Assistant Professor, Soil Management and Rehabilitation of Disturbed Urban and Agricultural Land #518209
Assistant Professor - Soil Management and Rehabilitation of Disturbed Urban and Agricultural Land
The School of Plant and Environmental Sciences (SPES) at Virginia Tech seeks to fill an academic year (9-month; 50% research and 50% teaching responsibilities) tenure-track faculty position in rehabilitation of disturbed lands. The incumbent will conduct research on development and application of strategies for rehabilitation of landscapes drastically disturbed by mining, road building, solar farm construction, utility corridor development, dredge spoil management, and urban/suburban construction practices. Other areas of potential research include wetland creation/restoration and development of soil media for biofiltration systems. The potential return of disturbed lands to agricultural production systems including pasture, row crops, urban gardening and/or urban green spaces will be an important aspect of this position along with the beneficial use of organic and inorganic residuals as amendments. The successful candidate is expected to work collaboratively and to be a good citizen of SPES, the College, and the University and to work closely as part of a team and with faculty in other units at Virginia Tech, at other universities, and with industry partners. The incumbent will teach classes in general soils and reclamation and rehabilitation of disturbed lands.
Required qualifications include: a Ph.D. in agronomy, soils, ecology or closely related field, experience in soils as related to rehabilitation/reclamation/restoration science, experience in field application of rehabilitation protocols and a commitment to mentoring students, diversity and inclusion.