POSITION OVERVIEW
Salary range: The posted UC salary scales set the minimum pay determined by rank and/or step at appointment.
Direct, Fiscal Year. The anticipated salary range for this position is $60,000-$62,200.
“Off-scale salaries”, 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.
APPLICATION WINDOW
Open date: June 9, 2023
Next review date: Tuesday, Jun 27, 2023 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)Apply by this date to ensure full consideration by the committee.
Final date: Thursday, Aug 10, 2023 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)Applications will continue to be accepted until this date, but those received after the review date will only be considered if the position has not yet been filled.
POSITION DESCRIPTION
The Agricultural Sustainability Institute (ASI) in the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences is recruiting a Postdoctoral Scholar in the Social Science of Agrifood Systems to conduct research on information use in, and the potential to rapidly scale California’s organic agrifood industry.This position reports to the director of the ASI. The Social Science of Agrifood Systems Postdoctoral Scholar will work closely with ASI and ASI-affiliated faculty to conduct the research, in consultation with the UC ANR Organic Agriculture Institute and the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS). This is an excellent publication opportunity as the data collected will generate important new knowledge relevant to high-impact journals. In your first year as a postdoctoral scholar you will be expected to develop and conduct a gap analysis of existing organic price and volume data through the use of surveys, key informant interviews, and focus groups. The work will address the following:
An overview of what information members of the organic industry know about USDA AMS Market News’ program and current organic data offerings;
A comprehensive review of the unfilled needs (gaps) from the perspective of the various segments of the organic industry (i.e. farmers/producers, distributors/wholesalers, and retailers) vis-à-vis current offerings from both Market News and other sources;
Information about how pricing is currently determined for organic commodities and if industry stakeholders are utilizing Market News or other data sources as a guide;
Recommendations for improving or increasing current Market News data to fill those gaps in existing data offerings;
Understanding whether any other accessibility or access needs should be addressed to improve use of AMS Market News data for organic industry stakeholders; and
Proposals for how Market News could better provide data that is currently provided by other sources, including paid services, to better serve organic industry stakeholders.
In your second year, you will be expected to develop journal articles from the first year of data collection and analysis, and to expand the project to assess what is needed to rapidly expand organic agriculture in California to meet the state’s goals of mitigating greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture, and to progress toward decarbonization in California agrifood systems generally.
The ideal candidate has expertise in 1) developing social science data collection protocols, including surveys, interviews, and focus groups, 2) collecting data through these methods, and 3) analyzing quantitative and qualitative data. Your primary worksite location is the ASI office on the UC Davis campus, although a hybrid (at home and at work) work schedule might be possible. The postdoctoral scholar will be directly supervised by ASI Director, Professor Ryan Galt. Our team values diversity and applicants from historically underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply.
Department: https://asi.ucdavis.edu/
School: https://caes.ucdavis.edu/
QUALIFICATIONS
Basic qualifications (required at time of application)
● PhD in Agricultural Economics, Anthropology, Geography, Sociology, or related field by the anticipated start date.
Additional qualifications (required at time of start)
● Experience developing primary data collection protocols (surveys and interviews) and conducting primary data collection using social science research methodologies.
● Substantial experience in analyzing quantitative and qualitative data.
● Strong organizational skills.
● Strong teamwork and communication skills.
● Sufficient database management skills.
● Publication record, or strong potential for developing one.
Preferred qualifications
● Experience developing and implementing mixed methods (quantitative and qualitative) and mixed-methods analysis.
● Our team values diversity and applicants from historically underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply.
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS
Document requirements
Curriculum Vitae - Your most recently updated C.V.
Cover Letter
Statement of Research
Statement of Contributions to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion - Contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion 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.
Reference requirements
3-5 letters of reference required
Apply link: https://recruit.ucdavis.edu/JPF05802
Help contact: srjmitchell@ucdavis.edu