Job Description

Assistant Professor

Agency

Texas A&M Agrilife Research

Department

Lubbock

Commensurate

Lubbock, Texas

Faculty

About Texas A&M AgriLife

Texas A&M AgriLife is comprised of the following Texas A&M University System members:

• Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

• Texas A&M AgriLife Research

• College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M University

• Texas A&M Forest Service

• Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory

As the nation’s largest most comprehensive agriculture program, Texas A&M AgriLife brings together a college and four state agencies focused on agriculture and life sciences within The Texas A&M University System. With over 5,000 employees and a presence in every county across the state, Texas A&M AgriLife is uniquely positioned to improve lives, environments and the Texas economy through education, research, extension and service.

Click here to learn more about how you can be a part of AgriLife and make a difference in the world!

Position Information

Texas A&M AgriLife Research is seeking applications for an Assistant Professor position with a strong focus on water and plant stress physiology, with an emphasis on salinity management and utilization of alternative water resources. The successful candidate will lead a research program that addresses critical regional and global challenges related to crop productivity under water-limited and saline conditions. Core research areas will include soil-water-plant interactions, crop response to saline, brackish, and non-traditional water sources, and innovative strategies to manage salinity and water stress in agricultural systems.

This is a 12-month, non-tenure track, 75% research and 25% extension appointment partially supported by the Texas Water Resources Institute and administratively located at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Lubbock, Texas, with an academic affiliation in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station. The incumbent is expected to develop a nationally recognized research program addressing the use of alternative and low-quality water resources in crop production systems under challenging environmental conditions.

Responsibilities:

Research (75%)

• Lead research on crop responses to abiotic stress, with an emphasis on water quality and salinity, including soil-water-plant interactions under saline irrigation.

• Develop and optimize cropping systems that utilize brackish, produced, and other non-conventional water sources, particularly in semi-arid and arid regions.

• Advance the understanding of salinity tolerance mechanisms and stress physiology in key regional crops.

• Design and conduct field and laboratory experiments on alternative water use, salinity mitigation techniques, and adaptive crop management strategies.

• Collaborate with scientists located at the Lubbock center and assist in establishing interdisciplinary teams across AgriLife Research centers, other Texas A&M University System campuses, Texas Tech University and with federal agencies such as USDA-ARS to address shared research goals.

• Seek and secure competitive research funding from federal, state, commodity, and industry sources in areas related to saline water use and abiotic stresses.

• Disseminate research findings through peer-reviewed publications, Extension articles, and stakeholder engagement. Exhibit excellent verbal and written communication skills.

• Support and communicate with county Extension programs in the area of saline water use for irrigation.

• Engage and communicate with agricultural producers, water managers, and commodity groups to translate research into practical solutions

• Participate in professional organizations and serve on departmental, agency, and university committees.

Extension (25%)

• Support the Extension Network by cooperating with and complementing programs that involve District-based County Extension Agents, Regional Program Leaders, and other Specialists.

• Develop research driven Extension programming targeting clientele in the Texas Panhandle.

• Provide training and technical assistance to County Extension Agents along with subject matter expertise.

• Support to the County Extension network and contribute to the region's scientific community through service on standing and ad hoc committees and working groups and commodity association technical support.

• Through active collaboration with allied Extension specialists, support the development and delivery of Extension programs and outreach activities that promote the adoption of innovative alternative water resources management practices in the High Plains and other water-limited regions.

• Work with agricultural producers, industry stakeholders, and extension personnel to translate research into practical applications.

Administrative Relationships:

The position is supervised by the Director of the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Lubbock. Programmatic reporting and alignment with water-focused initiatives will be coordinated by the Director of the Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI). The Extension portion of this position will be supervised by the Associate Director for Extension in coordination with TWRI.

Qualifications:  

​ Required job qualifications:

• Ph.D. in Crop Science, Soil Science, Agronomy, Environmental Science, or a closely related discipline.

• Demonstrated experience in field-based research related to water quality, salinity, or water-use efficiency.

• Proven ability to publish in high-quality journals and secure competitive research funding.

• Commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration and stakeholder-driven research.

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills for effective interaction with academic, industry, and agency partners.

