Postdoctoral Associate - Everglades Research and Education Center (EREC)

University of Florida • Palm Beach, FL

4d • Onsite

About The Position

The University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences invites applications for a postdoctoral research associate at the Everglades Research and Education Center in Belle Glade, Florida. The associate will conduct research on disease management and germplasm evaluation in winter vegetable crops, focusing on celery and lettuce.

The primary project concerns management of celery early blight caused by Cercospora spp. Research includes identifying and evaluating locally sourced biological control agents through laboratory and greenhouse studies, developing fungicide spray programs informed by drone-based disease monitoring and artificial intelligence, conducting laboratory fungicide-sensitivity assays, and carrying out field trials to evaluate biological control agents, fungicide efficacy, and application timing. Field trials will take place at EREC and in commercial growers’ fields.

The associate will also screen lettuce germplasm for disease resistance and tolerance to abiotic stresses, using drone-based phenotyping to assess plant responses. Additional research may involve identifying and characterizing emerging diseases and their causal agents in winter vegetable crops. Methods include microbial isolation and culture maintenance, pathogenicity testing, DNA extraction, PCR amplification, sequencing, sequence analysis, and phylogenetic-tree construction.

Other duties include assisting with grant proposal development, preparing peer-reviewed manuscripts, mentoring students, coordinating daily research activities, collaborating with growers, and contributing to Extension activities such as field days and communicating research findings to stakeholders. The successful candidate must possess or obtain an appropriate pesticide applicator license and be able to work outdoors in hot and humid conditions.

This is a grant-funded, time-limited position with funding available for up to one year. Salary is commensurate with education and experience.

Requirements

• Ph.D. (foreign equivalent acceptable) in Plant Pathology or a related field.
• Must be supportive of the mission of the Land-Grant system and committed to UF core values.
• Must possess or obtain an appropriate pesticide applicator license.
• Must be able to conduct outdoor fieldwork under hot and humid conditions.

Nice To Haves

• Proficiency in statistical analysis using R, Python, or similar software.
• Experience processing and analyzing drone imagery using Agisoft Metashape, PIX4D, QGIS, or similar software.
• Possession of a drone pilot license.
• Experience in grant writing and publishing in peer-reviewed journals.
• Strong written and oral communication skills, with the ability to mentor students and coordinate research activities.

Responsibilities

• Conduct research on disease management and germplasm evaluation in winter vegetable crops, particularly celery and lettuce.
• Identify and evaluate locally sourced biological control agents through laboratory and greenhouse studies.
• Develop celery early-blight fungicide spray programs informed by drone-based disease monitoring and artificial intelligence.
• Conduct laboratory assays to assess fungicide sensitivity.
• Conduct field trials at EREC and in commercial growers’ fields to evaluate biological control agents, fungicide efficacy, and application timing.
• Screen lettuce germplasm for disease resistance and tolerance to abiotic stresses, using drone-based phenotyping to assess plant responses.
• As needed, identify and characterize emerging diseases and their causal agents in winter vegetable crops.
• Perform microbial isolation and culture maintenance, pathogenicity testing, DNA extraction, PCR amplification, sequencing, sequence analysis, and phylogenetic-tree construction.
• Assist with grant proposal development and prepare peer-reviewed manuscripts.
• Mentor students and coordinate daily research activities.
• Collaborate with growers and contribute to Extension activities, including field days and communicating research findings to stakeholders.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree