Post-doctoral associate for research project “Evaluation of Potential HLB Tolerant Grapefruit Rootstock/Scion Combinations in the Indian River District of Florida”
The UF/IFAS IRREC Ferrarezi Citrus Hort Lab is seeking a self-driven individual with a very strong background in variety performance evaluations. The position offers an opportunity to work with a grower-driven, replicated field variety trial in 20+ sites across different counties in Florida. The ideal candidate should have experience working with experimental design, data collection, analysis, and interaction with growers in large-scale field trials. The position requires expertise in citrus horticulture. The candidate will be on applying horticultural approaches to determine grapefruit scion and rootstock performance in the Indian River District to identify potential tolerance against citrus greening.
The objective of the project is to plant large-scale field trials of some of the most promising experimental grapefruit scion/rootstock combinations that may have more tolerance to HLB and monitor them over the next years. For this proposed project, a total of seven scions and six rootstocks (42 combinations) will be evaluated on 20+ representative 2-acre block trials located within the Indian River District and other growing regions. Data collected will include:
Tree growth measurements (trunk diameter, tree height, and tree width).
HLB incidence, Canopy thickness and Canopy color using rating scales.
Sampling for CLas testing by PCR.
Tree appearance will be documented photographically.
Once trees are mature (which is probably not going to happen in the first three years), fruit yield and quality data will be collected each season.
Full records of all caretaking (nutrition/pesticides etc.) and soil types.
Job Requirements:
PhD in Horticulture, Agronomy or any related field required
Driver’s License
Preferred Qualification:
- Knowledge of variety trials and ability to design experiments to test relevant research hypothesis
- Ability to operate lab and field instruments, and to conduct field studies in multiple locations
- Analytical skills to identify problems and create solutions independently with minimal instruction or supervision
- Strong communication skills (listening, written, and verbal)
- Good Leadership, supervisory, and organizational skills
- Ability to demonstrate a cooperative attitude while working with a diverse student, faculty, and staff population
- A flexible individual that thrives in a fast-paced environment that can effectively prioritize and manage multiple projects
