The Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management at the University of California, Berkeley seeks an Assistant Cooperative Extension Specialist (Fiscal Year) in Metropolitan Agriculture and Food Systems.  The expected start date is January 1, 2014.  The Metropolitan Agriculture and Food Systems Specialist will help create a collaborative, multidisciplinary and multifaceted research and outreach program with UC Cooperative Extension Advisors and Specialists; community partners; government/institutional groups; and nascent urban food farms, urban agriculture initiatives and businesses across California.

The position will include research collaboration, community and business partnership building, public policy analysis, information sharing, and coordination with other extension and university programs.  Specifically, the Specialist’s program should aim to create synergies among a diverse range of urban food system initiatives and to evaluate and scale up their impacts.  Areas of focus might include connecting urban agro-ecosystems with food security and nutrition programs; the impacts of the regulatory context of urban agriculture initiatives on producers and consumers; and eco-cultural revitalization through the collaborative development of urban and peri-urban agricultural innovation zones.

The successful candidate will have an earned doctoral degree in the social sciences, such as political science, anthropology, sociology, planning, or geography; or from an appropriate interdisciplinary program, such as natural resource, agricultural, environmental, urban, or nutritional studies.  The Ph.D. or equivalent is required by the date of hire.  Additional qualifications include the demonstrated ability to work productively with diverse communities and stakeholders (including socioeconomically disadvantaged communities), and the ability to build cross-disciplinary teams to address social, ecological, and economic challenges of food systems.  The Specialist will be expected to develop a nationally-competitive research program and to obtain extramural grant funds.  Meaningful engagement in University of California’s Agriculture and Natural Resource’s Strategic Initiatives and Program Teams is also essential for a successful program.  Please refer to: http://ucanr.org/About_ANR/Strategic_Vision/.  The department seeks candidates whose research and service has prepared them to contribute to our commitment to diversity and inclusion in education and outreach.

Applicants should submit the following documents on-line at http://aprecruit.berkeley.edu/apply/JPF00194:  1) a cover letter, 2) a curriculum vitae, 3) a statement of research and extension interests and experience, 4) pdf copies of up to 3 recent publications, and 5) a list of three referees who may be asked to submit a letter of recommendation. Each document uploaded should be submitted as a separate pdf file.  Filenames should include the applicant’s last and first names.  All letters will be treated as confidential per University of California policy and California state law.  Please refer potential referees, including when letters are provided via a third party (i.e., dossier service or career center), to the UC Berkeley statement of confidentiality: http://apo.chance.berkeley.edu/evalltr.html.

The closing date for applications is October 21, 2014.

Additional information on this position can be found at http://ourenvironment.berkeley.edu/MetropolitanAgriculture/.  For additional information on the Department and the campus visit http://ourenvironment.berkeley.edu, and http://berkeley.edu.  The University of California is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer.