Career Center

Introduction

The University of California, Riverside, Department of Entomology (http://entomology.ucr.edu/) invites applicants for a full-time postdoctoral scholar position to conduct applied research and extension under the mentorship of Dr. Houston Wilson (http://treecrops.ucr.edu/) at the UC Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Parlier, CA (http://kare.ucanr.edu/). This postdoctoral scholar position will contribute to an on-going project to develop sterile insect technique (SIT) for navel orangeworm (Pyralidae: Amyelois transitella) in California pistachio, almond and walnut orchards. The position will be for a two-year residence with possibility for renewal beyond the initial appointment. The position will begin in spring/summer 2023, or as soon as possible after that time. Salary ranges from $60,000 to $71,952 annually depending on experience.

Navel Orangeworm, Primary Pest of California Tree Nuts

Almonds, pistachios and walnuts are extensively planted and highly valuable crops in California, which is the leading agricultural economy in the United States. There are currently just over 1.8 million acres of these tree nut orchards in the state, which generate an annual farm-gate value of approximately $9.3 billion. Within the California agricultural matrix, these three tree nut crops account for approximately 17-18% of both total planted cropland and agricultural value generated in the state annually.

Navel orangeworm (NOW) is the primary pest of tree nuts. Adults oviposit onto the nuts and the larvae feed directly on the nut kernels. This not only reduces crop yield and quality, but NOW infestation has also been associated with the presence of the fungus Aspergillus flavus that can produce aflatoxin, a known human carcinogen that is heavily regulated in key markets. As such, tree nut growers have very little tolerance for NOW infestation and typically aim to keep infestation at <2%. NOW overwinter as larvae/pupae in remnant nuts that were not harvested. As such, crop sanitation is primary component of NOW management, along with mating disruption, well-timed insecticide applications and timely harvest.

Development of Sterile Insect Technique for Navel Orangeworm

Recently, the California pistachio and almond industries partnered with the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) and the United State Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services (APHIS) to make use of a mass-rearing and irradiation facility to produce large quantities of sterile NOW. Since this facility was initially developed for another species of Lepidoptera pest, efforts over the past 6 years have focused on how to best retrofit and optimize the current production, irradiation, transport and release process to best accommodate navel orangeworm. The goal of this project is to develop use of SIT for NOW as a complimentary practice to the other integrated pest management (IPM) strategies mentioned above. A recent article in the National Nut Grower (link here) provides an overview of the current program.

Postdoctoral Scholar - Roles and Responsibilities

The purpose of this postdoctoral scholar position is to help carry out laboratory and field experiments associated with this effort to develop SIT for NOW. Potential focal areas for research include mass-rearing, handling and sterilization procedures, as well as transportation, release methods and field performance of sterile NOW. In addition to this work directly focused on the sterile moth production chain, more broader efforts are also being carried out to better understand the landscape ecology and dispersal of NOW. The final candidate will primarily help design, implement and analyze a series of laboratory and field experiments in one or more of these focal areas, as well as support on-going outreach and extension efforts to communicate all findings to the California tree nut industry, as well as to the scientific community at the regional, national and international level.

Location and Affiliation

While the postdoctoral scholar will be a member of Dr. Houston Wilson’s laboratory (http://treecrops.ucr.edu/), they will be expected to work collaboratively with all project PIs, which include Dr. Charles Burks (USDA-ARS, lab website), Dr. Joel Siegel (USDA-ARS, lab website) and Dr. Raman Bansal (USDA-ARS, lab website). Dr. Wilson's lab is based at the UC Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center (http://kare.ucanr.edu/) in Parlier, CA (map here).

Qualifications

Applicants should be recent recipients of a doctoral degree (or anticipated recipient in spring 2023), with demonstrated interest and publication ability in agricultural entomology, ecology and/or insect biology. They should be experts in statistical analysis of ecological and biological datasets (including generalized linear mixed-effects models with non-Gaussian distributions) in R and other appropriate software. While expertise in geographic information systems (GIS) is preferred, it is not necessarily required. The academic record must have demonstrated capacity to work independently and lead the development and publication of research results. Experience working with orchard or other crop production systems, prior coursework on agronomic details of crop production systems, and/or experience communicating with growers about technical details of their production systems is strongly preferred. Interest in landscape ecology, insect dispersal, organic agriculture, and/or cooperative extension is preferred but not required. The position is open with respect to academic discipline, and could include entomology, agroecology, biology or other appropriate natural science training.

UC Riverside Notifications

UCR is a world-class research university with an exceptionally diverse undergraduate student body. Its mission is explicitly linked to providing routes to educational success for underrepresented and first-generation college students. A commitment to this mission is a preferred qualification.

The University of California 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, age, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. 

University of California COVID-19 Vaccination Program Policy: As a condition of employment, you will be required to comply with the University of California SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) Vaccination Program Policy. All Covered Individuals under the policy must provide proof of Full Vaccination or, if applicable, submit a request for Exception (based on Medical Exemption, Disability, and/or Religious Objection) or Deferral (based on pregnancy) no later than the applicable deadline. For new University of California employees, the applicable deadline is eight weeks after their first date of employment.

About University of California - Riverside

The distinctive mission of the University is to serve society as a center of higher learning, providing long-term societal benefits through transmitting advanced knowledge, discovering new knowledge, and functioning as an active working repository of organized knowledge. That obligation, more specifically, includes undergraduate education, graduate and professional education, research, and other kinds of public service, which are shaped and bounded by the central pervasive mission of discovering and advancing knowledge. The University's fundamental missions are teaching, research and public service. We teach — educating students at all levels, from undergraduate to the most advanced graduate level. Undergraduate programs are available to all eligible California high-school graduates and community college transfer students who wish to attend the University of California. Instructional programs at the undergraduate level transmit knowledge and skills to students. At the graduate level, students experience with their instructors the processes of developing and testing new hypotheses and fresh interpretations of knowledge. Education for professional careers, grounded in unders...tanding of relevant sciences, literature and research methods, provides individuals with the tools to continue intellectual development over a lifetime and to contribute to the needs of a changing society. Through our academic programs, UC helps create an educated workforce that keeps the California economy competitive. And, through University Extension, with a half-million enrollments annually, UC provides continuing education for Californians to improve their job skills and enhance the quality of their lives. We do research — by some of the world's best researchers and brightest students in hundreds of disciplines at its campuses, national laboratories, medical centers and other research facilities around the state. UC provides a unique environment in which leading scholars and promising students strive together to expand fundamental knowledge of human nature, society, and the natural world. Its basic research programs yield a multitude of benefits for California: billions of tax dollars, economic growth through the creation of new products, technologies, jobs, companies and even new industries, agricultural productivity, advances in health care, improvements in the quality of life. UC's research has been vital in the establishment of the Internet and the semiconductor, software and biotechnology industries in California, making substantial economic and social contributions. We provide public service — which dates back to UC's origins as a land grant institution in the 1860s. Today, through its public service programs and industry partnerships, UC disseminates research results and translates scientific discoveries into practical knowledge and technological innovations that benefit California and the nation. UC's agricultural extension programs serve hundreds of thousands of Californians in every county in the state. Open to all Californians, UC's libraries, museums, performing arts spaces, gardens and science centers are valuable public resources and community gathering places. The University's active involvement in public-school partnerships and professional development institutes help strengthen the expertise of teachers and the academic achievement of students in communities throughout California.

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