Availability, use, and quality of water resources present challenges to meet agricultural, industrial,
residential, environmental, and recreational water needs in Oklahoma, the Southern Great Plains
region, and beyond. With a growing population, effective management and treatment of water
across the different geoclimatic regions are critical to a sustainable economic future. Increasing
drought severity and duration make it essential that community leaders, water managers, farmers
and ranchers, and other stakeholders develop contingency plans for managing scarce water
resources during critical drought periods while maintaining preparedness to cope with flooding
due to extreme rain events.
The Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Department at Oklahoma State University intends
to strengthen the water resources area and expand engineering expertise in the Division of
Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources by filling two new faculty positions. Together, these
positions will directly support OSU’s Land-Grant mission of teaching, research, and Extension.
Through collaboration with the Oklahoma Water Resources Center, these new hires will support
ecosystem services and work to achieve high levels of water quality and sustainable use of our
region’s water through integrated programming. These positions provide added emphasis and
expertise to address the water resource challenges in Oklahoma and offer a great opportunity to
build a dynamic team with OSU faculty and staff and local, state, and federal agency personnel.
Assistant Professor, Irrigation Engineer
This position is an 11-month, tenure-track appointment with Research (75%) and Teaching (25%)
responsibilities in irrigation systems and water management. Areas of emphasis may include
precision irrigation, remote sensing, water balance of soil-crop systems, and integrated water
management that help mitigate challenges in surface and groundwater availability, water quality,
and use of wastewater. Other emphasis areas can include smart irrigation systems and systems
analysis, simulation and modeling to promote water use, sensor development and application,
and energy efficiency.
Assistant Professor, Water Management
This position is an 11-month, tenure-track appointment with Research (60%) and Extension (40%)
responsibilities in rural and urban hydrology and water management. This position will work at the
interface of rural and urban water systems, designing control measures for sustainable water
management, including transport, treatment, and use. Areas of emphasis may include runoff,
surface and groundwater flow, climate adaptation (e.g. flood mitigation, drought management)
that supports agriculture and food operations as well as urban agriculture ventures and urban
development initiatives.
View the full job ads and apply online at: https://jobs.okstate.edu and search for req12670
(Irrigation Engineer) and req12671 (Water Management). To learn more about the department
visit: bae.okstate.edu. Inquiries or questions regarding these positions may be directed to Dr. Mari
Chinn, Professor and Head (mari.chinn@okstate.edu) or Dr. Randy Taylor, Search Committee
Chair, (randy.taylor@okstate.edu) at (405) 744-5431. Application screening will begin December
1st, 2022; and accepted until position is filled.