INTRODUCTION 

The College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources (CAHNR) seeks candidates for a tenure-track faculty position at the Associate or Full Professor level to develop a program of scholarship and CAHNR-wide leadership in the area of One Health. The Director of One Health Initiatives will provide strategic vision and coordination for One Health, facilitate research, teaching, and outreach endeavors in diverse health-related disciplines, and enhance connections to and integration across other departments and their units. Supporting CAHNR’s research mission, the Director for One Health Initiatives will advance the scholarly activities of the faculty, including interdisciplinary opportunities.

The successful candidate will be a nationally or internationally recognized leader prepared to extend and expand the excellence of CAHNR’s One Health initiatives. With experience in a research university, the ideal candidate will have demonstrated success across these missions as an educator, a researcher committed to the search for new knowledge, and someone able to imagine new possibilities for CAHNR at the nexus of human, animal, plant, and environmental health. The successful candidate will have experience forming and facilitating interdisciplinary teams and collaborations with stakeholders to address societal challenges and obtain extramural research funding to support One Health initiatives.

The College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources (CAHNR) has developed and implemented a Strategic Vision to guide the development and focus of our teaching, research and Extension programs in the years 2020-2025. The Director of One Health Initiatives will provide leadership in advancing the implementation of CAHNR’s five strategic priorities.  

• Ensuring a vibrant agricultural industry and sustainable food supply;   
• Enhancing health and well-being locally, nationally, and globally;  
• Fostering sustainable landscapes across urban-rural interfaces;  
• Advancing resilience and adaptation in a changing climate; and  
• Dismantling structural racism and fostering environments that advance racial equity, inclusion and belonging by advocating for anti-racist policies, practices and norms.  

Additional information on the CAHNR Strategic Vision can be found here: https://cahnr.uconn.edu/visionandvalues.  The University of Connecticut is in the process of developing a new strategic plan (https://provost.uconn.edu/strategic-planning-2021/)  that aligns well with the CAHNR Strategic Vision already in place.

The University and CAHNR prioritize scholarship in areas that impact the quality of life, including human, animal, plant, and environmental health, and environmental sustainability. We encourage and provide support for cross-disciplinary, collaborative scholarship in several areas across the College, University, nationally, and internationally.  The University of Connecticut is committed to Life Transforming Education for all its students. UConn has been recognized as one of the most sustainable and environmentally friendly campuses by a national publication of Sierra magazine. Through research, teaching, service, and outreach, UConn embraces diversity and inclusion, and cultivates leadership, integrity, and engaged citizenship in its students, faculty, staff, and alumni.

Founded in 1881, UConn is a Land Grant and Sea Grant institution and member of the Space Grant Consortium. It is the state’s flagship institution of higher education and includes a main campus in Storrs, CT, four regional campuses throughout the state, and 13 Schools and Colleges, including a Law School in Hartford, and Medical and Dental Schools at the UConn Health campus in Farmington. The University has approximately 10,000 faculty and staff and 32,000 students, including nearly 24,000 undergraduates and over 8,000 graduate and professional students. UConn is a Carnegie Foundation R1 (highest research activity) institution, among the top 25 public universities in the nation. Through research, teaching, service, and outreach, UConn embraces diversity and cultivates leadership, integrity, and engaged citizenship in its students, faculty, staff, and alumni. UConn promotes the health and well-being of citizens by enhancing the social, economic, cultural, and natural environments of the state and beyond. The University serves as a beacon of academic and research excellence as well as a center for innovation and social service to communities. UConn is a leader in many scholarly, research, and innovation areas. Today, the path forward includes exciting opportunities and notable challenges. Record numbers of undergraduate applications and support for student success have enabled the University to become extraordinarily selective.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES 

The Director for One Health Initiatives will play a significant role in decisions affecting One Health within CAHNR and beyond. This individual should have a broad perspective on the research, academic, and Extension-outreach missions of the University.

