Position Summary:
The College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Maryland seeks
candidates with expertise in utilizing AI and machine learning to improve decision-
making in agriculture, agroecology, and/or natural resources. Applications are invited for
one or more tenure-track faculty positions (a cluster hire) at the rank of Assistant
Professor with a 60% research and 40% teaching appointment. Faculty will be members
of one of these departments based on their disciplinary expertise and research
interests: Animal and Avian Sciences, Environmental Science and Technology,
Veterinary Medicine, Nutrition and Food Science, or Plant Science and Landscape
Architecture. Depending on the department's needs, the exact split of the position's
research and teaching responsibilities is negotiable at the time of appointment.
The successful candidate will join a collaborative, interdisciplinary research community
at UMD, with opportunities to collaborate with the AI Interdisciplinary Institute @
Maryland (AIM; https://aim.umd.edu/), Maryland Agricultural Experiment Station
(MAES), and regional stakeholders involved in agricultural and environmental
management for rural and urban ecosystems. Applicants may also be considered for a
joint appointment with AIM. Ultimately, we seek individuals interested in applying AI to
benefit Maryland residents and farmers in support of UMD’s Land Grant mission.
Candidates’ disciplinary backgrounds could include, but are not limited to, agricultural
engineering, agronomy, animal or avian science, aquaculture, computer science,
environmental science, food science, horticulture, natural resources management,
human or animal nutrition, plant science, biology, genetics, plant pathology, veterinary
medicine, or related fields. Successful candidates will have experience/expertise

applying AI in big data analytics, sensors, computer vision, robotics, remote sensing,
precision agriculture, biological systems, molecular biology, precision nutrition,
microbiome, wearable technology for health or performance monitoring, gene discovery,
or other relevant technologies to solve current community/agriculture/environmental
problems.
Specific areas of research opportunity include:
- Utilizing AI to accelerate the discovery of strategies leading to improved
health outcomes of humans, plants, animals, and the environment,
- Application of AI-enabled surveillance or remote sensing systems,
for monitoring and risk assessment in plant, animal, human, or natural
ecosystems
- Applying AI to promote human health by increasing the nutritional value of
foods and/or increasing food safety,
- AI applications in precision agriculture to reduce production inputs
- Utilizing AI to accelerate gene discovery, programmed gene expression, and
de novo protein design to develop new strategies/plants/vaccines for
enhanced resistance to abiotic stressors and pathogens,
- AI applications to support communication and policy analysis, sustainable
design and green infrastructure planning, and ethics and governance across
plant, animal, and/or environmental systems

More information about the departments of Animal and Avian Sciences
(https://ansc.umd.edu), Environmental Science and Technology (https://enst.umd.edu),
Veterinary Medicine (https://vetmed.umd.edu/), Nutrition and Food Science (
https://nfsc.umd.edu/node/1/), and Plant Science and Landscape Architecture
(https://psla.umd.edu/), and existing faculty expertise and teams can be gleaned from
their websites.

Position Responsibilities:
? Establish and maintain an externally funded research program in one or more
research areas listed above.
? Develop and teach new courses in AI and data science applications in animal-
and plant-based agriculture, environmental science and technology, veterinary
medicine, or nutrition and food science at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
? Disseminate research findings through peer-reviewed publications and
presentations at national and international conferences.
? Recruit and mentor graduate and undergraduate students.
? Provide academic advising for undergraduate majors and contribute to graduate
education.
? Collaborate with faculty across departments, colleges, and external organizations
to promote interdisciplinary research and outreach.
? Participate in departmental, college, and university service activities and
governance.