Skip to main content

Assistant Professor of Cooperative Extension - Climate Resilience and Labor - School of Public Health

We are no longer accepting applications for this recruitment. Browse open recruitments

Position overview

Position title: Assistant Professor of Cooperative Extension in Climate Resilience and Labor / Assistant Cooperative Extension Specialist in Climate Resilience and Labor
Salary range: Salary will be commensurate with experience and qualifications and based on the UC Specialist in Cooperative Extension salary scale (table 29): https://www.ucop.edu/academic-personnel-programs/_files/2022/july-2021-scales/t29.pdf
Percent time: 100%
Anticipated start: July 1, 2023

Position description

The Division of Environmental Health Sciences in the School of Public Health (SPH) at the University of California, Berkeley, in partnership with UC Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR), invites applications from qualified individuals for the position of Assistant Cooperative Extension (CE) Specialist in Climate Resilience and Labor. This is a Cooperative Extension appointment – an academic position in SPH – that holds the alternative working title of Assistant Professor of Cooperative Extension in Climate Resilience and Labor.

Cooperative extension specialists (or professors of CE) conduct applied research, develop applications of research-based knowledge to specific problems, and plan/organize/participate in programs designed to educate CE academics and other clientele. Professors of CE provide statewide leadership to University colleagues, public agencies, community-based organizations, stakeholders in their area of expertise, and the general public. A Professor of CE serves as a liaison between University research units and statewide clientele. They are encouraged to keep campus and county-based CE academics and clientele apprised of emerging issues and research findings and directions. Professors of CE are expected to participate and provide leadership in ANR Program Teams, work groups, and Strategic Initiatives, work closely with CE academics toward the resolution of issues of regional and statewide importance, and coordinate statewide programming with University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) and Agricultural Experiment Station (AES) colleagues throughout California.

The Assistant Professor of Cooperative Extension in Climate Resilience and Labor will be expected to develop a research and extension program to address issues of climate resilience and labor, with a focus on workers engaged in food production, processing, distribution, logistics and/or retailing. Climate change is having an enormous impact on food and agricultural workers, particularly those who work outdoors and are exposed to extreme heat, wildfire smoke, and other hazards. Mitigating the negative consequences of climate change on California's workforce, especially vulnerable low-wage workers, is critical to a safer, more productive, and healthier community. Although this position is focused on food system workers, the knowledge and outreach should be transferable to workers in other sectors that will face similar challenges. This position will be responsible for developing materials for dissemination, such as electronic, print, and social media.

The successful applicant will bring expertise in environmental and occupational health sciences to research focused on characterizing and mitigating the effects of climate change on vulnerable workers in food, agriculture, and related sectors in California. The position will support research, extension, and outreach on climate-related exposures experienced in California’s work environments; on solutions that involve systems approaches to rethinking and redesigning work and how it is performed; and on policies that collaboratively establish standards and regulations to proactively keep workers safe. Climate-related environmental and occupational exposures of concern include but are not limited to heat, air pollution (including wildfire smoke and indoor air contaminants), extreme weather, environmental chemicals (e.g., pesticides), biological agents, physical stressors, and water pollution and scarcity.

Extension: The candidate will drive research-to-practice initiatives by investigating and implementing effective climate resilience solutions; collaborating with and educating employers, labor organizations, and workers on climate hazards and their mitigation; and engaging stakeholders on defining and advancing the future of climate resilient work in California. The Assistant Professor of Cooperative Extension will be supported by the vibrant outreach and stakeholder engagement activities of the Northern California Center for Occupational and Environmental Health (COEH) housed within Berkeley Public Health. Examples of collaborative extension activities the Professor of Cooperative Extension might initiate include: engage with stakeholders of key food system sectors to understand how jobs and workers are impacted by climate change, then develop research and practical avenues to mitigate adverse impacts; lead collaborations with industrial and labor organizations to disseminate information and best practices on how to work safely within a changing environment; participate in state legislative advisory meetings to communicate impacts of climate change on workers in the food system, and explore potential policy developments to limit their adverse consequences; partner with COEH to engage stakeholders in related workplaces (e.g., in fire management, construction, and warehouse industries) to develop cross-sector climate resilient workforce strategies.