Responsibilities for the Director for One Health Initiatives will include:

• Facilitating interdisciplinary research and extramural funding among investigators and CAHNR departments and units, particularly by forming collaborations among researchers on the main Storrs campus, CAHNR’s extension initiatives, and external partnerships, in alignment with the CAHNR and UConn’s strategic vision.
• Working with CAHNR departments and the Office of the Vice President for Research to maximize extramural funding opportunities and external partnerships.
• Serving as the liaison between CAHNR departments and units at the nexus of human, animal, plant, and environmental health as well as across UConn campuses.
• Enhancing interprofessional education in One Health across CAHNR’s and UConn’s undergraduate, graduate, clinical, and Extension educational programs.
• Participating in decisions impacting resource allocation affecting One Health research, teaching, and outreach initiatives within CAHNR by working with Associate Deans and the Dean as needed.
• Advancing CAHNR’s commitment to equity and inclusion by considering sources of bias and structural inequity based on race, ethnicity, disability, gender, and sexual orientation.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

CAHNR seeks a dynamic leader who will have the following knowledge and skills:

• A Ph.D., M.D., D.V.M., or another terminal degree in a field relevant to One Health.
• Excellence in teaching, research, and scholarship appropriate to merit appointment at the rank of Associate or Full Professor in one of CAHNR’s departments.
• Demonstrated interest and disciplinary performance in a One Health related area
• Demonstrated success as a researcher with external funding and the ability to support research and teaching at the student and faculty levels.
• Demonstrable skill in written and oral communications about complex topics and experience interacting effectively with members of diverse constituencies.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Success in leading large, diverse teams across multiple disciplines.
• A proven leader with a record of accomplishment in obtaining robust extramural funding.
• Experience in progressively responsible leadership positions, preferably in higher education.
• Demonstrated ability to form and facilitate large interdisciplinary teams to address research challenges related to One Health and obtain and coordinate extramural funding initiatives to support this research, teaching, and outreach agenda.
• Demonstrated excellence in teaching.
• Experience as an agent of innovation and change, achieving excellence across a complex organization.
• Demonstrated interest and accomplishment in areas related to the promotion of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion.

APPOINTMENT TERMS                                                                                     

This is a full-time, 9-month, tenure-track, research (60%), teaching (20%), and leadership (20%) position at the Associate or Full Professor level. The successful candidate will work at the University of Connecticut’s main campus located in Storrs, CT. The anticipated start date is January 1, 2023. Salary will be commensurate with experience.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT                   

Employment of the successful candidate is contingent upon the successful completion of a pre-employment criminal background check.

TO APPLY

Please apply online to Academic Jobs Online https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/21893 and submit the following application materials:

1. Cover letter that includes a description of how your professional accomplishments related to One Health will contribute to CAHNR’s success in achieving its strategic vision.
2. Curriculum vitae.
3. Research and scholarship statement of innovative concepts developed in your academic career, experience in proposal development, team leadership, and mentorship of graduate students (up to two pages).
4. Educational statement that includes your teaching philosophy, educational experience, and commitment to effective learning (one page).
5. Experience and commitment to diversity, equity, justice, and inclusion statement; including broadening participation, integrating culturally sustaining approaches in instruction and research, promoting equity through scholarship and community engagement, and pedagogical techniques to meet the needs of diverse learning styles (one page).
6. Names and contact information for three (3) professional references.

Only applications submitted through Academic Jobs Online will be accepted. To ensure full consideration, applications should be received no later than September 1, 2022. The evaluation of applicants will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.

For further information, please contact Dr. Michael O’Neill (mp.oneill@uconn.edu), the search committee chair. 

At the University of Connecticut, our commitment to excellence is complemented by our commitment to building a culturally diverse community.

This position will be filled subject to budgetary approval.

All employees are subject to adherence to the State Code of Ethics which may be found at http://www.ct.gov/ethics/site/default.asp.

The University of Connecticut is committed to building and supporting a multicultural and diverse community of students, faculty and staff. The diversity of students, faculty and staff continues to increase, as does the number of honors students, valedictorians and salutatorians who consistently make UConn their top choice. More than 100 research centers and institutes serve the University’s teaching, research, diversity, and outreach missions, leading to UConn’s ranking as one of the nation’s top research universities. UConn’s faculty and staff are the critical link to fostering and expanding our vibrant, multicultural and diverse University community. As an Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity employer, UConn encourages applications from women, veterans, people with disabilities and members of traditionally underrepresented populations.