This is a Biological Scientist II position located in the Horticultural Sciences Department, in the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, at the University of Florida. This position will be responsible for managing The Small Fruit Horticulture Laboratory and its associated facilities, conducting field and greenhouse research in small fruit production, and supporting experiential and distance learning efforts.

Essential Functions:

Operations duties

• Manage farm and greenhouse operations including pruning, fertilization, scouting, weed control, and agrichemical applications. Fields and greenhouses are located in UF Main Campus and at the UF Plant Science Research and Education Unit.
• Manage laboratory operations including purchasing, chemical inventory management, health and safety compliance, vehicle fleet management, and hazardous waste disposal.
• Supervise, assist, train, and oversee graduate and undergraduate students.
• Coordinate seasonal blueberry harvest with a group of 20+ students.

Research coordination

• Collect data and plant samples from field, greenhouse, and laboratory experiments, including work indoors and outdoors in seasonal temperatures and conditions.
• Develop and refine standard operating procedures for data collection using horticultural sensors.
• Perform routine maintenance or schedule service calls on laboratory equipment.
• Assist in executing greenhouse and field based horticultural production experiments.

Instructional support

• Prepare, set up, and facilitate experiential learning activities for undergraduate and graduate courses in the Horticultural Sciences Teaching Garden.
• Assist with creation of instructional materials for distance learning courses.

Background Information:

The University of Florida (http://www.ufl.edu) is a Land-Grant, Sea-Grant, and Space-Grant institution, encompassing virtually all academic and professional disciplines, with an enrollment of more than 56,000 students.  UF is a member of The Association of American Universities. 

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (http://ifas.ufl.edu) includes the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (http://cals.ufl.edu), the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station (http://research.ifas.ufl.edu), the Florida Cooperative Extension Service (http://extension.ifas.ufl.edu), the College of Veterinary Medicine (http://www.vetmed.ufl.edu), the Florida Sea Grant program (http://www.flseagrant.org/ ), and encompasses 16 on-campus academic departments and schools, 12 Research and Educational Centers (REC) located throughout the state, 6 Research sites/demonstration units administered by RECs or academic departments, and Florida Cooperative Extension Service offices in all 67 counties (counties operate and maintain).  IFAS employs over 2500 people, which includes approximately 900 faculty and 1200 support personnel located in Gainesville and throughout the state.  IFAS, one of the nation’s largest agricultural and natural resources research and education organizations, is administered by a Senior Vice President and four deans: the Dean of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, the Dean for Extension and Director of the Florida Cooperative Extension Service, the Dean for Research and Director of the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station, and the Dean for the College of Veterinary Medicine. UF/IFAS also engages in cooperative work with Florida A&M University in Tallahassee.

The Horticultural Sciences Department (http://hos.ufl.edu) is a unit within IFAS at the University of Florida and has diverse teaching, research, and extension education programs with 34 faculty in Gainesville and 26 faculty at various Research and Education Centers throughout the state. The Horticultural Sciences Department is currently ranked top 9 in the center for world university rankings.

Bachelor’s degree in biology or a related field and three years of experience or Master’s degree in biology or a related field with one year of relevant experience.

• Experience performing basic farming tasks in a small fruit farm.
• Ability to collect and record scientific data relating to the horticultural production experiments.
• Ability to work as a part of a team during field and laboratory data collection days.
• Ability to maintain a tidy and organized research laboratory.
• Ability to plan, organize and coordinate work assignments.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with others.