Research: The Assistant Professor of Cooperative Extension will conduct research on the health and safety impacts of climate change on California’s food systems workforce, and the engineering, regulatory and environmental controls and related policies that could limit adverse exposures within food production, processing, distribution, logistics, and/or retailing. We invite candidates working on any topic within this broad research area, including but not limited to: risk assessment approaches to inform the characterization, regulation, and mitigation of climate-related exposures on worker health; estimating and mitigating hazards of exposures associated with workplace materials, activities, and technologies; evaluating the impact of wearable monitors on worker health; occupational health regulatory decision-making under uncertainty; estimating the impact of environmental exposures on physiological workload and stress on the cardiovascular, pulmonary, and renal systems in worker populations; examining the effect of outdoor hazards (e.g., extreme weather; environmental disasters) on uncontrolled indoor work environments and worker health; estimating the interaction between air or water pollution, extreme temperature, and disease among workers as assessed through biological monitors, biomarkers, and epidemiologic analysis.

The UC Berkeley School of Public Health recognizes the intrinsic relationship between diversity and excellence in all our endeavors. The school embraces open and equitable access to opportunities for learning and development as our obligation and goal. We seek candidates who demonstrate a commitment to advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging through their extension and research.

The School is interested in candidates who have had non-traditional career paths or who have taken time off for family reasons, or who have achieved excellence in careers outside academia.

Qualifications

Basic qualifications (required at time of application)

PhD (or equivalent international degree), or enrolled in PhD or equivalent international degree-granting program at the time of application.

Additional qualifications (required at time of start)

PhD (or equivalent international degree) required by the start date.

Preferred qualifications
  • PhD (or equivalent international degree) in Agricultural Engineering, Bioengineering, Environmental Engineering, Environmental Health Sciences, Industrial Engineering and Operations Research, Medicine, Physiology, Public Health Policy & Management, Public Health/Nutrition/Food Systems, or a related field.
  • An active research and extension program specializing in issues relating to climate resilience and labor.

Application Requirements

Document requirements
  • Curriculum Vitae - Your most recently updated C.V.

  • Statement on Contributions to Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion - Statement on your contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion, including information about your understanding of these topics, your record of activities to date, and your specific plans and goals for advancing equity and inclusion if hired at Berkeley (for additional information go to https://ofew.berkeley.edu/recruitment/contributions-deib/support-faculty-candidates).

  • Statement of Research and Extension Interests and Experience

  • Research Paper 1 of 3 - One research paper written on a topic in one of our areas of interest

  • Research Paper 2 of 3 - One research paper written on a topic in one of our areas of interest.
    (Optional)

  • Research Paper 3 of 3 - One research paper written on a topic in one of our areas of interest.
    (Optional)

  • Evidence of Extension Effectiveness/Potential - Evaluations, presentation assessments, scores, ratings, or comments as it relates to your performance/potential as an extension agent.
    (Optional)

Reference requirements
  • 3 letters of reference required
Apply link: https://aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF03575

Help contact: monica.aiello@berkeley.edu

About UC Berkeley

UC Berkeley is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. The excellence of the institution requires an environment in which the diverse community of faculty, students, and staff are welcome and included. Successful candidates will demonstrate knowledge and skill related to ensuring equity and inclusion in the activities of their academic position (e.g., teaching, research, and service, as applicable).

The University of California, Berkeley is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, or protected veteran status. For the complete University of California nondiscrimination and affirmative action policy see: http://policy.ucop.edu/doc/4000376/NondiscrimAffirmAct

In searches when letters of reference are required 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 prior to submitting their letter.

As a University employee, you will be required to comply with all applicable University policies and/or collective bargaining agreements, as may be amended from time to time. Federal, state, or local government directives may impose additional requirements.

Job location

Berkeley, CA