Assistant Professor - Precision Livestock Farming

Wooster, OH OR Columbus, OH

 

Department of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences

 

Applications are invited for the position of Assistant Professor jointly appointed in the Department of Animal Sciences and Department of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering at The Ohio State University.

 

Description:
This is a 9-month tenure-track position that is 50% research and 50% Extension, with majority Department allocation to be negotiated based on the candidate’s interests. The expected starting date is Jan. 1, 2023

 

Expectations and Responsibilities:
The Departments of Animal Sciences and Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering are seeking an individual whose work focuses on precision livestock farming. The ideal candidate will establish a sustainable research program that leverages artificial intelligence (AI) and emerging digital agricultural technologies, including but not limited to; computer vision, real-time monitoring sensors, data processing and streaming, and associated predictive analytics. These technologies can be used for prediction of outcomes and early intervention in multiple areas of livestock production, including animal behavior and well-being, animal disease, health management, reproduction, animal nutrition, feeding systems, environmental footprint, and climate-smart animal production for sustainability. The successful candidate will also develop a prominent Extension and outreach programs that disseminate research-based knowledge to various stakeholders of the greater community.

The successful candidate will work in cross-disciplinary teams to build on a culture of academic collaboration and be expected to maintain an integrated research and Extension program that is extramurally funded and nationally recognized. Additional responsibilities include the training and mentoring of undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and staff research associates. All faculty are expected to be supportive of and engaged in all three mission areas of the Land Grant Institution (Research, Teaching and Extension). Faculty members have a shared responsibility to support and sustain the CFAES Principles of Community, convey good citizenship, and interact collegially.

 

Required Qualifications:

Applicants are required to have (1) an earned Ph.D. in one of the following disciplines: agricultural engineering, biological engineering, biosystems engineering, animal sciences or a closely allied discipline; and (2) registration as a Professional Engineer or demonstrated eligibility. The candidate must have formal training or experiences in three or more of the following areas: artificial neural networks and transfer learning; mathematical modeling and simulation; statistical analysis; data acquisition and signal processing; geographic information systems; cloud-based systems for transmitting and storing large/complex data sets; and data and information visualization. The preferred candidate is expected to have an animal sciences background demonstrated via holding academic degrees and/or completing significant coursework or experiences in animal sciences. It is essential that the candidate has excellent speaking and writing skills; ability and desire to work in interdisciplinary, interdepartmental research teams; and teaching. The candidate must establish and conduct a research program resulting in national impacts and high-quality publications. Industry experience is desirable.

 

Preferred Qualifications:

Experience in developing or working in interdisciplinary research teams, experience in working with and mentoring members of underrepresented groups.

 

The Department of Animal Sciences:

The Department employs 40 faculty and 85 staff members working at the CFAES Columbus and Wooster campuses, and research centers statewide. Research, Extension and education programs in the Department aim to increase the economic profitability of agricultural livestock production and the quality of animal products, improve animal welfare and food animal health, lessen the environmental impact of production animal systems, and foster human-animal relationships. The Department maintains herds and flocks of major foodproducing animals for experimental studies. Excellent opportunities are available for collaboration with food, veterinary, medical, animal and plant scientists on the Wooster and Columbus campuses. Additional information is available at the Department’s website, https://ansci.osu.edu/.

 

The Department of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering: The Department employs 26 faculty (eight members holding joint appointments with other academic units) and 53 staff members working on the Columbus and Wooster campuses. Research areas include development of bio-based materials, renewable energy, urban and agricultural water management, food processing and safety, digital agriculture, remote sensing, controlled environment plant and animal production, agricultural air quality, and agricultural health and safety. Excellent opportunities exist to work with transdisciplinary teams through the Translational Data Analytics Institute, Sustainability Institute, and College of Engineering. Additional information is available at the Department’s website, https://fabe.osu.edu/.

 

Location:

This position will be located within the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) on the Columbus or Wooster campus of The Ohio State University.

 

Commitment to Diversity: The Ohio State University is committed to establishing a culturally and intellectually diverse environment; and encouraging all members of our learning community to reach their full potential. We are responsive to dual-career families and strongly promote work-life balance to support our community members through a suite of institutionalized policies. Our college’s Principles of Community https://brand.cfaes.ohio-state.edu/campaigns/principlescommunity affirms our conviction that racism has no place in CFAES. We are an NSF Advance Institution and a member of the Ohio/Western Pennsylvania/West Virginia Higher Education Recruitment Consortium.

 

Salary: Competitive and commensurate with education and experience.

 

Application Procedure:

Review of applications will begin November 1, 2022, and continue until a qualified candidate is identified. Nominations of qualified individuals are invited at any time. Qualified persons are requested to submit the following: 1) a letter of application stating the candidate’s professional goals and interests, training and experiences, a summary of the qualifications for the position, and plans for future research and Extension programs; 2) a complete curriculum vitae; 3) academic transcripts, 4) a statement of approaches to and experiences working with or mentoring members of underrepresented groups; and 5) names, addresses, telephone numbers, and e-mail addresses, of three references. Initial nominations and inquiries will be kept confidential.

 

Application materials should be submitted in one PDF document.

 

Questions should be directed to:

Dr. Lingying Zhao, Search Committee Chair

Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering

The Ohio State University

218 Agricultural Engineering Building

590 Woody Hayes Drive

Columbus, OH 43210-1057

Telephone: 614-292-2366

E-mail: zhao.119@osu.edu

 

The Ohio State University is an equal opportunity employer.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, disability, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, genetic information, HIV/AIDS status, military status, national origin, race, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, pregnancy, protected veteran status, or any other bases under the law.