Specialist in Cooperative Extension (Professor of Cooperative Extension)-Groundwater Quantity and Quality

Specialist in Cooperative Extension (Professor of Cooperative Extension)-Groundwater Quantity and Quality - Located at the West Side Research and Extension Center (25-31)
University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources
Application Window

Open date: June 27, 2025
Next review date: Sunday, Aug 10, 2025 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
Apply by this date to ensure full consideration by the committee.
Final date: Sunday, Nov 30, 2025 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
Applications will continue to be accepted until this date, but those received after the review date will only be considered if the position has not yet been filled.
Position description
Specialist in Cooperative Extension (Professor of Cooperative Extension)-Groundwater Quantity and Quality
Located at the West Side Research and Extension Center
Position Overview
The University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR), in collaboration with the University of California, Merced, invites applications for a Professor of Cooperative Extension at the Assistant Rank, which has the formal appointment title Specialist in Cooperative Extension.
The Professor of Cooperative Extension-Groundwater Quantity and Quality will address the challenges of drought, climate change, and their link to long-term groundwater overdraft through an innovative research and extension program. In collaboration with academics, public agencies, and non-profit and private sector partners, they will build capacity across California to sustainably manage groundwater quantity and quality. The successful candidate is expected to develop applied research that supports sustainable use strategies and conduct outreach that facilitates the adoption of new science-based knowledge for water management in the western region of California's Central Valley. We seek a candidate with expertise in areas including hydrogeology, hydrogeochemistry, sustainable groundwater management, current (e.g., salinity, nitrates, TCPs) and emerging (e.g., microplastics, PFAS) contaminants in groundwater, groundwater monitoring and modeling, managed aquifer recharge, and strategic cropping systems.
Professors of Cooperative Extension, also known as UCCE (UC Cooperative Extension) Specialists, develop and conduct research and educational programs aimed at appropriate clientele groups in communities outside of UC campuses. UCCE Specialists have programs primarily focused on mission-oriented research or creative work that supports the university's efforts to extend knowledge, including outreach and community engagement. Mission-oriented research describes the complete research continuum that extends from basic research to applications of research results. This research is generally applied in nature and has, as a goal, the solution of a problem facing society that is related to the mission of the UCCE Specialist's discipline and the UCCE mission. UCCE Specialists will publish the results of applied research in a combination of research publication types, whether peer-reviewed or not, based on the relevant audiences served by the UCCE Specialist's program.
The extension program disseminates knowledge and information to clientele groups for their use in improving their abilities to understand and address problems and opportunities facing them. The extension educational program serves the University's public service mission. Educational program activities include, but are not limited to, collaborations with UCCE Advisors, other UCCE Specialists, campus faculty, program teams, workgroups, or clientele groups; developing and presenting educational materials; communicating to clientele through broadcast, print, or electronic media; participating in meetings with clientele; developing and presenting in-service training courses; organizing or participating in workshops, field tours, symposia or conferences. Much of this work is conducted in partnership with UC ANR's locally based UCCE Advisors. The UCCE Specialist - Advisor and faculty partnership creates an applied research network that benefits both the University and the public at large. This position does not include formal classroom instruction at the University.
Location Headquarters. The position will be housed at the UC West Side Research and Extension Center (WSREC) in Five Points and academically positioned within UC ANR, with a secondary appointment in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of California, Merced.
Position Details
The San Joaquin Valley holds significant importance as it leads the nation in the production of various orchard, field, and vegetable crops. However, it relies heavily on groundwater, especially in drought years, which increases pressure on supply and presents significant challenges to developing sustainable farming systems. Many farms and crops require innovative interventions through science-based solutions that address sustainability and enhance agricultural productivity under water-related challenges. Increasingly unpredictable climatic conditions are impacting natural systems as well as large, intensive cropping systems, making research and extension interventions critically important. The WSREC, where the position will be housed, is in the most intensive and diversified farming system in California, faced with multidimensional challenges centered around water availability and quality. The position will benefit from UC Merced's distinguished leadership in precision agricultural technology and its comprehensive portfolio of water research, education, and extension projects. This critical position will address important issues related to groundwater and salinity in this region, which have the potential to be scaled out across California and beyond.
Major duties and responsibilities include:

Develop and implement a collaborative research, education and outreach program with the goal of enhancing the sustainable use and quality of groundwater

Conduct applied research on topics such as:
o Subsurface hydrology and assessing groundwater quality in the San Joaquin Valley
o Development and use of models of groundwater hydrology, groundwater/surface water interactions, and chemical fate and transport for management and planning activities, including various scenarios for water use in agriculture
o Design of conjunctive use scenarios for sustainable farming under different cropping patterns
o Evaluation of the impacts of climate change, droughts, floods, nitrates, pesticides, and other chemical applications on groundwater quality and quantity, and development of novel groundwater use strategies considering the quantity-quality relationship approach
o Development of different scenarios and practical guidelines for groundwater recharge through field measurements, remote sensing, and modeling
o Agricultural drainage and its impact on salinity management and groundwater quality

Extend knowledge on groundwater quality and management through different modalities and approaches, which may include extension publications, newsletters, web pages, blogs, policy briefs, UCCE Advisor meetings, on-site visits to farmer locations, stakeholder validation workshops, and grower workshops.

Develop and implement, in collaboration with UC ANR academics, educational programs on groundwater management, with a focus on conjunctive use that maximizes the sustainable use of the available water. This includes groundwater assessment, development of irrigation management and crop selection strategies.

Collaborate with UCCE Advisors and Specialists, UC Merced faculty, UC Research and Extension Centers, and UC ANR statewide programs, institutes, and program teams to conduct applied research and inform extension efforts at the local, regional, and statewide levels.

Engage with networks of groundwater management professionals throughout the state, including the Groundwater Resources Association, and provide expertise to agencies responsible for implementing and overseeing groundwater management, including the California Department of Water Resources (DWR), the State Water Resources Control Board, and regional Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs).

Network with scientists from DWR, the California Department of Food and Agriculture, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the US Geological Survey, as well as with private sector experts and stakeholders working on groundwater management plans and technologies.

Work closely with Westland and other water districts and relevant authorities to address implementation requirements and challenges of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) and other related programs (e.g., The Multibenefit Land Repurposing Program).

Publish in relevant UCANR outlets and external scientific journals appropriate for the field of groundwater management.
Counties of Responsibility: This statewide position will support agriculture and its allied agencies and organizations in California. This is an exciting opportunity to impact diverse communities throughout the state.
Reporting Relationship: The position will be physically located at the UC West Side Research and Extension Center (WSREC), in Five Points, CA, with an official appointment with UC Agriculture and Nature Resources (UC ANR). The UCCE Specialist will also hold an additional 0% (uncompensated) Adjunct Professor series appointment with the working title of Professor of Cooperative Extension (Groundwater Quantity and Quality) in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at UC Merced. UC ANR will oversee the merit and promotion process, consistent with other UCCE Specialists . click apply for full job details