Job Title Assistant Professor of Irrigation Engineering
Agency Texas A&M Agrilife Research
Department Lubbock
Proposed Minimum Salary Commensurate
Job Location Lubbock, Texas
Job Type Faculty
Job Description
Texas A&M AgriLife Research is seeking an outstanding, innovative, and dynamic research engineer capable of leadership and management in the water resources / irrigation area. This appointment will be 12 month, non-tenured, 100% Research, administratively located with Texas A&M AgriLife Research Center based in Lubbock, Texas with offices in Lubbock and Halfway and research facilities located 40 miles north of Lubbock in Halfway, TX. The academic appointment will be with the Biological and Agricultural Engineering Department in College Station, Texas. The incumbent will be expected to lead a nationally prominent research program focused on regional needs related to water, energy, and economic efficiency with emphasis on irrigation optimization.
Position Responsibilities:
This position will be expected to develop an independent water engineering research program that dovetails into collaborative programs with Texas A&M AgriLife Research faculty at Lubbock.
- Must be able to compete aggressively for federal, state, commodity, and other competitive funding in research areas related to irrigation, water resources, groundwater conservation, etc.
- Must be able to conduct and report water engineering and management research in areas of irrigation technologies and management strategies that promote water and energy efficiency and sustainability of agriculture in the region.
- Must publish research results in peer-reviewed journals.
- Expected to support extension specialists in developing educational materials related to research outcomes.
- Expected to participate on interdisciplinary teams with faculty in Lubbock, Amarillo, College Station, and other parts of the Texas A&M University System, other Great Plains universities, and federal agencies such as USDA-ARS, as appropriate for planned programs.
- Expected to develop working relationships with irrigation industry and commodity groups and participate in industry and professional associations.
- Expected to serve on unit, department, agency, and university committees as appropriate.
- Travel required to participate in meetings and conduct research programs.
Administrative Relationships:
The position reports to the Center Director of Texas A&M AgriLife Research in Lubbock and to the Department Head in the Department of Biological & Agricultural Engineering at Texas A&M University.
Qualifications:
- Ph.D. in agricultural, mechanical, civil, or a related engineering degree, with academic preparation and interest in water engineering, irrigation engineering, agricultural water management, and related subject matter.
- Demonstrated basic knowledge of fluid hydraulics, electronics, electrical control methods and systems, soil physics, and plant physiology as they relate to irrigation system design and management.
- Ability and commitment to conduct field work and design and operate irrigation equipment in an outdoor environment.
- Capability and experience to design and conduct field-based, applied research.
- Capable of securing external funding and producing high quality scholarly publications.
- Commitment to an interdisciplinary team approach to innovative research.
- Interpersonal skills to establish effective communication and working relationships with staff, faculty, administration, and external contacts.
The candidate will be expected to either hold a professional engineering license or be qualified to become a licensed/registered Professional Engineer in the State of Texas by first promotion deadline.
Preferred Experience:
- Experience with practical applications of irrigation engineering, technologies, and management.
- Knowledge of groundwater resource issues.
- Familiarity with Texas Southern High Plains crops and cropping systems.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
- Excellent English oral, written, and electronic communication skills.
- Ability to use personal computer to communicate effectively, prepare proposals to include cost information on spreadsheets, and provide reports of activities.
- Ability to work both independently and as a member of multidisciplinary teams.
- Ability to communicate effectively with faculty, staff, and stakeholders.
- Ability to multi-task and recruit and manage support staff effectively.
Location:
Texas A&M AgriLife Research Center, Lubbock/Halfway, 14 miles W. on Hwy 70, Plainview, TX.
Texas A&M AgriLife Research Location at Halfway, Texas
Equipment Available: In addition to equipment needed for crop production, research quality irrigation systems are available at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research Station at Halfway.
Subsurface Drip Irrigation Systems: Twenty-acre Subsurface Drip Irrigation (SDI) system equipped with Eco-Drip ECIII Pro multizone subsurface drip irrigation controller capable of remote programming, zone valve control, flow monitoring, environmental/soil water/plant sensing from 47 individual SDI zones, SDI filtration system, submersible electric pump, and motor. Zones are sized and arranged for replicated treatments representative of commercial scale production.
Center Pivot Irrigation Systems: Zimmatic 5-tower, 22-acre system purchased in 2020 and Zimmatic 3-tower (14 acre) variable rate irrigation system, in excellent condition. Both are equipped with automated irrigation management systems (AIMS) panels which allow programming from desktop or laptop computers or cell phones.
Additional information about Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Texas A&M University Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering is available at:
Texas A&M AgriLife Research: https://agrilifeextension.tamu.edu/about/who-we-are/
Texas A&M University Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering: https://baen.tamu.edu
Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Lubbock: https://lubbock.tamu.edu
For more information, please contact: Dr. Wenwei Xu, wxu@ag.tamu.edu , search advisory committee chair
Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action/Veterans/Disability Employer
All positions are security-sensitive. Applicants are subject to a criminal history investigation, and employment is contingent upon the institution’s verification of credentials and/or other information required by the institution’s procedures, including the completion of the criminal history check.
Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action/Veterans/Disability Employer committed to diversity.
