The School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (VMBS) at Texas A&M University (TAMU), in collaboration with West Texas A&M University (WTAMU), is seeking applicants for a full-time, 11-month, tenure-track/tenured position in the areas of infectious diseases and microbial ecology, especially as they apply to dairy cattle and sustainable food production, at the Texas A&M Veterinary Education, Research & Outreach (VERO) program (https://vetmed.tamu.edu/vero/), at the West Texas A&M University campus in Canyon, Texas (https://vetmed.tamu.edu/vero/employment-opportunities/). The position type (Tenure Track or Tenure Review Upon Hire), faculty rank (Assistant/Associate or Full Professor) as well as salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience. This position will have a VMBS academic home in the Veterinary Large Animal Clinical Sciences department and has an anticipated start date of Fall 2024.
The VERO Program represents a unique partnership between Texas A&M University (TAMU) and West Texas A&M University (WTAMU), and is located in the heart of one of the most productive animal agricultural regions in the world and includes the third largest milkshed in the United States. Dairies with more than 600,000 lactating cows are located within a 120-mile radius, and the Texas Panhandle is home to one of the world’s largest fed beef industries, providing ~25% of the annual U.S. fed cattle supply. The VERO Research Team partners with industry stakeholders and scientists from WTAMU and Texas A&M AgriLife Research to deliver our growing research and outreach programs addressing important problems of practical significance to the dairy and beef industries. The strategic vision of the VERO Research Team is to pursue collaborative research focusing on disease prevention and mitigation, microbial ecology, and prudent use of antimicrobial drugs. We emphasize the use of molecular biology, genomics, computational science, and epidemiology in the conduct of state-of-the-art, highly-impactful research to improve the sustainability of animal agriculture in order to provide an abundant and healthy food supply (https://VEROresearch.org). The overall goal of this position is to benefit the food animal industries and stakeholders as part of larger program objectives to promote sustainable food production and veterinary medicine and this new team member will be expected to complement existing areas of strength.
In addition to research, the successful candidate will also participate with other faculty in teaching and mentoring of undergraduate, veterinary, and graduate students through VERO educational programs. Specifically, this candidate will be asked to assist with growth and delivery of experiential training opportunities utilizing the tremendous dairy industry resources present at the VERO Program’s doorstep. The successful candidate will participate actively in other duties related to the program mission on a daily basis, and provide service and leadership to support VERO Program, Department, School, and University activities. This position is also expected to provide support and leadership to affiliated outside organizations. It is a strong expectation that members of the VERO team will support each other to promote the program’s mission (https://VEROresearh.org/ourvalues), and the successful candidate must have strong positive interpersonal skills along with a demonstrated record of promoting highly collegial and collaborative team interactions.
Salary and academic rank are commensurate with qualifications and experience. Tenure-track and tenured faculty members are expected to demonstrate effectiveness and excellence in Scholarship, Teaching, and Service. The proportion of effort dedicated to each of these activities is negotiable and may change over time. However, it is anticipated that this position will involve approximately 50% effort in Scholarship, 35% in Teaching, and 15% in Service (i.e., academic and professional service).