Research Assistant Professor - Career

wsu; Pullman (WA); On-site; USD 70,000 - 86,000; Full time

Job summary

Washington State University in Pullman invites applications for a full-time Research Assistant Professor specializing in economic entomology and ecological pest management. The role focuses on using digital agriculture, predictive modeling, and climate-resilience research to develop practical pest-management tools for growers.

The position is 12-month, fixed-term with renewal potential, workload of 100% research, and a start date in Spring 2027, contingent on grant funding and departmental

Qualifications

• Earned PhD in a life-science discipline by start date.
• Demonstrated skills in phenology modeling, IPM, insect biology, pesticide chemistry, digital agriculture, AI, and climate-change research.
• Experience across crops such as potato, tree fruit, small fruits, grains, hops, alfalfa, and vegetables seed crops.
• Ability to conduct independent, collaborative research with stakeholders.
• Strong written and oral communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Design and conduct research addressing pest population dynamics, phenology, IPM, and weather variability effects on agriculture.
• Integrate field-monitoring, environmental, and crop data with digital agriculture, AI, and predictive modeling to develop decision-support tools.
• Publish in peer-reviewed outlets and present findings to scientific and stakeholder audiences.
• Collaborate with growers, commodity groups, Extension professionals, agencies, and interdisciplinary teams.
• Contribute to grant/contract proposals and project reporting; mentor students or staff.

Skills

Phenology modeling

Integrated pest management

Insect biology

Pesticide chemistry

Digital agriculture

Artificial intelligence

Climate-change research

Multi-cropping systems

Communication skills

Education

PhD in life sciences

Tools

R

Python

GIS

Remote sensing

Job description

Position Details

The Department of Entomology at Washington State University invites applications for a full-time Research Assistant Professor, career-track faculty position in Pullman, Washington, specializing in economic entomology and ecological pest management. The successful candidate will use digital agriculture, predictive modeling, and research on resilience to weather variability to develop practical tools that help Washington growers rapidly and precisely manage insect pests, pathogens, and diseases across specialty-crop systems. This is a 12-month, fixed-term appointment for 1 year with the possibility of renewal, contingent upon satisfactory performance and continued availability of grant and contract funding.

The anticipated start date for this appointment is during the Spring 2027 semester, subject to departmental needs and hiring timelines.

Job Duties

The anticipated workload is 100% Research. The successful candidate will design and conduct research addressing pest population dynamics, phenology, integrated pest management, and the effects of weather and climate variability on agricultural systems. The position will integrate field-monitoring, environmental, and crop data with digital agriculture, artificial intelligence, and predictive modeling to develop and validate practical decision support tools for growers. The candidate will conduct research across multiple cropping systems, including potato, tree fruit, small fruits, grains, hops, alfalfa, and vegetable seed crops; publish findings in peer-reviewed outlets; present results to scientific and stakeholder audiences; collaborate with growers, commodity groups, Extension professionals, agencies, and interdisciplinary research teams; contribute to grant and contract proposals and project reporting; and mentor students or research personnel as appropriate.

Additional Information

Annual Salary: $70,000 - $86,000 | Commensurate with experience and qualifications

In accordance with RCW 49.58.110 , the above salary reflects the full salary range for this position. Individual placement within the range is based on the candidate's current experience, education, skills, and abilities related to the position.

Benefits: WSU offers a comprehensive benefits package which includes paid sick and vacation leave; paid holidays; medical, dental, life and disability insurance package for employees and dependents; retirement; deferred compensation, optional supplemental retirement accounts. For additional information, please review the detailed Summary of Benefits offered by WSU for Faculty and Total Compensation .

Required Qualifications

• An earned Ph.D. in a life-science discipline by the position start date.
• Demonstrated skills and expertise in phenology modeling, integrated pest management, insect biology, pesticide chemistry and application, digital agriculture, artificial intelligence, and climate-change research.
• Demonstrated expertise working across multiple agricultural cropping systems, including but not limited to potato, tree fruit, small fruits, grains, hops, alfalfa, and vegetable seed crops.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct independent research and work collaboratively with interdisciplinary teams and agricultural stakeholders.
• Demonstrated written and oral communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Demonstrated research experience in economic entomology, ecological pest management, or a closely related field.
• Experience integrating field-monitoring, environmental, weather, climate, and crop data to develop or validate predictive pest-management models.
• Experience developing practical digital decision-support tools or recommendations for agricultural producers.
• Experience with statistical analysis, geographic information systems, remote sensing, sensor data, or programming tools such as R or Python.
• Knowledge of specialty-crop production systems important to Washington State or the Pacific Northwest.
• Record of peer-reviewed publications appropriate to the candidate's career level.
• Experience preparing competitive grant or contract proposals and supporting externally funded research projects.
• Experience collaborating with growers, commodity organizations, government agencies, Extension professionals, and interdisciplinary research teams.
• Experience communicating research findings to technical and nontechnical audiences through publications, presentations, workshops, reports, or digital platforms.
• Experience mentoring or supervising students, postdoctoral researchers, or other research personnel.