Director and Professor - School of Natural Resources and Environment (SNRE)

University of Florida•Gainesville, FL

13d

About The Position

The University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is hiring a Director and Professor for its School of Natural Resources and Environment (SNRE), housed in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. This is a 12-month, tenure-accruing position with an assignment of 80% administration and 20% teaching. Tenure will be in an IFAS department most relevant to the selected candidate’s professional area. The position is available in January 2027 and will be filled as soon thereafter as an acceptable applicant is available. The Director provides vision, support, and coordination for SNRE programs in keeping with the Land-Grant mission of teaching, research, and extension. The role leads faculty, staff, and student recruitment and development; builds partnerships across UF and IFAS; facilitates the School’s degree programs and affiliate-faculty engagement; supervises and evaluates faculty and staff; and oversees human and financial resources. The Director also promotes SNRE programs, engages alumni and fundraising opportunities, and serves as Graduate Coordinator. The position includes teaching at least one SNRE course each year and scholarly activities related to instruction, such as advising and mentoring students, contributing to curriculum development, seeking teaching-program funding, supervising student research and creative work, publishing teaching-related scholarship, producing learning tools, and participating in professional development. Faculty are expected to support and engage in research, teaching, and extension, regardless of their assigned workload split. The Director will have opportunities to strengthen interdisciplinary collaborations and the visibility of SNRE, build external relationships, expand the School’s impact across campus and Florida, grow its online self-funded M.S. program, develop new programs and courses, and lead student-recruitment assessment and strategy. SNRE offers interdisciplinary undergraduate and graduate programs and works with affiliate faculty across UF departments, colleges, research centers, and institutes. Applicants must hold a doctorate in environmental, ecological, agricultural, or life sciences, or a closely related discipline. Candidates must have effective administrative or leadership experience, a distinguished record of scholarship and teaching and/or natural-resources engagement, and the ability to identify and develop resources and opportunities. They must demonstrate success fostering interdisciplinary scholarship, education, and collaboration; effective verbal and written communication; and the ability to establish and maintain professional relationships. Experience advising graduate thesis and dissertation research, support for the Land-Grant mission, and commitment to UF core values are also required. The rank of professor requires qualification for associate professor and a distinguished record of achievement beyond that level, including recognition as a national or international authority or as an outstanding teacher in the field. The expected salary is commensurate with experience and education. For full consideration, applicants should submit materials by December 1, 2026; the position remains open until a viable applicant pool is determined.

Requirements

Doctorate (foreign equivalent accepted) in environmental, ecological, agricultural, and/or life sciences, or a closely related discipline.
Effective administrative and/or leadership experience, with emphasis on interdisciplinary work addressing major environmental and/or natural-resource management challenges.
Distinguished record of scholarship and teaching, and/or engagement in natural resources.
Demonstrated ability to identify and develop resources and opportunities.
Demonstrated ability to foster interdisciplinary scholarship, education, and collaboration across organizational boundaries.
Effective verbal and written communication skills.
Ability to establish and maintain professional relationships.
Experience advising graduate thesis and dissertation research programs.
Support for the Land-Grant system mission and commitment to UF core values.
For appointment at professor rank: qualification for associate professor rank and a distinguished record of achievement beyond the associate professor level, including recognized national or international authority status or outstanding teaching in the field.

Nice To Haves

Experience in curriculum development and/or management at a land-grant institution.
Evidence of effective administrative experience in an interdisciplinary program.
Record of building and sustaining partnerships.
Demonstrated commitment to innovative, rigorous, and student-centered undergraduate and graduate education.
Consultative leadership style and demonstrated ability to build consensus.
Experience leading undergraduate and graduate teaching programs.

Responsibilities

Provide vision, support, and coordination in planning, developing, and implementing SNRE programs in accordance with the Land-Grant mission.
Lead recruitment and foster academic growth and professional development of faculty, staff, and students.
Build partnerships with departments and units across the University of Florida and IFAS.
Facilitate and manage multiple degree programs (B.A., B.S., M.S., and Ph.D.) and affiliate-faculty engagement with SNRE students.
Supervise and evaluate program faculty and staff performance.
Oversee the School’s human and financial resources.
Promote SNRE programs across UF, statewide, nationally, and globally.
Engage with alumni and fundraising opportunities.
Serve as Graduate Coordinator.
Teach at least one class per year in SNRE curricula.
Engage in teaching-related scholarly activities, including teaching courses, advising and mentoring students, curriculum revision, seeking teaching-program funding, supervising student research and creative work, publishing teaching-related scholarship, producing learning tools, and professional development related to teaching and advising.
Support and participate in research, teaching, and extension.
Strengthen interdisciplinary collaborations, program visibility, and relationships with external supporters.
Lead efforts to grow the online self-funded M.S. program and develop new programs and courses as needed.
Provide leadership in assessing and developing student-recruitment strategies.