Assistant Professor in Agricultural Ecohydrology

Job Description Summary

• Organization's Summary Statement:
• Tenure-Track Assistant Professor in Agricultural Ecohydrology

Location: University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Princess Anne, MD Departments: Department of Natural Sciences, and Department of Agriculture, Food, and Resource Sciences, Simon A. Haley School of Agriculture and Natural Sciences

• Appointment Distribution: 50% Research, 35% Extension, 15% Teaching
• Start Date: Spring 2027 (flexible)

The School of Agricultural and Natural Sciences (SANS) at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) invites applications for a full-time, tenure-track faculty position in Agricultural Ecohydrology. We seek a creative and collaborative scientist working at the interface of water, soil, agriculture, nutrient management, biogeochemistry, and watershed processes, with particular interest in agricultural and coastal landscapes. This is a cross-departmental appointment, with the tenure home shared between the Department of Natural Sciences (60%, tenure home) and the Department of Agriculture, Food, and Resource Sciences (40%). Consistent with the position’s integrated research and Extension responsibilities, the successful candidate will also have reporting responsibilities to the UMES Agricultural Experiment Station and UMES Extension.

The successful candidate will develop an applied research and Extension program addressing water-related challenges affecting agricultural production, natural resources, and water quality. The position is particularly well suited for a scientist interested in the Delmarva Peninsula and Chesapeake Bay watershed, where intensive agricultural production occurs within a low-relief coastal landscape characterized by extensive drainage networks, shallow groundwater, nutrient-sensitive waterways, wetlands, and increasing challenges associated with extreme precipitation, drought, sea-level rise, and salinity.

This strategic hire will strengthen UMES capacity in agricultural water management, soil and water quality, climate-resilient agriculture, and watershed science in support of the University’s 1890 land-grant research, Extension, and teaching missions. The successful candidate will have opportunities to collaborate broadly across agricultural, environmental, engineering, and marine sciences and to translate fundamental understanding of hydrologic and biogeochemical processes into practical approaches for producers, land managers, agencies, and communities.

Salary Range: $80,000 - $95,000 (Commensurate with qualifications and experience)

• Benefits: The University of Maryland Eastern Shore, as a University System of Maryland institution and a Maryland State agency, provides a comprehensive benefits package to all regular faculty and
• staff. The Office of Employee Benefits provides consultative services and assistance with benefits planning, enrollment, and changes. Eligible employees may participate in a variety of benefit plans including:

• •Health insurance, including multiple medical plan options for employees
• and dependents offered through the State of Maryland Employee Benefits
• Division.
• •Prescription drug, dental, and flexible spending accounts, and vision
• coverage.
• •Retirement plans: mandatory enrollment in a state pension system or an
• Optional Retirement Plan with Fidelity or TIAA, Supplemental Retirement
• Accounts (TIAA, Fidelity, or MSRP-Nationwide) with $600 annual state
• match, Life Insurance (state sponsored MetLife, USM sponsored MetLife
• Plan, life insurance and long-term disability insurance).
• •Tuition remission benefits for eligible employees and, subject to USM
• policies, spouses and dependents at University System of Maryland
• institutions.
• •Leave benefits, including paid annual (22 days per year) and sick leave (15
• days), personal leave (3 days per year) and paid holidays.
• •Employee wellness and support resources and access to the State of
• Maryland wellness programs.

• Position Details:
• The successful candidate will contribute to undergraduate Environmental Science education and to graduate programs in Marine, Estuarine, and Environmental Sciences (MEES), Toxicology, and Food and Agricultural Sciences (FASC) at UMES.

• Areas of Interest: We are particularly interested in candidates whose research or technical experience aligns with, but is not limited to, one or more of the following areas:
• •Agricultural hydrology and water management, including soil-water
• dynamics, crop water availability, irrigation, drainage, water-use efficiency,
• and interactions between agricultural management and hydrologic
• processes;
• •Agricultural nutrient transport and water quality, including movement and
• transformation of nitrogen, phosphorus, sediment, and other constituents
• through soils, groundwater, drainage systems, wetlands, streams, and
• receiving waters;
• •Soil health, climate resilience, and salinity in agricultural landscapes,
• including effects of management practices on infiltration, runoff, water
• storage, nutrient cycling, drought and flooding resilience, sea-level rise, and
• saltwater intrusion;
• •Watershed and landscape-scale agricultural hydrology, including surface
• water-groundwater interactions and linkages among farms, drainage
• networks, wetlands, streams, estuaries, and downstream water quality,
• particularly within the Delmarva Peninsula and Chesapeake Bay
• watershed;
• •Quantitative and predictive modeling of agricultural and ecohydrologic
• systems, including statistical, process-based, spatial, machine learning, and
• deep learning approaches to predict soil moisture, water availability,
• nutrient losses, water quality, crop stress, flooding, drought, salinity, and
• related responses;
• •Integration and analysis of field measurements, sensor networks, remote
• sensing, unmanned aerial systems, GIS, and complex spatial and temporal
• datasets using modern statistical, computational, and data-driven
• approaches;
• •Development of predictive and decision-support tools that translate
• agricultural, hydrologic, and environmental data into practical information
• for producers, Extension professionals, conservation agencies, and other
• stakeholders.

Candidates are not expected to work across all of these areas. We are particularly interested in applicants who combine strong understanding of agricultural and hydrologic processes with rigorous quantitative analysis and modern modeling or data-driven approaches to address challenges relevant to the Delmarva Peninsula, Chesapeake Bay watershed, and agricultural systems more broadly.

• Responsibilities: The successful candidate will be expected to:
• •Develop nationally recognized, integrated research and Extension programs
• in agricultural ecohydrology addressing important agricultural, water-
• resource, and environmental challenges, including a strong externally
• funded research portfolio;
• •Conduct applied and translational research that advances agricultural
• productivity, water and nutrient-use efficiency, soil and water conservation,
• environmental stewardship, and resilience of agricultural systems;
• •Establish field-based research relevant to agricultural landscapes of
• Maryland, the Delmarva Peninsula, and the Chesapeake Bay watershed,
• while developing a program with regional and national significance;
• •Develop and deliver an Extension program in agricultural ecohydrology and
• collaborate with UMES Extension professionals to translate research
• findings into practical information, demonstrations, decision-support
• resources, and educational programs for farmers, agricultural
• professionals, conservation practitioners, agencies, and other stakeholders;
• •Engage in interdisciplinary teams across SANS and beyond, integrating
• hydrology with soil science, agronomy, crop science, environmental
• science, engineering, geospatial science, climate science, and related
• disciplines;
• •Mentor undergraduate and graduate students and provide research
• experiences that prepare students for careers in agriculture, environmental
• science, natural-resource ma