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Assistant Professor - Forest Health - Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management

Position overview

Position title: Assistant Professor
Salary range: The current salary range for this position is $80,800-$128,700 (9-month academic year salary), however, off-scale salary and other components of pay, which would yield compensation that is higher than this range, are offered to meet competitive conditions.

Anticipated start: July 1, 2026

Application Window
Open date: August 18, 2025

Next review date: Tuesday, Oct 7, 2025 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
Apply by this date to ensure full consideration by the committee.

Final date: Tuesday, Oct 7, 2025 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
Applications will continue to be accepted until this date.

Position description

The Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management (ESPM) at the University of California, Berkeley (UCB) invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor nine-month faculty position in the area of Forest Health.

Globally, forests deliver essential services to ecosystems and societies. They drive the cycling of water and carbon, provide essential habitat for a wealth of species, and support both the material and cultural prosperity of human communities.

However, the world's forests are at an ecological tipping point. A suite of novel stressors from a warming climate to the widespread introduction of invasive species poses direct and indirect threats to the health of trees and the function of forests. Understanding how trees respond to these interacting stressors is fundamental to the well-being of forests and the people that depend on them. California is no exception. Tens of millions of acres of California's forests are in poor health and vulnerable to catastrophic losses from insects and pathogens, especially during periods of climatic extremes. Improving our knowledge of these threats and informing ways to mitigate them is a priority for California and the world.

ESPM is a multidisciplinary community of scholars from across the sciences and humanities who conduct research, teaching, and outreach to advance scientific understanding and develop solutions for the world's pressing environmental problems. ESPM is home to a top-ranked Ph.D. program in environmental science, environmental studies, and ecological/evolutionary biology. Our undergraduate students have a choice of vibrant majors that span the disciplines in the department.

ESPM is committed to addressing the family needs of faculty, including dual career couples and single parents. We are also interested in candidates who have had non-traditional career paths, who have taken time off their career paths for family reasons, or who have achieved excellence in careers outside academia.

For information about potential relocation to Berkeley, or career needs of accompanying partners and spouses, please visit: http://ofew.berkeley.edu/new-faculty.

Department: https://ourenvironment.berkeley.edu/

Qualifications
Basic qualifications (required at time of application)
Applicants must have a Ph.D., J.D. (or equivalent international degree), or be enrolled in Ph.D., J.D, or equivalent international degree-granting program at the time of application.

Preferred qualifications
We seek applicants whose work addresses specific aspects of forest health, including (but not limited to): impacts of climate change on the host-pest/pathogen relationship; threats posed by natural and anthropogenic agents to tree conservation; and innovations in the monitoring and management of forest health. We encourage applicants whose research contributes to an integrated understanding of forest health and its broad impacts on ecosystems and societies. Interdisciplinary research and cross-institutional collaborations that advance translation science and inform public policy are fundamental aspects of the University of California's land grant mission. Given the critical role forests play in the global carbon balance, we encourage candidates whose research addresses climate solutions to apply.

The successful candidate will:

• Demonstrate outstanding scholarship within a relevant field such as, but not limited to, forest science, entomology, pathology, restoration ecology, conservation biology, global change biology, or other relevant discipline.
• Demonstrate strong process-based research skills and a potential to establish an innovative research agenda, to communicate their work effectively to a broader public, and to work with other researchers from diverse disciplines.
• Demonstrate a strong analytical background and field experience.
• Demonstrate strong research productivity, potential for external funding, and a commitment to excellence in teaching.
• Demonstrate a commitment to support the success of all students with effective mentoring and innovative classroom pedagogy.
• Demonstrate a willingness to engage in service and leadership activities within the University and their profession.

Application Requirements

Document requirements

• Curriculum Vitae - Your most recently updated C.V.
• Statement of Research - Please discuss research accomplishments and proposed plans. This can include, for example, your publication record, awards, presentations, inclusive research practices that promote the excellence of your research, and areas for future research.
• Statement of Teaching and Mentoring - Please discuss prior teaching experience, teaching approach, and future teaching interests. This can include, for example, specific efforts and accomplishments, and future plans to support the success of all students through inclusive curriculum, classroom environment, and pedagogy. Please also discuss your mentoring experiences and approach. This can include, for example, past efforts and future plans to support the success of all students, and to foster an inclusive research environment that removes barriers and promotes equitable access and advancement of the research program.
• Statement of Service - Please discuss specific prior and proposed academic, professional and/or public service activities. This can include, for example, participating in professional or scientific associations, serving on committees that advance department, campus or discipline goals, and conducting outreach activities that can remove barriers and increase participation of academics in your field.
• Publication One - Copy of a publication such as journal articles, book chapters, or other appropriate products.
• Publication Two - Copy of a publication such as journal articles, book chapters, or other appropriate products.
• Publication Three - Copy of a publication such as journal articles, book chapters, or other appropriate products.
  (Optional)
• Authorization to Release Information Form - A reference check will be completed only if you are selected as the candidate to whom the hiring unit would like to extend a formal offer. Download, complete, sign, and upload the Authorization to Release Information form.

Reference requirements

• 3 required (contact information only)

We will only request letters for applicants who are under serious consideration.

Apply link: https://aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF05082

Help contact: nlowy@berkeley.edu

About UC Berkeley

UC Berkeley is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in our public mission of research, teaching, and service, consistent with UC Regents Policy 4400 and University of California Academic Personnel policy (APM 210 1-d). These values are embedded in our Principles of Community, which reflect our passion for critical inquiry, debate, discovery and innovation, and our deep commitment to contributing to a better world. Every member of the UC Berkeley community has a role in sustaining a safe, caring and humane environment in which these values can thrive.

The University of California, Berkeley is an Equal Opportunity 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 more information, please refer to the University of California's Affirmative Action and Nondiscrimination in Employment Policy and the University of California's Anti-Discrimination Policy.

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.

The University of California is committed to creating and maintaining a community dedicated to the advancement, application, and transmission of knowledge and creative endeavors through academic excellence, where all individuals who participate in University programs and activities can work and learn together in a safe and secure environment, free of violence, harassment, or discrimination. Consistent with this commitment, UC Berkeley requires all applicants for Senate faculty positions to complete, sign, and upload an Authorization of Information Release form into AP Recruit as part of their application. If an applicant does not include the signed authorization, the application will be considered incomplete, and as with any incomplete application, will not receive further consideration. Although all applicants for faculty recruitments must complete the entire application, applicants will only be subject to institutional reference checks if and when they are selected as the candidate to whom the hiring unit would like to extend a formal offer. More information is available on this website.

As a condition of employment, the finalist will be required to disclose if they are subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct.

• "Misconduct" means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant's previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment or discrimination, as defined by the employer.
• UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy
• UC Anti-Discrimination Policy
• APM - 035: Affirmative Action and Nondiscrimination in Employment

Job location
Berkeley, CA


To apply, visit https://aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF05082