Plant Pathologist
The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station has an opening for a Plant Pathologist (Assistant Scientist II) at its Valley Laboratory campus in Windsor, Hartford County, Connecticut.
Duties: The successful candidate will be expected to develop an independent research program that applies field and laboratory-based approaches to address the current/new disease problems of specialty, local, and/or tobacco crops/plants etc. grown in New England. Research areas may include any aspect of pathogen management or control, ecology, epidemiology, host or vector interactions, or host resistance, in one or multiple pathosystems. The scientist will be expected to develop interdisciplinary collaborations with scientists at CAES and other institutions, seek and manage external funding, and frequently communicate research findings through peer-reviewed publications, scientific and stakeholder presentations, and accomplishment reports. This is a fully funded state government research position. Starting salary is $85,906.00/yr. with competitive medical, dental, and pension benefits.
Required qualifications are a Ph.D. in plant pathology or a closely related discipline, demonstrated excellence in oral and written communication, and demonstrated research productivity in plant pathology.
Preferred qualifications include demonstrated evidence of quality and innovative research productivity, a broad knowledge of plant diseases, and a potential to acquire and manage external funding as indicated by a clear and compelling research statement. Other desired qualifications include evidence of productive collaborations, experience communicating with growers and the general public, a record of scientific mentoring and service, and commitment to diversity in science.
Application instructions: Candidates should submit the following electronically in a single PDF file: 1) A cover letter summarizing your qualifications and briefly stating your research interests; 2) a Curriculum Vitae; 3) a statement of future research interests (3 pages max.); 4) contact information for three references along with a concise statement of their professional relationship to you. The file should be named with the convention [lastname]_pathologist.pdf and should be sent as an e-mail attachment to Dr. DeWei Li, Ph.D., Chief Scientist and Head, Valley Laboratory; Dewei [dot] Li [at] ct [dot] gov. Applications should be submitted no later than December 15, 2022 for full consideration.
The Valley Laboratory is a campus of CAES founded in 1921 to serve the growers of shade and broadleaf tobacco, specialty and ornamental crops, and fruits and vegetables in the Connecticut Valley and the Northeastern United States. A 26-million dollar total site renovation is slated for 2023. The current Laboratory houses 10 full-time research and diagnostics staff working in plant pathology, entomology, and weed science, and is equipped for microbiology and molecular biology research. A 50 acre farm and 1923 sq. ft. of greenhouse space are on site, and two other research farms are available. Valley Lab scientists maintain close connections with the CAES main campus, the University of Connecticut, and Hartford-area universities, providing access to core and library facilities and student research assistance.
