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Duties and Responsibilities
This is a 12-month, tenure-accruing position that is 60% research (Florida Agricultural Experiment Station) and 40% Extension (Florida Cooperative Extension Service) located at the Mid-Florida Research and Education Center (MREC), Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS), University of Florida based in Apopka. This assignment may change in accordance with the needs of the unit. Tenure will accrue in the Entomology and Nematology Department. The incumbent is expected to have access to funds from the Florida Pest Management Association (FPMA) Professorship endowment to support their Extension and research programs.
The UF/IFAS Mid-Florida Research and Education Center (MREC) in Apopka, Florida serves as a hub for research, teaching, and Extension programs supporting Florida’s ornamental, landscape, urban and controlled environment agriculture industries. This variety of faculty, staff and programs provides a unique setting for interdisciplinary work within the MREC campus, with colleagues on the main UF campus and with faculty at other Centers around the state.
The UF/IFAS Turfgrass program, considered one of the best nationwide, is an integrated research, teaching, and Extension group of faculty in three departments and four locations (main campus and three Research and Education Centers). These faculty serve a large and dynamic turfgrass industry composed of lawn care professionals, sod producers, sports field managers, and golf course superintendents.
Expected Duties
The successful candidate will develop a nationally and internationally recognized, and extramurally funded, research and Extension program in urban landscape entomology, with emphasis on turfgrass and ornamental landscapes. Research themes should address insect pest biology, ecology, and integrated management strategies tailored to Florida systems across urban and suburban landscapes, including, residential and commercial landscapes, athletic fields, sod production, and golf courses. Collaboration with colleagues across Florida, the southern region, and nationally and internationally is expected.
The program will emphasize sustainable pest management approaches that reduce reliance on pesticide inputs, improve plant health, and enhance environmental quality in urban landscapes. Efforts will also address pest dynamics associated with urbanization and changing environmental conditions.
This position addresses a critical statewide need driven by rapid population growth and urban expansion. It will support Florida’s turfgrass, ornamental plant, and pest management industries by providing science-based solutions that enhance economic sustainability, environmental stewardship, and quality of life.
The incumbent will develop a comprehensive Extension program that provides statewide leadership in urban landscape entomology through UF/IFAS Extension. Extension programming must align with the needs of stakeholders, including the development and delivery of educational programs, workshops, and decision-support tools for sod producers, pest management professionals, landscape managers, arborists, golf course superintendents, county faculty, and the general public. The faculty member will contribute to relevant UF/IFAS Initiative Teams focused on agriculture, horticulture, and sustainable urban systems.
The faculty member is expected to publish research and Extension results in national and international refereed and non-refereed journals, present results at professional meetings, and collaborate with interdisciplinary faculty and industry partners to address emerging pest management challenges.
The successful candidate will participate actively in graduate education by chairing and serving on graduate committees, supervising thesis and dissertation research, and publishing research results with students, and engage in professional service, consistent with the IFAS land-grant mission. The faculty member will actively seek contract and grant funding to support his/her program. Involvement in national and international professional societies is expected.
Because of the IFAS land-grant mission, all faculty are expected to be supportive of and engaged in all three mission areas—Research, Teaching and Extension—regardless of the assignment split specified in the position description.
Background Information:
The position will be based at the UF/IFAS Mid-Florida Research and Education Center (MREC) in Apopka, Florida, which serves as a hub for research, teaching, and Extension programs supporting Florida’s ornamental, landscape, urban and controlled environment agriculture industries. The Center provides access to laboratory, greenhouse, and field research facilities, along with strong partnerships with industry stakeholders. MREC is one of 12 University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Research and Education Centers. Located in the heart of Florida (just north or Orlando), the MREC is a center for research, teaching, and Extension programs. Originally established as the Central Florida Research & Education Center in the fall of 1986 by administratively combining research centers at Apopka, Leesburg, and Sanford, a new research and education facility was constructed on land next to the old Apopka center in 1999. Today, UF/IFAS MREC serves a large ornamental, nursery and agricultural industry which has historically cooperated with the Center to develop applied research. MREC’s unique 218-acre facility includes two controlled environment facilities, over 130,000 square feet of greenhouses, 20,000 square feet of laboratories, two instructional pest management facilities, and a graduate student dormitory.
The Entomology and Nematology Department has a variety of teaching, research, and Extension programs with 36 faculty members located on the main campus in Gainesville and 37 faculty members located at 12 Research and Education Centers throughout the state. The department's educational program is the largest of its kind in the country and encompasses in-person and online degree-seeking undergraduate and graduate programs.
The University of Florida is a Land-Grant, Sea-Grant, and Space-Grant institution, encompassing virtually all academic and professional disciplines, with an enrollment of more than 56,000 students. UF is a member of The Association of American Universities. The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences includes the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station, the Florida Cooperative Extension Service, the College of Veterinary Medicine, the Florida Sea Grant program, and encompasses 16 on-campus academic departments and schools, 12 Research and Educational Centers (REC) located throughout the state, 6 Research sites/demonstration units administered by RECs or academic departments, and Florida Cooperative Extension Service offices in all 67 counties (counties operate and maintain). The School of Natural Resources and Environment is an interdisciplinary unit housed in IFAS and managed by several colleges on campus. UF/IFAS employs nearly 4,500 people, which includes approximately 990 salaried faculty and 1,400 permanent support personnel located in Gainesville and throughout the state. IFAS, one of the nation’s largest agricultural and natural resources research and education organizations, is administered by a Vice President and four deans: the Dean of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, the Dean for Extension and Director of the Florida Cooperative Extension Service, the Dean for Research and Director of the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station, and the Dean for the College of Veterinary Medicine. UF/IFAS also engages in cooperative work with Florida A&M University in Tallahassee.
