UC faculty invited to help lead cross-campus research advancing agricultural technology and sustainable food systems. Applications due Dec. 7.
CITRIS and the Banatao Institute is seeking a faculty director to lead its new Ag Tech: Future of Food Initiative, which aims to advance innovative technologies and research addressing challenges in agriculture and food production.
The initiative brings together expertise across the University of California campuses at Berkeley, Davis, Merced and Santa Cruz to help develop food systems that are climate-resilient, environmentally sustainable, productive, and responsive to the needs of farmers and agricultural workers.
The faculty director will provide strategic leadership in developing the initiative’s research agenda, fostering interdisciplinary and cross-campus collaborations, pursuing research funding, and building partnerships with industry and other stakeholders. The role also includes opportunities to engage students through educational and workforce development programming.
Research priorities may include artificial intelligence and predictive analytics, agricultural robotics and automation, precision agriculture, digital twins, food and nutrition informatics, and the societal and policy implications of emerging agricultural technologies.
Eligible candidates must hold a senate faculty title at UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Merced or UC Santa Cruz. The position is a three-year renewable appointment beginning in early 2027, with $55,000 in annual CITRIS support for a stipend, course release, staffing or other programmatic needs.
Candidates should demonstrate expertise in agricultural technologies, a record of collaborative leadership, and a commitment to research and innovation that deliver societal benefit.
For more information, please read the scope of work
To apply: Submit a CV and expression of interest, including a vision statement, to hbartram@ucmerced.edu by end of day Monday, Dec. 7, 2026.