POSITION:

The Department of Applied Economics and Statistics seeks a full-time, open rank, tenure-track or tenured faculty member in applied economics with an emphasis in agricultural economics, beginning in Fall 2027. The successful candidate’s research program will engage with risk management, broadly construed. The successful candidate will also serve as Director of the Northeast Extension Risk Management Education Center (NERME), housed at the University of Delaware. The position combines leadership of a regional extension center with an active research program, extension research and programming in partnership with UD Cooperative Extension, and undergraduate teaching in the Food and Agribusiness Marketing program. The position will be a 9-month, academic-year appointment at the rank of Assistant, Associate, or Full Professor with 40% of time devoted to research, 35% to teaching, and 25% to service and administration. Rank and tenure status will be commensurate with qualifications and experience.

REQUIREMENTS: 

Ph.D. in agricultural economics, applied economics, economics, agribusiness, or a closely related field. The successful candidate is expected to have demonstrated excellence in research, commensurate with rank, a clear interest in high-quality extension, outreach and teaching activities, and the organizational and communication skills needed to lead a multi-state, grant-funded program. They should be adept at engaging a broad range of students, producers, and stakeholders through their research, teaching, outreach, and mentoring.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

Experience writing and managing competitive grants, particularly federal awards such as those from USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA); experience administering programs, budgets, or sub-awards; experience designing or delivering extension or outreach programs for agricultural producers, agribusinesses, or other food system stakeholders; experience working with Cooperative Extension partners across institutions or states; and a research record or clearly articulated research agenda in agricultural, food, and natural resource risk management, broadly construed.

There is a strong desire for candidates who will serve the full range of Delaware and Northeast agricultural producers, agribusinesses, food system stakeholders, students, and communities through their research, teaching, outreach, and mentoring.

GENERAL INFORMATION:

The Department of Applied Economics and Statistics is an interdisciplinary academic unit within the University of Delaware's College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Currently, the Department consists of 19 faculty who teach and supervise approximately 100 undergraduate majors and 80 graduate students. The Department includes the Center for Experimental & Applied Economics, a large experimental economics laboratory, a statistical lab, and the Northeast Extension Risk Management Education Center (NERME), a regional center funded through the USDA-NIFA Extension Risk Management Education program that supports risk management education for agricultural producers across the Northeast. Recognized as one of America's best universities to work for, the University of Delaware is in Newark, Delaware, within two hours of New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C.  The University is a Land Grant, Sea Grant, Space Grant, and Carnegie Research University.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Director of NERME

The successful candidate will serve as Director of NERME and provide leadership and strategic vision for the Center. Responsibilities include preparing and submitting the Center’s annual grant proposals; overseeing the Center’s competitive sub-award system, including requests for applications, proposal review, award management, and reporting of project results; and managing the Center’s budget and staff. The Director is expected to think strategically about the direction of NERME, to secure and strengthen its place at the University of Delaware within the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and the Department of Applied Economics and Statistics, and to build connections between NERME, UD Cooperative Extension, and faculty research across the University and the Northeast region. The Director is expected to develop and maintain a collaborative relationship with the other regional ERME Centers and the Digital ERME Center to support the mission of the USDA-NIFA funded program.

Research

The successful candidate is expected to establish or continue an active, externally funded research program in agricultural economics with national and international visibility, with a focus on risk management, broadly construed. Relevant areas include, but are not limited to, market and production risk, agricultural and food policy, conservation and natural resource management, and behavioral and experimental approaches to decision-making under risk. We especially welcome research that complements the department’s strengths in experimental and behavioral economics applied to agricultural policy and consumer decision-making. The extension research component of the appointment should connect the candidate’s research program to NERME’s mission and to the needs of producers, agribusinesses, and food system stakeholders in Delaware and the Northeast. Collaboration with other faculty and/or professionals in related fields is strongly encouraged. At least one element of the candidate’s research program should contribute to the College’s local, regional, and/or national research priorities. This position will contribute to the University and College’s strategic visions through excellence in graduate education, innovative partnerships, community and industry engagement, and world-class research efforts.

Extension

The successful candidate will conduct extension research and programming that supports UD Cooperative Extension activities related to risk management for agricultural and food businesses. They will work cooperatively with Extension colleagues to design and participate in workshops, decision tools, publications, and other communications that help Delaware and Northeast farmers, agribusinesses, and food system stakeholders manage risk and make sound decisions in an ever-changing market and policy environment. They will participate in cooperative grant solicitations to support the work of UD Cooperative Extension, and are expected to draw on NERME’s regional network to extend the reach of UD programming.

Teaching

Yearly workload consists of two undergraduate courses for the Food and Agribusiness Marketing program or related areas. Candidates will have the opportunity to contribute to the undergraduate and graduate programs through advising and mentoring, as well as directing theses and research projects.

SALARY

University of Delaware salaries and fringe benefit packages compete favorably with other universities in general and land grant universities in particular. A start-up package will be available.

CONTACT

For more information, contact Dr. Michelle Segovia (segoviam@udel.edu), Search Committee Chair, Department of Applied Economics and Statistics, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware. To apply, submit a letter of application, vitae, a short statement of research, extension, and teaching interests, a statement describing your leadership vision for NERME, job market paper or other sample of research, and arrange for three letters of reference via TalentLink. Submitted documents will be shared with department faculty.