Postdoctoral Research Associate in Container Nursery (Ornamental plant production) Weed Management

About the role

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is seeking a postdoctoral research associate to work at the Mid Florida Research and Education Center (MREC) near Orlando, Florida. This position involves researching weed biology and management in ornamental crops.

Responsibilities

• Plan, design, manage, and conduct controlled environment experiments to investigate weed physiology and horticultural production practices.
• Collect, manage, analyze, and interpret data from experiments, and produce publications and reports synthesizing research results in the context of relevant literature.
• Cookordination undergraduate students and interns assisting in research projects.
• Use plant growth regulators and alternative strategies for weed and labor management in container nurseries and landscapes.
• Develop alternative and non-chemical methods of weed control by altering production practices and cultural management strategies.
• Assess herbicide efficacy, leaching, and fate in container nurseries.
• Screen preemergence herbicides and ornamentals for safety and efficacy to develop more effective preemergence herbicide rotations for nursery growers.
• Determine ornamental crop response to weed management strategies and their growth and resource utilization when grown in competition with weed species.

Requirements

• A Ph.D. (or foreign equivalent) in weed science, horticulture, plant biology, crop science, agronomy, forestry, or a related discipline of plant science with a focus on horticultural/plant production.
• A strong record of course work and independent research in subjects such as weed science, container production, pest management, controlled environments, and crop and soil management.
• Desirable abilities and skills in statistical analyses, data management and visualization, and scientific writing.

Qualifications

• A commitment to UF core values.

Skills

• Statistical analyses.
• Data management and visualization.
• Scientific writing.

Benefits

• Health and dental benefits.
• 130.5 hours of annual leave.

Pay

Commensurate with Education and Experience.

Schedule

N/A