding research program and indications of strong mentorship and teaching skills are required.

Applicants are expected to have a strong publication record, interpersonal and communication skills, and the desire to collaborate with others in a collegial team environment.




Application Instructions
Applications will only be accepted at apply.interfolio.com/160193.

Applicants must submit: 1) a cover letter with a statement of the applicant’s interest and suitability for the position, 2) a comprehensive Curriculum Vitae, 3) a three-page personal statement to include philosophy and plans for research, teaching and service, 4) a listing of contact information for three expert individuals who can provide a critical evaluation of the applicant’s qualifications for the position.



Review of applications will begin September 15, 2025 and will continue until the position is filled.



Questions may be addressed to the search committee chair, Dr. Thomas Chappell (thomas.chappell@ag.tamu.edu).

Required Skill Profession

Other General