Assistant Professor, Synthetic Microbial Communities

Kansas State University is seeking an Assistant Professor in Synthetic Microbial Communities within the Agronomy Department. The role involves researching synthetic microbial communities in the rhizosphere, focusing on plant-microbe interactions and their effects on plant health. Candidates should have a Ph.D. and a commitment to teaching and research. This position requires on-campus presence for meetings and collaboration, making it an on-site job.
About This Role

The Agronomy Department at Kansas State University seeks an Assistant Professor to join an interdisciplinary network of researchers, by providing a focus on the study, development, and application of synthetic microbial communities in the rhizosphere. The successful candidate's research program will involve designing, constructing, and evaluating microbial consortia to understand plant-microbe and microbe-microbe interactions and their impact on plant health, nutrient cycling, resilience to biotic and abiotic stress, and soil ecosystems. Possible areas of interest include plant symbioses with fungi or bacteria, endophytes, and rhizosphere microbes that enhance plant resilience to stressors, and the ecology of plant-microbe interactions, including community structure and dynamics. The candidate will have the opportunity to work with plant breeders/geneticists, crop physiologists, and allied microbiologists and plant scientists within and outside of the Agronomy Department. Collaborations with plant breeders could investigate links with root architecture and exudates that support rhizosphere microbial communities, and the most competitive research program will have a field component that leads to productive and resilient crop systems.

This position will be part of the Biomanufacturing hiring initiative at Kansas State University: https://www.kstate.edu/biomanufacturing/relatedinitiatives/multidisciplinary-hiring-initiative/. The cluster hire includes plant synthetic biology and biotic plant interactions. Kansas State University has diverse plant genetic resources to serve as a platform for novel plant-microbe interactions. Additional resources include the Wheat Genetics Resource Center (WGRC Resources), Center for Sorghum Improvement (Home | Csip), Integrated Genomic Facility (K-State Integrated Genomics Facility), and high-performance computing cluster (BEOCAT). KSU also has research fields across the state, covering a range of climatic zones, soil types, and cropping systems.

About Us

As a department at a land-grant, public research university, we are committed to teaching and learning, research, and service to the people of Kansas, the nation, and the world. We believe our collective mission is best accomplished when every member of the University community acknowledges and practices our University Principles of Community..

Worksite Option

This position is on-site.

Employee must have availability to be on campus for routine and scheduled meetings frequently during the work week

What You'll Need to Succeed

Minimum Qualifications:
• Ph.D. in soil microbiology, microbiology, or related field.
• Demonstrated commitment to excellence in undergraduate and graduate student mentoring and teaching
• Outstanding oral and written communication skills
• Strong potential for securing extramural funding
• A record of publishing research results in peer-reviewed journals commensurate with current career level
• Commitment to the University's land-grant mission.

Preferred Qualifications:
• Experience leading or working as part of an interdisciplinary team
• Desire and ability to work in a multi-disciplinary team environment and advance the university's commitment to collegiality
• Demonstrated extramural funding

Sponsorship eligibility:

This position is eligible for sponsorship

How to Apply

Please submit the following documents:
• Send a letter of application articulating interest in the position and experience relative to the qualifications for the position, a statement of teaching philosophy (2-page limit).
• Statement of research interest (2-page limit).
• Full curriculum vitae.
• Graduate transcripts.
• Names, e-mails and phone numbers of three references.

Screening of Applications Begins

Immediately and continues until position is filled. For best consideration, apply by July 31, 2025.

Anticipated Hiring Pay Range

$90,000 - $120,000