Assistant Professor of Informal Entomology Education

Classification Title:

Ast Prof

Job Description:

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is creating an environment that affirms community across all dimensions. We particularly welcome applicants who can contribute to such an environment through their scholarship, teaching, mentoring, and professional service. 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 12-month tenure-accruing position based on main campus in Gainesville, FL, that will be 40% research (Florida Agricultural Experiment Station) and 60% Extension (Florida Cooperative Extension Service), available in the Entomology and Nematology Department, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, at the University of Florida. This assignment may change in accordance with the needs of the unit. Tenure will accrue in the Entomology and Nematology Department. The successful candidate will actively seek contract and grant funding to support their work and will engage in Extension activities in their program area. 

The UF Entomology and Nematology education program is the largest of its kind in the country and comprises in person and online degree-seeking undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as numerous public-facing outreach programs dedicated to hands-on learning about insects and nematodes. This position is intended to elevate the caliber of departmental outreach programming through evidence-based program development and assessment of outcomes. The successful candidate will direct the UF Entomology and Nematology Outreach Program, which includes a living “bug zoo,” an extensive array of educational materials, and which provides outreach training and experience for graduate and undergraduate students.

The successful candidate’s research may focus on evaluation of educational programs within the department, including but not limited to programs offered through the Outreach Program, formal classroom teaching, educational events for public audiences, and programs offered in partnership with other educational programs or networks. The successful candidate will be expected to be a resource to others in the department interested in formally evaluating educational programs.

Duties and responsibilities will include:

EXTENSION 60%. The successful candidate will be expected to develop independent and extramurally-funded Extension programs focused on the scholarship of teaching/extension and learning (SoTL) in Entomology and Nematology, while engaging a variety of audiences and stakeholder groups. These may include (but are not limited to):

• PreK-12 youth education, 4-H, etc., educators (PreK-12 teachers, Extension agents, informal and formal educators)
• Adult learners (e.g., Master Gardeners, Master Naturalists)
• County faculty, through in service trainings, curriculum development, and Extension Publications
• College and graduate students may also be a target audience, though formal classroom teaching is not included in the responsibilities of this role

RESEARCH 40%. The successful candidate will conduct innovative research to explore effective strategies for informal science education in entomology and related STEM disciplines. They are expected to provide leadership in program development and assessment, leveraging evaluation tools to measure and enhance the impact of educational initiatives across the department. As such, collaboration with other faculty members to develop broader impacts or educational components for research grants and programs are encouraged. It is expected that the faculty member will seek funding from agencies such as the USDA (e.g., Higher Education Challenge Grants) and NSF (e.g., Advancing Informal STEM Learning, Improving Undergraduate STEM Education) and will contribute to leveraging and leading training grants to enhance student learning and engagement in entomology. Research findings should be published in high-quality peer-reviewed journals and presented at national and international conferences.

This position is well positioned to foster partnerships with local, state, and national stakeholders to advance entomological science education. For example, collaboration opportunities within UF include: the CALS Teaching and Learning Collaborative, the Center for Precollegiate Education and Training, the UF Biodiversity Institute, the UF/IFAS Center for Public Issues Education, the Florida Museum of Natural History, the Thompson Earth Systems Institute, the Department of Agricultural Education and Communication, and the College of Education, among others.

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