Area Integrated Pest Management Advisor: Commensal Rodents and Urban Wildlife; AP

University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources

Position Overview

The University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) invites applications for a UC Cooperative Extension (UCCE) Integrated Pest Management Advisor:
Commensal Rodents and Urban Wildlife, serving Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, and San Mateo/San Francisco Counties at the Assistant rank. The advisor will develop an innovative, multi-county applied research and extension education program that supports the integrated management of commensal rodents and urban wildlife across the five-county area.

The Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Advisor will focus on applied research and extension addressing human-wildlife interactions in the Bay Area, with a primary emphasis on commensal rodents (rats and mice), and additional opportunities to address other pests of regional importance that affect public health, infrastructure, and urban ecosystems. The program will integrate principles of IPM, One Health, urban ecology, and wildlife conservation to develop science-based solutions that protect both people and the environment.

The Area IPM Advisor will develop IPM strategies to manage rodents in and around structures as well as urban wildlife, working closely with public agencies, pest control operators, licensed pest management professionals, and other practitioners in the public health and pest control sectors.

UCCE Advisors are responsible for applied research and extending knowledge. Research activities are needs-based, mission-oriented, and focused on addressing community challenges. Extension activities are the educational practices advisors use to share research results directly with clientele and communities. Increased knowledge and understanding of science-based research help to support and promote the adoption of practices and technologies that solve problems. Extension methods may include individual consultations, presentations, organization of educational workshops and short courses, field demonstrations, and farm and site visits.

Information may also be disseminated via radio outreach, webinars, fact sheets, policy briefs, news blogs, and social media. Publications are expected in various formats, including newsletters, popular press articles, curricula, conference proceedings, and peer-reviewed publications. Successful research and extension programs result in new information that improves knowledge and understanding, and leads to the adoption of new skills, practices, and attitudes, and to changes in policies and environmental, health, agricultural, economic, and/or social conditions.

UCCE Advisors are evaluated through an academic advancement system based on four criteria: extending knowledge, applied research and creative activity, professional competence and activity, and University and public service.

Location headquarters:
The position will be headquartered at the University of California Cooperative Extension Office in Santa Clara County, located at 1553 Berger Drive, San Jose, California.

Position Details

California's rapidly urbanizing landscapes present increasing challenges at the interface of people, wildlife, and the built environment. Rodents affect public health, food systems, infrastructure, natural resources, and quality of life. Effective management requires science-based, integrated approaches that balance public health, environmental stewardship, and wildlife conservation.

This advisor will develop an innovative applied research and extension program addressing human-wildlife interactions and vertebrate pest management in urban and peri-urban environments, with a primary emphasis on commensal rodents (roof rats, Norway rats, and house mice).

Commensal rodents remain among the most significant urban pests worldwide, damaging structures and infrastructure, contaminating food, and serving as reservoirs for zoonotic diseases. Recent changes in California pesticide regulations, increasing urbanization, aging infrastructure, and growing public concern regarding both rodent impacts and wildlife conservation have created an urgent need for innovative, evidence-based management strategies. The advisor will develop integrated pest management (IPM) approaches that improve management effectiveness while minimizing unnecessary pesticide use and reducing risks to people, pets, non-target wildlife, and the…