Assistant Professor in Soil Physics, Ecohydrology, or Hydropedology

About the Job

Assistant Professor in Soil Physics, Ecohydrology, or Hydropedology

FLSA Status:
Exempt, 100%
Term: 9 month (academic year) 50% teaching, 50% research
Type:
Tenure‑track

Reports to:

Department Head
College/Admin Unit:
College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences
Campus

Location:

St. Paul Campus

The Department of Soil, Water, and Climate (SWAC), College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences (CFANS) at the University of Minnesota seeks candidates for a 9‑month tenure‑track assistant professor position in the area of Dynamics and Interactions at the Soil‑Water Nexus. The role combines 50% research and 50% teaching. The goal is to study interactions and feedback loops between soil processes and properties, multi‑scale hydrology and climate change, land‑use change, surface or groundwater hydrology, and water quality using process‑based ecosystem and machine‑learning models, remote sensing, or combined experimental/modeling approaches.

Example research topics include:
1) impacts of land use and climate change on regional hydrology, flooding, aquifer recharge, and water quality in natural, managed, and agricultural landscapes; and
2) effects of alternative cropping systems and soil management on runoff, discharge, water quality, trace gas emissions, and soil physics, ecohydrology, or hydropedology.

• Develop a nationally and internationally recognized research program, secure extramural funding from state and national competitive grant programs, and establish an independent basic and applied research program.
• Build collaborations across disciplines and interact closely with other departments within CFANS and across the University, including related Centers.
• Engage with engineers, computer scientists, agricultural scientists, environmental and climate scientists, state climatologists, USDA‑ARS researchers, UMN Extension, and a network of Research and Outreach Centers across the state.
• Teach undergraduate and graduate level courses offered by the department that align with the successful candidate’s discipline and background.
• Support the Land and Atmospheric Sciences graduate program, the Environmental Science, Policy, and Management undergraduate program, and minors in Soil Science, Water Science, Climate Science, International Agriculture, and Precision Agriculture.

• Ph.D. in soil science, water resources science, biosystems engineering, ecology, earth sciences, civil and environmental engineering, or a related field.
• Demonstrated commitment to the University’s goal of creating an inclusive campus climate.
• Basic and relevant applied research experience.
• Demonstrated record of peer‑reviewed publication within the discipline.

• Broad understanding of soils, hydrology, drainage, streamflow, recharge, and climate change interactions in agricultural and natural landscapes.
• Broad understanding of soil and cropping system management impacts on hydrology and ecosystem processes.
• Good technical skills in GIS and remote sensing image analysis.
• Proficiency in regional‑scale hydrologic, watershed modeling, process‑based modeling, machine‑learning, and AI modeling.
• Strong working knowledge of empirical methods used in the study of soils, hydrology, drainage, streamflow, and/or recharge.
• Good technical writing skills.
• Effective organizational and communication skills.
• Teaching, teaching assistant, or teaching training experience.
• Interest in interdisciplinary approaches and/or community‑engaged research and education.