Junior Specialist/Del Castillo lab

University of California; Davis (CA); On-site; USD 48,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

University of California Davis's Del Castillo Lab seeks a Junior Specialist with interest in sustainable agriculture, native habitats, and fungal ecology. The role emphasizes independent work, collaboration, and contributions to manuscripts, outreach, and reports.

Work spans lab, greenhouses, and off-campus facilities across California. The incumbent will support pathogen surveys, diagnostics, greenhouse trials, and literature reviews, while maintaining lab safety and mentoring undergraduate

Qualifications

• Minimum BS in Plant Pathology or related discipline by start date.
• Interest in sustainable agriculture, native habitats, forest restoration, disease diagnostics, plant health management, oomycete and fungal ecology, extension.
• Ability to work independently and with lab members with professional conduct.
• Excellent organization and time-management for short and long term tasks.
• Willingness to contribute to manuscripts, outreach publications and reports.

Responsibilities

• Assist PI/SRA/grad students on plant pathogen surveys in crops.
• Assist in diagnostics from intake to diagnostic reports.
• Support greenhouse trial development, including fungicide efficacy studies.
• Assist in plant testing at restoration nurseries across California.
• Develop and conduct lab/greenhouse trials and contribute to manuscripts and reports.
• Assist in grant proposal development based on preliminary data.
• Manage lab culture collections and long-term storage of isolates.
• Maintain safety standards, staff training, and ordering.

Skills

Organization

Independence

Collaboration

Scientific writing

Presentation skills

Education

Bachelor of Science in Plant Pathology

Job description

Junior Specialists in the Del Castillo Lab are expected have an interest in sustainable agriculture, native habitats and forest restoration, disease diagnostics, plant health management, oomycete and fungal ecology, extension, or a related field. The incumbent must be a motivated, organized, independently driven individual who is able to work and collaborate with members of the lab in a professional manner. The Junior specialist must therefore have excellent organization skills, including abilities for short term, long-term time management and organized worked in the bench. As the major contributor to research studies, the incumbent expected to contribute to scholarly manuscripts, outreach publications and reports, and present work at local, statewide and national meetings. Work will be conducted in the lab, in campus greenhouses, and off campus, on greenhouse and nursery facilities of ornamental crops and vegetable transplants throughout California.

Research (85%)

The incumbent of this position will be actively and significantly involved in publishable research activities through the following roles and duties:

• Assist the PI, Staff Research Associate (SRA) and graduate students on survey of plant pathogens associated to vegetable and ornamental crops. It includes plant collection in commercial nurseries, and sample processing.
• Assist in conducting diagnostics of plant pathogens, from sample intake, processing to preparation of diagnostic reports.
• Assist the PI in development and establishment of greenhouse trials, including fungicide efficacy trials (experimental design, study set up), data collection, data analysis and interpretation, and contribution to resulting reports, outreach articles for trade journals, and scholarly manuscripts for peer reviewed journals.
• Assist the SRA in conducting plant testing (leachate pear baiting) at restoration nurseries across California.
• Independently develop and conduct laboratory and greenhouse trials to test hypotheses relating to fungal pathogen ecology and management (analysis of management strategies, fungicide resistance, pathogen-host- environment interactions) through design, study installation, data collection and analysis, and preparation of scholarly manuscripts and reports—either relevant sections, or entire manuscripts, based on the extent of the contribution.
• Project development will involve active engagement of literature in project development and interpretation beyond that expected in a purely technical capacity, including use of literature for hypothesis development, development of literature reviews, development and optimization of protocols and analytical methods, and development of introductory and discussion material in the preparation of manuscripts and reports. Some literature will be provided (books, articles), but it is expected that the incumbent will conduct literature searches to identify additional materials.
• Assist the PI in development of grant proposals based on preliminary data collected in previous studies conducted by the incumbent, including development of project objectives, experimental methods and project background information.
• Manage the laboratory culture collection by overseeing the long term storage process of fungal, oomycete and bacterial isolates.
• As a full-time lab member, this position includes responsibility for maintaining safety standards and meeting regulatory requirements, staff training and mentoring (undergraduate student technicians), and general laboratory supply ordering and maintenance.

Professional Competence (10%)

• The incumbent will present research at both statewide outreach meetings, regional plant pathology meetings (e.g. Soil Borne Pathogens Conference, American Pathological Society, Pacific Division) and national meetings (e.g. American Pathological Society Annual Meeting). Presentations will be delivered in poster and oral presentation formats. The incumbent will have opportunities to develop presentation abilities in laboratory meetings and the UC Davis plant pathology department retreat and other local (on-campus) events.
• The incumbent will be encouraged to have membership with the American Phytopathological Society, Pacific Division and national.

University and Public Service (5%)

• As part of UC service and service to the public, the incumbent will help serve critical disease diagnosis needs for crop producers as well as for research scientist at UC Davis, and within UC cooperative extension. These diagnosis services are conducted free of charge, representing a significant service to the ornamental producers and research community.
• As a component of university service, the incumbent will also be asked to serve on one or more department committees, such as the Department Safety Committee or the Facilities Committee.
• As a public service, the incumbent will also be encouraged to deliver oral presentations at public events, such as those held by The Phytophthoras in Native Habitats Work Group and the Vegetable Transplant Nursery Association meetings.

This position requires a minimum of a Bachelor of Science in Plant Pathology or related discipline in hand by start date.

NOTE: The junior specialist rank is an entry level position; accordingly, it is inappropriate to hire applicants with advanced degrees in this field, or those with BS degrees and three years’ relevant work experience