The Department of Viticulture & Enology at UC Davis has a faculty position opening for an Assistant Professor of Wine Chemistry. Please spread the word to those who may be interested. Full details can be found below.
The Department of Viticulture & Enology in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at the University of California, Davis is recruiting an Assistant Professor with an interest in the chemistry of wine components and their dynamics as related to the flavor and sustainability of wine. Our department faculty are highly interdisciplinary with expertise in biology, chemistry, chemical engineering, and sensory science studying wine and related systems. The successful candidate would be expected to develop an active research program relevant to wine chemistry that can extend into other areas of interest that align with the mission of our department/college/campus. We welcome candidates from diverse backgrounds, irrespective of prior experience in wine research. Our goal is to attract forward-thinkers committed to pushing the boundaries of chemical knowledge and methodologies that can be used to unravel the many complexities of wine and flavor.
Responsibilities:
The appointee is expected to establish a competitively funded chemistry research program employing new approaches that can be applied to wine chemistry. Areas of applicable research include organic, analytical, biological, biophysical, and environmental chemistry; the key to success being a multifaceted chemistry research program with an openness to the application of these skills to wine research. The challenge of wine chemistry is an assessment of how particular components could interact with the diversity of reactants (largely natural products) in a wine matrix. This would involve study of chemical reactions underlying transformations that occur in wine with a focus on the origin and/or modification of compounds throughout the wine making process, including novel analytical approaches to expand the understanding of wine composition. The research program will need to address emerging issues in grape/wine chemistry that are likely to vary with a changing climate, such as those responding to increasing temperatures during ripening.
The appointee will be responsible for teaching undergraduate and graduate level courses in wine chemistry; some examples include VEN 3 (Introduction to Wine), VEN 124 (Wine Production), VEN 124L (Wine Production Lab), VEN 126 (Wine Stability), VEN 126L (Wine Stability Lab), VEN 219 (Natural Products of Wine), VEN 223 (Instrumental Analysis of Must & Wine. Performance of departmental and university service is also expected.
This is an academic year (9-month), tenure track Assistant Professor position with an appointment in the California Agricultural Experiment Station (AES). Faculty members who hold an AES appointment have a responsibility to conduct research and outreach relevant to the mission of the California AES. Participation in and development of industry and public outreach and/or community engagement programs is expected, including collaboration with Cooperative Extension specialists and advisors, partners in allied industries or other appropriate public stakeholders.
As one of the country’s leading R1 institutions, UC Davis seeks candidates with exceptional potential for research, teaching, and inclusive excellence. In addition, the successful candidate will demonstrate an understanding of the barriers preventing full participation of members from historically underrepresented and marginalized student communities in higher education, such as (but not limited to) women, underrepresented minorities, individuals self-identifying as LGBTQIA+, veterans, individuals with disabilities, economically disadvantaged groups, first-generation, undocumented students, or students with any intersections in between. Successful candidates will help advance UC Davis’ strategic goal of improving access and building an inclusive community for all marginalized populations. Applicants’ track record of engagement and activity related to diversity, equal opportunity, and inclusion (calibrated to career stage), as well as their plans for future engagement, will be a significant part of the overall evaluation of the candidate’s qualifications for a faculty appointment.
Qualifications:
• Basic qualification: Ph.D. or equivalent in a field of Chemistry, Biochemistry, Analytical Chemistry, Chemical Biology, Organic Chemistry, Agricultural & Environmental Chemistry, or related field at the time of appointment.
• Post-doctoral experience preferred.
• Evidence of leadership and organizational skills relevant to the development of a successful research, teaching and outreach program.
• Evidence of scholarship during graduate and post-graduate activities.
• Demonstrated ability or potential to obtain extramural support for research activities.
• Interest, understanding, and commitment to contributing to diversity. Demonstrated ability to contribute to diversity and inclusion of groups that are underrepresented in the academy through extension education, research, and/or service would be a plus.
• Demonstrated ability or potential to develop and instruct undergraduate and graduate courses and to present information to scientific audiences.
• Willingness and interest to advise undergraduates.
• Demonstrated ability or potential and interest to mentor M.S. and Ph.D. students.
• Evidence of communication skills and collegiality consistent with effective departmental, campus and professional citizenship.
• Interest, understanding, and commitment to the objectives of a land-grant university and the Agricultural Experiment Station including mission-oriented research and a substantive outreach engagement programming.
Salary:
The salary range for this position is $98,600 - $121,200. “Off-scale salaries” and other components of pay, i.e., a salary that is higher than the published system-wide salary at the designated rank and step, are offered when necessary to meet competitive conditions, qualifications, and experience.
Applications:
Application materials must be submitted via the following website: https://recruit.ucdavis.edu/JPF06336. The position will remain open until filled. To ensure consideration, applications should be received by April 1, 2024.
Initial review of applications will be conducted using anonymized versions of the Statement of Research Accomplishments and Interests and the Statement of Contributions to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Applications demonstrating sufficient potential based on this review will be advanced to full review.
Required application materials include:
• Curriculum Vitae including publication list with the ability to upload three example publications.
• Statement of Teaching Accomplishments and Philosophy.
• Statement of Research Accomplishments that includes future areas of research and their potential relation to wine chemistry.
• Statement of Contributions to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Contributions to DEI documented in the application file will be used to evaluate applicants. Visit https://academicaffairs.ucdavis.edu/faculty-equity-and-inclusion for guidelines about writing a statement and why one is requested.
• Transcripts if the applicant is within five years of Ph.D. degree (Optional).
• The names, addresses, including e-mail, of four professional references
• An Authorization to Release Information form.
Additional inquiries should be directed to Dr. Ron Runnebaum (rcrunnebaum@ucdavis.edu).
The University of California is committed to creating and maintaining a community dedicated to the advancement, application, and transmission of knowledge and creative endeavors through academic excellence, where all individuals who participate in University programs and activities can work and learn together in a safe and secure environment, free of violence, harassment, discrimination, exploitation, or intimidation. With this commitment, UC Davis conducts a reference check on all first-choice candidates for Academic Senate Assistant Professor or Lecturer with Potential for Security of Employment, Steps 4, 5, or 6, or Acting Professor of Law positions. The reference check involves contacting the administration of the applicant’s previous institution(s) to ask whether there have been substantiated findings of misconduct that would violate the University’s Faculty Code of Conduct. To implement this process, UC Davis requires all applicants for any open search for assistant professor to complete, sign, and upload the form entitled “Authorization to Release Information” into RECRUIT as part of their application. If an applicant does not include the signed authorization with the application materials, the application will be considered incomplete, and as with any incomplete application, will not receive further consideration. Although all applicants for faculty recruitments must complete the entire application, only finalists considered for Academic Senate Assistant Professor or Lecturer with Potential for Security of Employment, Steps 4, 5, or 6, or Acting Professor of Law positions will be subject to reference checks.
UC Davis is an affirmative action/equal employment opportunity employer and is dedicated to recruiting a diverse faculty community. We welcome all qualified applicants to apply, including women, minorities, veterans, and individuals with disabilities.