College of Agriculture & Natural Resources Department of Forestry

The Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management (ESPM) at the University of California, Berkeley (UCB) invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor nine-month faculty position in the area of Conservation Science.

Globally, forests deliver essential services to ecosystems and societies. They drive the cycling of water and carbon, provide essential habitat for a wealth of species, and support both the material and cultural prosperity of human communities. However, the world’s forests are at an ecological tipping point. A suite of novel stressors from a warming climate to the widespread introduction of invasive species poses direct and indirect threats to the health of trees and the function of forests. Understanding how trees respond to these interacting stressors is fundamental to the well-being of forests and the people that depend on them. California is no exception. Tens of millions of acres of California’s forests are in poor health and vulnerable to catastrophic losses from insects and pathogens, especially during periods of climatic extremes. Improving our knowledge of these threats and informing ways to mitigate them is a priority for California and the world.

We seek applicants whose work addresses specific aspects of forest health, including (but not limited to); impacts of climate change on the host-pest/pathogen relationship; threats posed by natural and anthropogenic agents to tree conservation; and innovations in the monitoring and management of forest health. We encourage applicants whose research contributes to an integrated understanding of forest health and its broad impacts on ecosystems and societies. Interdisciplinary research and cross-institutional collaborations that advance translation science and inform public policy are fundamental aspects of the University of California’s land grant mission.

ESPM is a multidisciplinary community of scholars and Cooperative Extension Specialists from the biological, physical, and social sciences and the humanities who conduct research, teaching, and outreach to advance scientific understanding and develop solutions for the world’s pressing environmental problems. Home to a top-ranked Ph.D. program in environmental science, environmental studies, and ecological/evolutionary biology, our undergraduate students have a choice of vibrant majors that span the disciplines in the department. Our excellence can only be fully realized by faculty, students, and staff who share our commitment to these values. Successful candidates for our faculty position will demonstrate evidence of a commitment to equity and inclusion through their research, teaching, and service.

We value diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) as exemplified by the following principles of community: we accept the intrinsic relationship between diversity and excellence in all our endeavors; and we embrace open and equitable access to opportunities for learning and development as our obligation and goal. ESPM recognizes that DEI must be integrated with strategies that address the critical environmental challenges facing humanity, including climate change, food security, natural resource access and management, biodiversity, environmental health, land use decision-making, and maintaining sustainable and just living conditions.

ESPM is committed to addressing the family needs of faculty, including dual career couples and single parents. We are also interested in candidates who have had non-traditional career paths, who have taken time off their career paths for family reasons, or who have achieved excellence in careers outside academia.

For information about potential relocation to Berkeley, or career needs of accompanying partners and spouses, please visit: http://ofew.berkeley.edu/new-faculty.

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. Consistent with this commitment, UC Berkeley requires all applicants for Senate faculty positions to complete, sign, and upload an Authorization of Information Release form into AP Recruit as part of their application. If an applicant does not include the signed authorization, 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, applicants will only be subject to reference checks if and when they are selected as the candidate to whom the hiring unit would like to extend a formal offer. More information is available on this website

Help contact: nlowy@berkeley.edu