Assistant Professor – Sweetpotato Breeding and Genetics

About the Department

People depend on plants for food, environmental aesthetics and recreation. No matter where you live, work or play, what we do touches your life. Our faculty and students conduct cutting‑edge research that increases the quality and variety of fruits, vegetables and ornamental plants available to consumers worldwide. We are experts in the science, art, technology and business of growing plants. And the demand for our services is growing.

Whether through hands‑on instruction in our greenhouses, field labs or community gardens, our work ensures the economic and environmental sustainability for horticulture across the state, the nation and the world.

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Perks and benefit eligibility is based on Part‑Time or Full‑Time Employment status. Eligibility and Employer Sponsored Plans can be found within each of the links offered.

NC State University is seeking an Assistant Professor to lead a nationally recognized and internationally renowned sweet potato breeding and genetics program with a long history of scientific innovation, variety development, and industry impact. In this role, you will provide leadership for applied and fundamental plant breeding research, advancing genomic‑assisted breeding, high‑throughput phenomics including UAV and optical imaging, and the application of data analytics, machine learning, Artificial Intelligence, and other emerging technologies to accelerate germplasm improvement and the development of the next generation of sweet potato cultivars.

Working alongside faculty, students, growers, and industry partners, you will have the opportunity to translate discovery into practice, helping address agricultural challenges while supporting food production, environmental stewardship, and economic development in North Carolina and beyond.

This position provides opportunities to contribute across five key areas of responsibility outlined below.

• Lead research programs in breeding, genetics, and emerging technologies, including genomic‑assisted breeding, genome editing, data analytics, machine learning, Artificial Intelligence, and other innovative approaches that maximize and accelerate variety and germplasm development.
• Develop, register, patent and promote commercially successful tablestock, industrial and ornamental sweet potato cultivars with commercial potential, including enhanced adaptability, disease/pest resistance, sustainability, lower input requirements, end‑use quality, using both conventional and advanced breeding technologies.
• Oversee germplasm collection, evaluation and screening, genomic and phenomic characterization, and management/maintenance of germplasm resources to advance and support breeding objectives.
• Collaborate with local, national and international scientists in plant and sweet potato breeding and crop improvement.

• Secure extramural funding through grants, industry partnerships, and public‑private collaborations.
• Lead a multidisciplinary team of scientific collaborators, staff, graduate students, and interns.
• Manage budgets, facilities, and resources to ensure efficient and effective program operations.

• Provide graduate and undergraduate training in plant breeding, genetics, and horticultural science including teaching.
• Mentor and advise graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and interns to develop future leaders in plant breeding and genetics.