Jr. Specialist – UC Davis Strawberry Breeding Program Job Davis area,California USA,Research/Development

The UC Davis Strawberry Breeding Program seeks a motivated and highly organized Junior Specialist to join a dynamic, field-based research team working to develop the next generation of improved strawberry cultivars. This position offers the opportunity to contribute directly to one of the nation’s leading public strawberry breeding programs, supporting research that impacts growers, nurseries, consumers, and the broader strawberry industry.

The Junior Specialist will play an active role in greenhouse, nursery, and field operations, including organizing strawberry plants for transplanting, supporting planting and harvest activities, managing irrigation, maintaining greenhouse and field experiments, and scouting for pests, diseases, and plant health issues. The position will also help coordinate with seasonal labor crews to ensure that critical research activities are completed accurately, efficiently, and on schedule.

This role is ideal for someone who enjoys hands‑on agricultural research, working outdoors, solving practical problems, and being part of a collaborative team. The Junior Specialist will help maintain plant inventories, support field trial logistics, collect and organize research observations, and contribute to the day‑to‑day success of breeding and germplasm maintenance in greenhouse and field settings.

More information about the UC Davis Strawberry Breeding Program is available avis.edu.

Major Responsibilities and Designated Areas of Expertise I. Research in Specialized Areas (90% Effort)

Collaborate with other research and extension personnel affiliated with research activities involving strawberry breeding, germplasm maintenance, and pathology. Evaluation of performance in research activities or in outreach activities as deemed applicable to the individual project in specialized areas, as documented by any of the following:

Publications that acknowledge the Specialist's significant and meaningful contribution to the work by leading nursery and greenhouse plant propagation, supporting greenhouse crossing efforts and germplasm maintenance, and efforts to improve plant health.

Publications on which the Specialist is a co-author, or otherwise acknowledged.

Other evidence (e.g., letters from collaborators or principal investigators) that work done by the Specialist contributed to publishable research.

Active dissemination of information (beyond the boundaries of the campus) through informal instruction, presentations, or other means stemming from the Specialist's research accomplishments such as internal reports, field summaries, or trial notes.

Other evidence of recognized expertise may include formal documentation of intellectual effort and participation in publishable research activities, first authorship on publications/patents, presentation of research at regional/national meetings, invitations to review grant proposals and/or journal articles such as the plant genome, horticulture research, or horticulture science; invitations to participate in research projects, and/or service on advisory panels such as CAES Greenhouse committee, or other relevant committees.

Documentation of meaningful contributions through acknowledgments, authorship, supervisor evaluation, or collaborator feedback

B. Serve as a research coordinator for agricultural and crop production projects conducted by PIs in the department, as resources permit.

Responsible for ensuring uninterrupted communication between individual laboratories, data management, and preparation of reports tailored to meet the needs of the requesting individual(s).

Accurate execution of greenhouse, nursery, and field research protocols.

Timely organization, labeling, movement, and preparation of strawberry plants for transplanting.

Participation in planting, transplanting, crop maintenance, harvest, and field trial activities.

Maintenance of accurate plant inventories, field maps, greenhouse records, and trial documentation.

Collection and entry of field, greenhouse, phenotyping, scouting, or plant health data.

Irrigation monitoring, troubleshooting, and documentation in greenhouse and field settings.

Routine scouting for pests, diseases, irrigation…