Assistant Professor of Soil-Water Interactions

Pennsylvania State University - State College, PA

Full-time - Entry Level

State College, PA

Educational Services

About the position

The Assistant Professor of Soil-Water Interactions at The Pennsylvania State University is a tenure-line position focused on research and teaching in soil science, hydropedology, and water resources. The role involves a 60% research and 40% teaching appointment, with responsibilities including conducting research on soil physics and vadose zone hydrology, and teaching upper-level undergraduate and graduate courses. The successful candidate will contribute to departmental initiatives and address critical issues related to soil-water interactions in terrestrial ecosystems.

Responsibilities

• Conduct research in soil physics and vadose zone hydrology.
• Teach upper-level undergraduate courses in Soil Composition and Physical Properties and Principles of Forest Soil Management.
• Teach a graduate-level course in soil physics or soil properties.
• Develop an externally funded research program.
• Engage in departmental and campus-wide initiatives related to soil science and water resources.

Requirements

• PhD in Soil Science, Hydrology, Environmental Physics, or related discipline.
• Broad conceptual and methodological knowledge of the soil-water-plant environment.
• Demonstrated research experience using field-based experimental investigation and computational modeling approaches.
• Strong track record of peer-reviewed publications.
• Proven ability or exceptional promise to develop an externally funded research program.
• High-quality teaching experiences at both undergraduate and graduate levels.

Nice-to-haves

• Experience in vadose zone hydrology monitoring and modeling.
• Knowledge of nutrient biogeochemistry and/or microbiology.
• Understanding of rhizosphere carbon dynamics and soil health.

Benefits

• Competitive start-up package and salary based on 36-weeks of service annually.
• Supplemental salary from external competitive grants and contracts or endowment funds.