Assistant/Associate Professor in Artificial Intelligence in Animal Omics Sciences (85162)

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is committed to creating an environment that affirms diversity across a variety of dimensions, including ability, class, ethnicity/race, gender identity and expression. We particularly welcome applicants who can contribute to such an environment through their scholarship, teaching, mentoring, and professional service. We strongly encourage historically underrepresented groups to apply.

If an accommodation due to a disability is needed to apply for this position, please call 352-392-2477 or the Florida Relay System at 800-955-8771 (TDD) or visit Accessibility at UF .

This is a 9-month tenure-accruing position that will be 25% teaching (College of Agricultural and Life Sciences), 75% research (Florida Agricultural Experiment Station), available in the Department of Animal Sciences, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, at the University of Florida. This assignment may change in accordance with the needs of the unit. The successful candidate is expected to establish an independent, nationally and internationally recognized extramurally funded research program in artificial intelligence for animal -omics (genomics, phenomics, epigenomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and microbiomics) analysis.

Preferred skills include a solid background in animal -omics, biostatistics, bioinformatics, and computational biology, with a focus on implementation of AI methodology to large and heterogeneous data. The research focus may include Machine Learning or Artificial Intelligence, with special reference to method development and applications such as Deep Convolutional Networks, Generative Adversarial Networks and Bioinformatics with specialization in Animal -omics. The successful candidate will build an internationally recognized research program by integrating artificial intelligence, bioinformatics, big data science with phenomics (high-throughput, high-resolution phenotypic data), genomics, transcriptomics, proteomic, metabolomic and/or microbiota to address current and future challenges in animal sciences.

The incumbent in the position will be expected build interdisciplinary collaborations with other faculty in Animal Sciences, and other centers and programs across the UF campus such as the UF Genetics Institute. They should also seek collaboration with transdisciplinary fields with complementary backgrounds, such as computer science, engineering, mathematics, economics, and statistics, which is indispensable to efficiently develop AI approaches to analyze high-throughput and heterogeneous data. There are additional opportunities for collaboration in the department with interdisciplinary programs in animal molecular and cell biology, microbiology, statistics, genomics, and across the university with the UF Informatics Institute, UF Genetics Institute and UF Interdisciplinary Center for Biotechnology Research. University of Florida Information Technology (UFIT) operates and supports the infrastructure for research and advanced computing for the UF community.

The University of Florida is partnering with Silicon Valley-based NVIDIA in a $70 million UF AI Initiative that will make the university a leading education institution for artificial intelligence. Part of this effort involves establishing the most powerful supercomputer in U.S. Higher Education at the University of Florida and hiring about 100 AI-centric faculty including a large cluster of faculty bringing artificial intelligence, data science, and related disciplines to problems of animal agriculture. The Department of Animal Sciences is poised to rise to prominence and embark on information technology-driven discoveries to improve animal production, well-being, and interaction with humans and the environment. The emerging fields of artificial intelligence big-data science are expected to be instrumental in responding to the challenges facing global agriculture.

Tenure will accrue in the Department of Animal Sciences. The faculty member will participate actively in undergraduate education and graduate education by chairing graduate committees, serving on graduate committees, supervising thesis and dissertation research, supervising undergraduate research, and publishing the results with their graduate students. The faculty member will seek contract and grant funding actively to support their program.

The successful candidate will engage in scholarly activities related to instruction, including teaching undergraduate and/or graduate courses, advising and mentoring undergraduate and graduate students, participating in curriculum revision and enhancement, seeking funding for the teaching program, supervising undergraduate and graduate research and creative work, publishing teaching-related scholarship, producing learning tools, and engaging in professional development activities related to teaching and advising. Faculty are encouraged to support and participate in the CALS Honors Program, distance education, and international education.

Because of the IFAS land-grant mission, all faculty are expected to be supportive of and engaged in all three mission areas—Research, Teaching and Extension—regardless of the assignment split specified in the position description.

Background Information:

Florida boasts large and vibrant beef, dairy and horse industries that have strong ties to research, teaching and extension programs within IFAS. The Department of Animal Sciences ( http://www.animal.ufl.edu ) has an emphasis on the forage consuming species, particularly cattle and horses, and their products useful to humankind. There are significant strengths in the Department in the areas of physiology, nutrition, genetics, and meat science that will serve as fertile collaborative potential for the incumbent to this position. The Department also has substantial farm facilities for housing beef and dairy cattle, horses, sheep and pigs for use by faculty in research, teaching and extension efforts.

AI@UF

Required:

A doctorate (foreign equivalent acceptable) in Genomics, Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Computer Science, Applied Mathematics, Bioengineering, or other relevant degree, with expertise in AI and/or big data analysis methods is required. Experience in developing and applying AI techniques to enable high-dimensional multi-omics data analytics in animal research problems is preferable. Candidates should have demonstrated skills in verbal and written communication, interpersonal relationships, and procurement of extramural funding. Candidates must be supportive of the mission of the Land-Grant system. Candidates must also have a commitment to IFAS core values of excellence, diversity, global involvement, and accountability.

Preferred:

Demonstrable or potential ability to attract extramural funding and publish in reputable peer-reviewed journals. Teaching and postdoctoral experience is desirable.

For full consideration, candidates should apply and submit additional materials by December 6, 2021. The position will remain open until a viable applicant pool is determined.

Nominations

Nominations are welcome. Nominations need to include the complete name and address of the nominee. This information should be sent to:

Please refer to Requisition # 85162

Samantha A. Brooks, PhD

Chair, Search and Screen Committee

University of Florida

Dept. of Animal Sciences

University of Florida

PO Box 110910 Gainesville FL 32611-0910

Phone: 352-392-1981

E-mail: samantha.brooks@ufl.edu

Application Information

Individuals wishing to apply should go online to http://apply.interfolio.com/97204 and submit:

• Cover letter that states applicant’s interest in the position and qualifications relative to the credentials listed above
• Curriculum vitae
• Contact information (including email addresses) for 3 individuals that will be willing to provide a letter of recommendation. Letters are not initially required, but will be requested by the chair of the search and screen committee following notification to the candidate.
• Unofficial transcripts

Final candidate will be required to provide official transcript to the hiring department upon hire. A transcript will not be considered “official” if a designation of “Issued to Student” is visible. Degrees earned from an education institution outside of the United States are required to be evaluated by a professional credentialing service provider approved by National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES), which can be found at http://www.naces.org/ .

The University of Florida is an equal opportunity institution dedicated to building a broadly diverse and inclusive faculty and staff.

The University of Florida is An Equal Employment Opportunity Institution. If an accommodation due to a disability is needed to apply for this position, please call 352/392-2477 or the Florida Relay System at 800/955-8771 (TDD). Hiring is contingent upon eligibility to work in the US. Searches are conducted in accordance with Florida's Sunshine Law.

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