University of Florida, Department of Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences · Florida · assistantship · posted today
We are seeking a Ph.D. student to join an interdisciplinary team at the University of Florida working on regenerative management in organic systems. The Ph.D. student will be chaired by Dr. Gabriel Maltais-Landry (https://soils.ifas.ufl.edu/sustainable-nutrient-management-systems/) and Dr. Sunny Liao (https://sunnymicrobiome.weebly.com/) both in the Department of Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences. The student will focus primarily on nutrient cycling in crops and soils, soil health, and soil microbial ecology, with the goal of better integrating biologically and chemically mediated processes to better understand and assess soil health. The student will conduct field and laboratory experiments to evaluate how regenerative management practices, including reduced tillage and more diverse cover cropping, as well as different fertility and pest management strategies, affects various crops (corn, carrot, peanut, and watermelon) in organic production systems. They will also apply molecular-based techniques to characterize microbial communities and investigate their functions within these agricultural systems. The assistantship is expected to start in Summer (May) or Fall (August) semester of 2027 and includes a twelve-month stipend and full tuition coverage over a four-year period. The student will focus on several of the following areas: - Nutrient cycling, including measurements of nutrient cycling in crops and soils, and nutrient budgets; - Soil health, including measurements of different biological and chemical indicators; - Soil microbial ecology, including amplicon sequencing and qPCR measurements; - Other research focus areas chosen by the student to develop independent research that is complementary to measurements and experiments conducted as part of the main project. The successful applicant will have all or some of the following: - A degree in soil sciences or related disciplines – a MS degree is preferred but applicants with a BS and a strong record of relevant research/work experience will be considered; - Experience conducting field work in agroecosystems, ideally sampling crops and soils; - Experience with protocols related to nutrient cycling and soil health; - Experience with microbial techniques such as amplicon sequencing and/or qPCR; - Experience with statistical analyses (regression, ANOVA), ideally in R, and interest in expanding data analytical skills to more advanced methods, including bioinformatics; - The capacity to work outside in hot and humid conditions during the Florida summer; - A valid US driver’s license is preferred, but applicants with a valid international driver’s license that can obtain a US license within two months of starting the position will be considered. Before applying officially, interested applicants should contact Dr. Gabriel Maltais-Landry (maltaislandryg@ufl.edu) and/or Dr. Sunny Liao (sunny.liao@ufl.edu) directly with a one-page letter of research experience and interests, a CV, and contact information (no letters required) of three referees, all in a single pdf file. Interested applicants should reach out by October 31, 2026, and be ready to formally apply to the Department of Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences and/or the School of Natural Resources and the Environment by the end of December 2026. Only selected applicants will be encouraged to formally apply.
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