The Environmental Science Department in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at the University of Arizona is currently seeking an outgoing and driven individual to join our Cooperative Extension team to conduct applied research and outreach programs in soil health as related to crop production and sustainability. The Assistant Specialist in Soil Health will develop an applied research-driven extension program that focuses on arid-region soils. Potential research areas include quantifying the efficacy of soil management tools on soil health; impacts of water treatment and reuse on soil microbiome and chemistry; developing and refining relevant and efficient methods for evaluating soil health for a diverse clientele; relations between soil health and human health/welfare, and measuring and modeling changes in chemical, physical, and microbial soil characteristics with conventional or novel management treatments and time. Relations between soil health metrics, microbiome, plant function, and nutrient cycling should be incorporated into the research-driven extension program. Local industry is particularly interested in the following; (1) Salinity management (especially using biology to adapt and mitigate), (2) Plant-microbe interactions for pest management and increasing yields (rhizosphere focused), and (3) Bio-fertilizers.
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