Description
The Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture at Oklahoma State University (OSU) invites applications for an 11-month, tenure-track Assistant Professor position (90% Research and 10% Teaching) in Ornamental Plant Breeding with a focus on Nursery Crops. This position carries the expectation of excellence in scholarship across all areas of the appointment, commensurate with the land-grant mission of Oklahoma State University.
Position Description
This tenure-track faculty position will focus on ornamental nursery crop breeding and development to meet the needs of the ornamental and nursery industry, especially related to wholesale nursery production. The proposed position is designed to have strong connections and collaboration with the Oklahoma nursery industry. Duties would include providing innovative leadership and expertise in plant breeding and genetics of nursery crops. The faculty member will bridge basic plant science, conventional cultivar development, and modern plant breeding techniques for crop improvement. The individual is expected to establish a competitive, externally funded research program focused on improvement of nursery crops. Plant breeding objectives may include the development of new cultivars with enhanced tolerance to environmental stresses, novel ornamental value, improved pest resistance, non-invasiveness, and other superior commercial traits. Other foundational and collaborative research efforts may relate to applied propagation and production (for commercialization); screening germplasm (for resistance to diseases, insects, and environmental stresses); genomics (for breeding and biotechnological applications); gene editing and plant transformation. Areas of focus may also include population genomics, trait discovery and mapping, and the development of genomic selection schemes and prediction models for horticulture nursery crops. The candidate is expected to make fundamental contributions to plant genetics and to integrate these efforts with cultivar development, testing, and release through the Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station (OSU Ag Research).
The faculty member will be expected to conduct research as part of a local, regional, and nationally recognized research program focused on the ornamental nursery crop and landscape industries. They will be responsible for the development of a competitively and industry-funded research program that will meet the basic and applied research needs related to breeding, development, selection, and release of ornamental plants to withstand environmental stress and the impact of climate, abiotic, and biotic stress. They will develop a successful externally funded research program. They will publish peer-reviewed manuscripts, including scientific journal articles as direct outputs of their research efforts. The candidate will be expected to incorporate applied field research and teaching initiatives at one or multiple locations, which may include The Botanic Garden at OSU in Stillwater, OK, the OSU Cimarron Valley Research Station in Perkins, OK, the OSU Mingo Valley Research Station in Bixby, OK, the OSU Student Farm in Stillwater, OK, or on-farm work in collaboration with nurseries and growers across the state, including Greenleaf Nursery in Park Hill, OK. The candidate is expected to collaborate with stakeholders such as Oklahoma Nursery and Landscape Association, and its members such as Greenleaf Nursery, to best align their research program to meet stated priorities and needs of the horticulture nursery industry. The research will involve the collection and processing of large phenotypic, genetic, and environmental datasets; simulations; statistical modeling; and field and controlled environment experiments.
This tenure-track position will fill critical undergraduate and graduate teaching needs within the Horticulture BS degree program and the Horticulture MS program. This teaching role will be focused on ornamental and nursery crop plant breeding, genetics, genomics, and related areas. The individual may teach critical courses that align with or enhance the Horticulture BS degree. The faculty member will develop new courses to support the Horticulture MS graduate program and may include topics related to ornamental plant breeding, selection, genetics, and genomics.
The candidate will be expected to develop and document scholarship related to the outcomes and impacts of their teaching program. They will be expected to develop and disseminate teaching related resources and publications in peer-reviewed, teaching, and educational-focused journals in the agricultural and horticultural sciences. The individual will be expected to formally mentor undergraduate and graduate students. They will be expected to provide service to the department, college, and university through teaching-related committees and activities.
The candidate will be expected to recruit, mentor, and serve as major advisor and graduate committee chair to graduate students in the Horticulture MS graduate program or the Crop Science interdisciplinary PhD program. They will contribute to graduate education through service on graduate student committees and they will be expected to periodically serve on department, division, and/or university committees. The candidate will work cooperatively with OSU faculty and staff and serve as a member of the OSU ornamental horticulture team. Regular engagement in professional development opportunities and activities will be expected as well as completion of all required Departmental, Division, and/or University level required annual trainings.
Requirements
Qualifications
A doctorate in horticulture, plant science, agronomy, crop science, plant breeding, genetics, genomics, or a closely related field with a horticulture emphasis is required. Knowledge of ornamental horticulture, plant breeding, genetics, or genomics teaching methods and overall pedagogy, experimental design, statistical analysis, and preparation and delivery of scientific data to multiple audiences is expected. The candidate should have the ability to effectively mentor graduate students and direct their various projects. The successful candidate should provide evidence of scholarly productivity including publication of peer-reviewed scientific journal articles, presentations at scientific societies, and a record of developing successful competitive external grant proposals. The selected individual should have experience teaching (either as TA or instructor of record) at the undergraduate and/or graduate level and must possess excellent written and interpersonal communication skills to effectively interact with diverse audiences. Preference will be given to those possessing previous research and teaching experience and expertise in ornamental plant breeding, genetics, or genomics.
Employment Conditions
Review of applications will begin April 18, 2025. For full consideration, please submit all application materials before April 18, 2025. Review of applications will continue until a suitable candidate is identified. Salary and benefits are competitive and commensurate with education, training, and experience. There are lots of great reasons to work at OSU. Check out our competitive benefits and eligibility at https://hr.okstate.edu/prospective-ee.html.
The position is available July 1, 2025, or as soon thereafter as the selected candidate is available. Candidates that have completed the degree requirements for the PhD by December 2025 are encouraged to apply.
About the Department
The Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture has 23 faculty with both undergraduate and graduate degree programs. The department operates The Botanic Garden at OSU, Oklahoma Gardening television show, the Greenhouse Learning Center, the Landscape Architecture Studio, the OSU Student Farm, and is active at several research sites through the Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station. For more information about the department, go to: https://agriculture.okstate.edu/departments-programs/hla/
Application Procedure
To apply, candidates should submit: (a) a letter of application describing how their academic preparation and experience qualify them for this faculty position; (b) a curriculum vitae; (c) a personal statement of teaching philosophy; (d) names and contact information of three professional references. Questions may be directed to Dr. Mike Schnelle, Chair of the Search Committee at mike.schnelle@okstate.edu or 405-744-7361.
Formal applications must be submitted electronically to https://jobs.okstate.edu by searching for req19210.
To learn more about OSU Agriculture and Stillwater, visit these websites:
https://agriculture.okstate.edu
https://agresearch.okstate.edu
https://extension.okstate.edu
https://www.okstate.edu
https://www.visitstillwater.org
https://www.stillwaterchamber.org
Equal Employment Opportunity
Oklahoma State University, as an equal opportunity employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding non-discrimination and affirmative action. Oklahoma State University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all individuals and does not discriminate based on race, religion, age, sex, color, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, disability, or veteran status with regard to employment, educational programs and activities, and/or admissions. For more information, visit https:///eeo.okstate.edu.
