Endowed Chair Associate or Full Professor and Director of Center for Agroforestry - Columbia, United States - University of Missouri

Description

The School of Natural Resources in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR) invites applications and nominations for the H.E. Garrett Endowed Chair Professor and Director of the Center for Agroforestry. This is a unique endowed position with strong financial support involving a great interdisciplinary team of staff and collaborating faculty. The successful candidate will lead the research, education, and outreach programs to fulfill the mission of the Center. The individual hired will have the opportunity to further build upon a widely-recognized program that has a major impact across the U.S. and even internationally.

Starting date: August 1, 2024 or as negotiated.

About the College and Center
CAFNR, along with other MU collaborators, has world-class strengths in human health response to nutrition choice and physical activity, plant sciences and novel compounds, animal models for human health applications, genomics, natural resources, and food and agricultural policy. The Center for Agroforestry is a CAFNR Program of Distinction and is recognized as a preeminent global center contributing to the science and practice of agroforestry. The Center is supported by over $10 million in endowments. The Center has a very healthy annual budget, with approximately one million in annually recurring federal funding that serves as core support and an additional $3.2 million in annual extramural funding currently, for a total budget of over $4 million in annual funding supporting the center in addition to the endowment funding. The Center also has strong ties to other interdisciplinary programs at the University in regenerative agriculture, soil health, forestry, water science, wildlife, and related natural resource areas. Externally, the Center has many great partners, ranging from the Missouri Department of Conservation and Missouri NRCS to national groups like The Nature Conservancy.

As Director, the successful candidate will have the opportunity to collaborate with and lead a strong Center for Agroforestry team of 18 faculty and staff plus several post-docs and graduate students. The Director will provide strategic and programmatic direction of the Center, covering basic and applied research, graduate education, outreach, and economic development.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Administering the Center's annual operating budget and core faculty (5 members), staff (13 members), and graduate program

• Guiding the strategic direction of the Center's research, teaching, and outreach programs

• Developing a nationally recognized, extramurally funded research program relevant to agroforestry in his/her specialized field, including mentoring of graduate students and postdoctoral research associates

• Teaching one graduate course in the agroforestry core curriculum annually

Minimum Qualifications:
A Ph.D. is required, with at least one degree in agroforestry, agriculture, forestry, natural resources, soil science, plant science, water resources, horticulture, agroecology, agricultural or natural resource economics or policy, or a related area.

Candidates will be evaluated on:
National recognition as a scientist in agroforestry or a related discipline. Proven track record in refereed, peer-reviewed publications and extramural grant support. Administrative experience and demonstrated leadership abilities.

About the University and Missouri
As a flagship, land-grant institution and one of only 69 universities across the U.S. and Canada to be a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities, the University of Missouri is a campus where empathy, innovation and hard work combine to solve the world's grand challenges. Missouri provides a perfect setting for the Center for Agroforestry because of the great integration of forestry and agriculture within the state, and strong farmer and landowner interest in conservation approaches. Over $70 million is annually invested in Missouri conservation programs through state and federal resources, including producer incentives directly tied to agroforestry.

About Columbia area
Columbia a thriving college town with a population of 126,000 located midway between St. Louis and Kansas City. The Columbia landscape includes rolling wooded hills with the Missouri river valley on the southwest edge of town. The scenic Missouri Ozarks lie just to the south, known for clear gravel-bottom streams popular for kayaking and canoeing, and impressive natural springs amidst the forested hills. To the north is a more agrarian landscape of mixed crop fields, pastures, and woodlands. The town of Columbia itself is regularly rated as one of the top small cities in the U.S. to live, with a strong public education system, major medical community, and healthy economy. Downtown Columbia, called the District, is a thriving area of independent restaurants, music hotspots, and stores located immediately next to campus. Also integrated into the downtown is a well-supported arts community. Columbia is also known for one of the best trail systems in the Midwest, with over 100 miles of trails within the community and a bike and hiking trail system that connects to the 237-mile cross-state Katy Trail.

Required Application Materials
Please submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae, narratives of 1) administrative philosophy, 2) teaching philosophy and 3) research philosophy, and the names and contact information of three references.

Application Review
To apply for this position, please visit the MU web site at , Job ID 50620. Application review will begin on March 10, 2024, but applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

For additional information about this position, please contact Dr. Patrick Market ), Director of the School of Natural Resources.

Values Commitment
We value the uniqueness of every individual and strive to ensure each person's success. Contributions from individuals with diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives promote intellectual pluralism and enable us to achieve the excellence that we seek in learning, research and engagement. This commitment makes our university a better place to work, learn and innovate.

In your application materials, please discuss your experiences and expertise that support these values and enrich our missions of teaching, research and engagement.

Equal Employment Opportunity
Equal Opportunity is and shall be provided for all employees and applicants for employment on the basis of their demonstrated ability and competence without unlawful discrimination on the basis of their race, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, disability, protected veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable state or federal law. This policy shall not be interpreted in such a manner as to violate the legal rights of religious organizations or the recruiting rights of military organizations associated with the Armed Forces or the Department of Homeland Security of the United States of America. For more information, call the Director of Employee and Labor Relations at