Position overview
Salary range: The salary range for this position is $105,700 - $129,600 (annual). “Off-scale salaries” and other components of pay, resulting in a salary that is higher than the published system-wide salary at the designated rank and step, are offered when necessary to meet competitive conditions, qualifications, and experience.
Application Window
Open date: October 2, 2025
Next review date: Monday, Dec 8, 2025 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
Apply by this date to ensure full consideration by the committee.
Final date: Friday, Feb 27, 2026 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
The Department of Wildlife, Fish & Conservation Biology in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at the University of California, Davis is recruiting an Assistant Professor of Fish Ecology. This is an academic year (9-month), tenure-track Assistant Professor position that includes an appointment in the California Agricultural Experiment Station (AES). Faculty members who hold an Agricultural Experiment Station appointment have a responsibility to conduct research and outreach relevant to the mission of the California Agricultural Experiment Station. Participation in outreach programs and performance of University service are also expected.
The appointee is expected to establish a competitively funded research program to address critical or emerging issues in fish ecology. We seek a rising scholar specializing in the ecology of freshwater and anadromous coldwater fishes and their ecosystems, with demonstrated potential to build a robust, extramurally funded research program. The successful candidate will thus address critical questions in coldwater fish ecology and conservation in California’s dynamic freshwater environments. These systems are highly impacted and engage many stakeholders, often with competing interests. We hope to recruit an enthusiastic, productive, and visionary scientist, able to work effectively with diverse interest groups and provide science leadership to ensure the long-term viability of these aquatic systems and their fish communities. The ecology and conservation of coldwater fishes underpin many public agency management and policy goals often associated with land use change, recreational and consumptive uses of nature, and ecosystem responses to global change. Fish ecologists must regularly contend with challenging data analyzed with complex statistical models to estimate population sizes, survival, growth, reproduction, behavior, and community interactions. The appointee will be responsible for teaching 2-3 undergraduate courses per year, including the biology and conservation of fishes (WFC 120/L), and field studies in fish biology (WFC 102/L) and applied fish conservation in alternate years (WFC 137). Other possible courses may include wildlife ecology and conservation (WFC 10), natural history of California’s wild vertebrates (WFC 50), field methods in wildlife, fish, and conservation biology (WFC 100/101/L), or a course in the candidate’s area of expertise. Graduate teaching and any additional courses consistent with the appointee’s expertise that contribute to the department’s mission will be at the discretion of the candidate and in discussion with the chairs of both the department and appropriate graduate group. The successful applicant will train and mentor graduate students and participate in graduate instruction within the Ecology, Population Biology, and/or Animal Behavior graduate groups. Participation in and development of public outreach and/or community engagement programs, and performance of departmental and university service is expected. The selected candidate is expected to collaborate with Cooperative Extension specialists and advisors, partners in industry, federal/state agencies, non-governmental organizations, or other appropriate public stakeholders. For example, this position is well poised to interface with state (e.g. California Department of Fish & Wildlife) and federal (e.g. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Geological Service) agencies, non-profit organizations (e.g., California Trout, The Nature Conservancy), Tribal governments (e.g., Yurok, Karuk Tribes), and the public. The hire will have stated research interests and expertise in working with groups to improve management and conservation outcomes from the perspective of stakeholders and resident and anadromous fishes.
This recruitment is conducted at the assistant rank. The resulting hire will be at the assistant rank, regardless of the proposed appointee's qualifications.
Initial review of applications will be conducted using anonymized versions of the Statement of Research Accomplishments and Interests. Applications demonstrating sufficient potential based on this review will be advanced to full review.
UC Davis supports Family-friendly recruitments. UC Davis covers travel expenses for a second person to accompany an invited faculty recruitment candidate who is a mother (or single parent of either gender) of a breast or bottle-feeding child less than two years of age.
http://academicaffairs.ucdavis.edu/programs/work-life/index.html
UC Davis recognizes the necessity of supporting faculty with efforts to integrate work, family and other work-life considerations. To recruit and retain the best faculty, the campus sponsors a Work Life
Program that provides programs and services that support faculty as they strive to honor their commitments to work, home and community. http://academicaffairs.ucdavis.edu/programs/worklife/index.html
The UC Davis Partner Opportunities Program (POP) and Capital Resource Network (CRN) are services designed to support departments and Deans’ offices in the recruitment and retention of outstanding faculty. For information about POP, please visit https://academicaffairs.ucdavis.edu/partner-opportunities-program-pop. For information about the CRN, please visit https://academicaffairs.ucdavis.edu/capital-resource-network. Please note eligibility for these programs may be based on policy and funding availability.
Department: https://wfcb.ucdavis.edu/
School: https://caes.ucdavis.edu/
Qualifications
Basic qualifications (required at time of application)
Ph.D. or equivalent in a field of fish ecology, fisheries science, or and equivalent field at the time of appointment.
Preferred qualifications (other preferred, but not required, qualifications for the position)
• Post doctoral experience preferred.
• Evidence of leadership and organizational skills relevant to the development of a successful research, teaching and outreach program in the discipline of fish ecology.
• Evidence of scholarship during graduate and post-graduate activities.
• Demonstrated ability or potential to obtain extramural support for research activities.
• Demonstrated ability or potential to develop and instruct undergraduate and graduate courses and to present information to scientific audiences.
• Willingness and interest to advise undergraduates.
• Demonstrated ability or potential and interest to mentor M.S. and Ph.D. students.
• Evidence of communication skills and collegiality consistent with effective departmental, campus and professional citizenship.
• Interest, understanding, and commitment to the objectives of a land-grant university and the Agricultural Experiment Station including mission-oriented research and a substantive outreach engagement programming.
Application Requirements
Document requirements
- Curriculum Vitae - Your most recently updated C.V. including publication list.
- Cover Letter (Optional)
- Statement of Research - Statement of Research accomplishments and future research plans relevant to the ecology of coldwater fishes in California.
- Statement of Teaching - Statement of teaching accomplishments and philosophy
- Publication #1 - Required
- Publication #2 - Optional
- Publication #3 - Optional
- Transcripts - Required if within 5 years of PhD.
(Optional) - Authorization to Release Information Form - This form is required for all applicants applying to academic recruitments. Please see the Employment Disclosure Requirements webpage for more information. Download, complete, sign, and upload the form.
Reference requirements
- 4-6 required (contact information only)
Please provide the names, addresses, including e-mail, of four professional references
Apply link: https://recruit.ucdavis.edu/JPF07351
Help contact: [email protected]