Preferred job qualifications:

• Prior academic, post-doctoral, or professional experience.

• Prior research experience in Crop Science, Soil Science, Agronomy, Environmental Science, or a closely related discipline.

• Experience working with federal agencies or in other multi-agency collaborative settings.

• Modest outreach experience with stakeholder interaction.

• Grant writing experience and evidence of the ability to attract external funding.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Teamwork-Oriented: The ideal candidate will be collaborative, able to work effectively within multi-disciplinary teams, and engage actively with a broad range of stakeholders, including farmers, industry, and government agencies.

• Excellent oral and writing communication skills.

• Thought Leader: The successful candidate will have the ability to apply novel approaches to solving critical challenges in water-limited conditions.

• Adaptable: The successful candidate will be a keen observer of global, national, state, and regional trends that impinge on the position's relevance to production agriculture characteristic of the High Plains and will be capable of adjusting the research focus to accommodate and exploit those trends.

• Committed to Excellence: The successful candidate will exhibit a strong commitment to producing high-quality research that has both academic and practical, producer-level impact.

Location and Facilities:

Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center, 1102 East Drew Street, Lubbock, TX 79403.

Lubbock Research and Extension Center

The Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Lubbock was established in 1909 to serve the Southern High Plains of Texas. The Lubbock Center serves the region and its communities through scientific research and public outreach through Extension education programs. Faculty members at the Lubbock Center collaborate with colleagues at Texas A&M University at College Station, Texas Tech University, and other AgriLife Research and Extension Centers across the state. Research and Extension programs at the Lubbock Center seek to strengthen agricultural production and sustainability in the semi-arid southern High Plains, specifically cotton, corn, peanut, sorghum; irrigation water management; agronomy; soil fertility; climate-adaptive cropping systems; viticulture; agricultural economics and risk management; precision agriculture and remote sensing; and crop protection, including weed science, entomology, and plant pathology.

The Lubbock Center’s facilities include 132,600 square feet of offices (50), laboratories (10), a classroom, and an auditorium; greenhouses (14 units), workshops, storerooms, sheds, and ancillary buildings; and 300 acres of cropland for research. The Lubbock Center also operates and maintains 690 acres of research at Halfway (Hale County); and 220 acres in Lamesa (AG-CARES; Dawson County).

Additional Information:

Texas A&M AgriLife Research: https://agriliferesearch.tamu.edu/

Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Lubbock: https://lubbock.tamu.edu/

Application Procedure: 

Applications will only be accepted online at https://agriliferesearch.tamu.edu/

Applicants must upload:

• A cover letter describing the applicant's research vision, qualifications, and fit for the position as described herein.

• A curriculum vitae (CV).

• A statement of research interests (maximum 2 pages).

• Contact information for three references.

Applications will be reviewed beginning July 13, 2026. Position will remain open until the position is filled. Suggested start date, Sept 1, 2026

Questions: Address inquiries to Search Committee Chair: Dr. Maria Sanchez Flores, Texas A&M AgriLife Research TWRI, Maria.SanchezFlores@ag.tamu.edu or Dr. Katie Lewis, Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center, Lubbock, katie.lewis@ag.tamu.edu

What You Need to Know

Salary: Compensation for this position is commensurate based on the selected candidate’s qualifications.

Why Work at Texas A&M AgriLife?

When you choose to work for Texas A&M AgriLife, you become part of an organization that is an established leader in agriculture and life sciences with a wide range of capabilities to meet the needs of our statewide, national, and international constituents.

In addition, Texas A&M AgriLife offers a comprehensive benefit package including the following:

• Health, dental, vision, life and long-term disability insurance with Texas A&M AgriLife contributing to employee health and basic life premiums

• 12-15 days of annual paid holidays

• Up to eight hours of paid sick leave and at least eight hours of paid vacation each month

• Automatic enrollment in the Teacher Retirement System of Texas

• Employee Wellness Initiative for Texas A&M AgriLife

All positions are security-sensitive. Applicants are subject to a criminal history investigation, and employment is contingent upon the institution’s verification of credentials and/or other information required by the institution’s procedures, including the completion of the criminal history check.

Equal Opportunity/Veterans/Disability Employer.