Assistant Professor, Digital Pedology and Pedometrics

Assistant Professor, Digital Pedology and Pedometrics, Department of Soil Science

College of Agriculture andBioresources

Applications are invited from qualified individuals for a full-time Assistant or Associate Professor position in Digital Pedology and Pedometrics. The successful candidate will be located in the Department of Soil Science within the College of Agriculture and Bioresources and will report to the Head of the Department of Soil Science. The successful applicant will have primary responsibility for both on-campus, lecture-based courses and potentially off-campus, field-based courses specific to the Digital Ag program. The successful candidate will be responsible for research in pedometrics and digital soil mapping, geographic information systems (GIS), “digital agriculture”, and / or soil carbon and nutrient stewardship. The successful candidate will join a cohort of several new professors hired within the strategic area of Sustainable and Digital Agriculture, a priority research area rich in potential for collaboration, partnership, innovation, and impact. Information about this cluster hire can be found at .

Students in Environmental Science (EVSC), Renewable Resource Management (RRM) and Soil Science (SLSC) require enhanced skills involving the collection and interpretation of quantitative digital soil information for environmental modelling—skills they will need to solve current and emerging environmental and land management issues. Thus, the successful candidate will be expected to develop new undergraduate- and graduate-level SLSC courses in pedometrics and digital soil mapping. This person may also contribute to the delivery of existing field courses in the RRM and SLSC programs. Research and teaching undertaken by this new faculty member will help ensure we maintain a national leadership role as the premier training institution for pedologists by providing continued excellence in field training with the emerging field of digital soil mapping.

Understanding soil genesis and classification is a key skill that all students in our programs require and by establishing a program in pedometrics the successful candidate will help students develop new skills in the application of mathematical and statistical methods to model the distribution, genesis, and functioning of soils in space and time. As well, it is increasingly critical that a conceptual understanding of soil-landscape relationships be integrated with quantitative landscape models to predict the effects of management-scale changes at regional, provincial, national, and global scales. The application of pedometric methods and digital soil mapping can uniquely position our students to examine environmental issues such as how climate change will impact soil carbon and nutrient stewardship, as well as issues affecting food security such as soil degradation. This new faculty position will provide an excellent opportunity for the successful candidate to attract external funding to lead our Department through their research into a new era of digital soil mapping, soil-landscape modeling, big-data management, machine learning, and data mining.

In addition to establishing and maintaining professional relationships with faculty, staff and students, the candidate will have the opportunity to collaborate with others similarly engaged in research with a sustainability focus, and will take a lead role in forging relationships with digital agriculture partners including additional new faculty hires in the digital agriculture cluster, the Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS), and across the University of Saskatchewan campus (, Geography, SENS, Computer Science, Engineering). Key stakeholders may include members of the Saskatchewan Institute of Agrologists, Indigenous communities, non-profit organizations in the region, government, and industry.

The University of Saskatchewan’s main campus is situated on Treaty 6 Territory and the Homeland of the Métis. The University of Saskatchewan is located in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, a city with a diverse and thriving economic base, a vibrant arts community, and a full range of leisure opportunities. The University has a reputation for excellence in teaching, research and scholarly activities and offers a full range of undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs to a student population of over 26,000.

Candidates should have completed (or nearly completed) a in an appropriate discipline, such as Soil Science or Pedology. Previous post-secondary teaching experience is essential, as is a demonstrated ability to plan for complex research activities. Candidates should be eligible for membership in the Saskatchewan Institute of Agrologists ().

Salary bands for this position for the 2023-2024 academic year are as follows : Assistant Professor : $99,945 to $120,099, while Associate Professors bands are currently $120,099 to $140,253.

This position includes a comprehensive benefits package that includes a dental, health and extended vision care plan; pension plan, life insurance (compulsory and voluntary), academic long-term disability, sick leave, travel insurance, death benefits, an employee assistance program, a professional expense allowance, and a flexible health and wellness spending program.