POSITION: School of Integrative Plant Science within the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University is seeking applicants for a 9-month tenure-track position in Specialty Crop Systems with research and extension responsibilities at the level of Assistant or Associate Professor. The position is located on Cornell\’s Geneva Campus, with an expected primary affiliation in the Section of Horticulture. Research will include applied agroecology, mechanisms and management of herbicide resistance, novel and integrated approaches to weed management, and production-system enhancements from precision-agriculture technology and engineering.
The successful candidate is expected to develop and maintain an externally funded research program, contribute to extension activities addressing weed management strategies for implementation by local growers, and collaborate with the team of horticulture crop protection specialists and cropping systems colleagues in the School of Integrative Plant Science.

RESPONSIBILITIES: The position has 60% research and 40% extension responsibilities in whole-system solutions in specialty crop (vegetables and fruit) production systems. The successful applicant is expected to develop internationally recognized research and extension programs supported by external funding. Research should emphasize holistic optimization of the production system that results in better weed management, and may include mechanisms and management of herbicide resistance, applied agroecology, organic production systems, and novel production-system enhancements enabled by new technologies. Extension responsibilities include leadership for systems-based horticultural crop management, and integrated weed management recommendations in support of organic and conventional systems (including supporting registration of herbicides appropriate for horticultural crops in New York), and development of curricula for training extension educators and crop consultants. The Extension program should be closely coordinated with other Cornell faculty, Cornell Cooperative Extension, and New York growers.

ANTICIPATED START DATE: July 2017

Apply for this position via Academic Jobs Online at https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/7950

Initial screening will commence November 1, 2016 and will continue until the position is filled.

ABOUT CORNELL: The new faculty member will join a collaborative interdisciplinary community on the Geneva campus of Cornell University at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station. The Section of Horticulture is part of Cornell\’s School of Integrative Plant Science (SIPS), a large internationally renowned group of academics with abundant interactions and joint projects. Members of the Section, including faculty members in Geneva, also collaborate with colleagues working in areas of plant breeding, genomics, plant biology, international agriculture and many other areas of the life and agricultural sciences. For more information about SIPS and the Section of Horticulture, please visit http://sips.cals.cornell.edu/. The Geneva campus also includes USDA facilities that house two units, the Plant Genetics Resources Unit (PGRU) and the Grape Genetics Research Unit (GGRU), comprised of over 30 staff and scientists who are adjunct Cornell faculty and collaborate on a diverse array of research projects. The PGRU serves as the repository for the national apple germplasm collections as well as collections for other fruit and vegetable crops. For more information, please visit, http://www.ars.usda.gov/.

Cornell comprises a varied array of academic units from music and literature to astrophysics and veterinary medicine and is a member of the Ivy League, providing faculty members in Ithaca and Geneva a rich source of information and collaboration on diverse research and outreach projects. The Geneva campus is located at the north end of Seneca Lake, 50 miles north of Ithaca at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station. It is about a one-hour drive from Rochester, Syracuse and Ithaca. Geneva has a small town atmosphere but is a vibrant, evolving city with a merging of diverse culture, educational opportunities, and businesses. It has the beauty of the Finger Lakes at its fingertips, and more than 100 wineries in the region. Boating and fishing along with many outdoor sports and recreations are popular year round. The Geneva community is rich with events such as the Musselman Triathlon, summer concert series and other cultural events that are often held at the Smith Opera House. Geneva is a “green community” with a number of businesses focused on low-impact production, use of locally grown or locally produced goods. The city of Geneva has excellent schools and health care systems and is also home to Hobart and William Smith Colleges which has just completed a state of the art performing arts center. Cornell faculty in Geneva are able to use the sports field house at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and often collaborate on research projects with HWS faculty and students. For more information, visit. http://www.visitgenevany.com/.

Cornell University is an innovative Ivy League university as well as New York\’s Land Grant Institution. Our inclusive community of scholars, students and staff impart an uncommon sense of larger purpose and contribute creative ideas to further the university\’s mission of teaching, discovery and engagement.

About the New York Specialty Crop industry and Cornell\’s Geneva specialty crop team.

The Geneva Campus (NYSAES) has concentrated on fruits and vegetables, now defined as specialty crops, since its\’ founding in 1882. Our Geneva-based vegetable-crop protection team includes Professors Christine Smart, Sarah Pethybridge, Brian Nault, Tony Shelton, Kyle Wickings, IPM Specialist Abby Seaman and a weed-IPM specialist being hired in Fall 2016. The Geneva-based vegetable horticulturists are professors Thomas Björkman, Steve Reiners, Philip Griffiths and Alan Taylor. Professor Meg McGrath is based in Riverhead, Long Island and a team of 12 regional specialists (holding MS or PhD degrees) are close collaborators.

The vegetable industry in New York is primarily in the Lake Ontario plain, near Geneva, complemented by significant regions elsewhere in the state, with a value of about $500 million per year. Many vegetables types are raised, sometimes in rotation with field crops, on farms ranging from one acre to over ten thousand acres. Some serve local markets, others are major regional suppliers of onions, cabbage and sweet corn. The regional consumer base consists of over 100 million people.
The fruit team based at Geneva focuses on wine grapes and apples, with additional effort in berries. Geneva has been an international center for pomology for over a century, contributing to major global advances in production methods, rootstocks and fruiting varieties for both apples and grapes. Faculty at Geneva supporting the fruit industry include professors Terence Robinson, Justine Vanden Heuvel, Bruce Reisch, Gennaro Fazio, Courtney Weber, Kerik Cox, Art Agnello, Greg Loeb, and as well as regional extension teams led by Dr. Tim Martinson and a statewide fruit IPM program led by Dr. Juliet Carroll. Dr. Terry Bates is based at the Lake Erie center to support Concord juice-grape production. Ithaca-based faculty supporting the fruit industry include Marvin Pritts, Chris Watkins and Lailiang Cheng.

Apples and grapes have an annual farmgate value of about $300 million, and a much higher processed value. Wine production is a large and growing industry in the Finger Lakes and on Long Island, with scattered production throughout the state. Apple production is concentrated on the shore of Lake Ontario, with additional production in the Hudson-Champlain valley. Juice-grape production is on the shore of Lake Erie.

Cornell has a vigorous group of colleagues in weed science, including Antonio DiTommaso (weed IPM and invasives), Matt Ryan (field crops and organic), Jenny Kao-Kniffen (turf and soil ecology) and Russ Hahn (field crop extension). We have a strong tradition in vegetable weed management carrying over from the late Prof. Robin Bellinder.

Cornell University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action educator and employer. Applications from women and minorities are strongly encouraged.Diversity and Inclusion are a part of Cornell University\’s heritage. We are a recognized employer and educator valuing AA/EEO, Protected Veterans, and Individuals with Disabilities.

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