Assistant/Associate Professor, Sustainable Food Systems and Data Management
About The Position
The BioResource and Agricultural Engineering (BRAE) Department at California Polytechnic State University is seeking a full-time, academic year, tenure-track Assistant/Associate Professor of Sustainable Food Systems and Data Management. This role will focus on advancing sustainable, resilient, and equitable food systems through data-driven approaches. The successful candidate will contribute to interdisciplinary teaching, research, and service activities. The position involves teaching courses in systems thinking, life cycle assessment (LCA), data literacy, and sustainability analysis within the new Sustainable Food Systems major. The curriculum ranges from foundational data management skills to professional-grade LCA modeling and industry engagement. The role also supports the institution’s Learn by Doing teaching mission, applied undergraduate research, stakeholder engagement, and building collaborations across various disciplines. Duties may include supervising undergraduate senior projects and clubs.
Requirements
- An earned doctorate (Ph.D.) in Agricultural Engineering, Biosystems Engineering, Systems Engineering, Data Sciences, or a closely related field. Candidates nearing completion of the doctorate (ABD) may be considered but must provide proof that the doctorate was awarded prior to the start of the appointment.
- Demonstrate expertise in sustainability assessments or life cycle assessment methodology applied to food or agricultural systems.
- Demonstrate competency in quantitative data analysis relevant to food and agricultural systems.
- Demonstrate a commitment to undergraduate teaching and learn-by-doing pedagogy.
- Demonstrate, or show potential for, excellence in teaching, effective communication, interpersonal skills, and ability to be a team player.
- Demonstrated proficiency in written and oral use of the English language.
- Demonstrate, or show potential for, an ability to secure external funding and publish research.
- Ability to interact well with peers, students, industry partners, and the general public.
- Demonstrated experience and commitment to student-centered learning and teaching.
- Demonstrated ability to collaboratively work in multidisciplinary settings.
- Strong interests in undergraduate and graduate teaching.
- A demonstrated commitment to fostering inclusive, equitable, and supportive learning environments.
Nice To Haves
- Experience working with modeling tools and LCA software (e.g. OpenLCA) and associated databases (ecoinvent, agri-footprint, etc.).
- Experience with statistical or scripting environments (Python, R).
- Industry or applied research experience in food supply chains, agricultural processing, or agri-food sustainability.
- Applied and innovative research backgrounds.
- Research into areas with clear application to California Agriculture.
- Industry experience.
- University level teaching experience teaching the three interconnected pillars of sustainability and data science classes.
- A record of successful academic research.
- Demonstrated ability to generate external funding.
Responsibilities
- Teach courses across the Sustainable Food Systems major, with primary responsibility for courses covering systems thinking, life cycle assessment (LCA), data literacy, and sustainability analysis.
- Support the institution’s Learn by Doing teaching mission.
- Support applied undergraduate research.
- Support stakeholder engagement.
- Build collaborations across agriculture, environmental science, engineering, nutrition, economics, and policy disciplines.
- Supervise undergraduate senior projects.
- Supervise clubs.
Benefits
- Rank and salary commensurate with qualifications and experience.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Entry Level
Education Level
Ph.D. or professional degree
