Extension Specialist (CY)-Marine Aquaculture

The Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences and Rutgers Cooperative Extension invite qualified candidates to apply for a tenure-track faculty position as an Extension Specialist (CY) in Marine Aquaculture.

The Extension Specialist holds a majority appointment in Rutgers Cooperative Extension and contributes to the scholarship, teaching, and outreach of the Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences and the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station. Through membership in Rutgers Cooperative Extension and the Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences, the Extension Specialist will provide expertise in marine aquaculture and statewide leadership in applied research and extension programming serving the State's aquaculture industries.

The Extension Specialist also must have expertise or sufficient familiarity with technologies related to a broad range of production methods and species (e.g., recirculating systems, integrated multi-trophic aquaculture, etc.) and other issues impacting New Jersey's aquaculture industries, such as processing, marketing, business planning, regulations, or environmental issues (e.g., water quality, climate change, offshore wind) relevant to New Jersey.

In addition, the Specialist is expected to attract external support and participate in educational outreach as well as undergraduate and/or graduate teaching and leadership of applied research projects in the field of expertise.

Active review of materials will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.

The successful candidate is anticipated to begin on September 1, 2025

A Ph.D. in aquaculture, fisheries, marine science, biological oceanography, or a related discipline.

Rutgers Cooperative Extension operates within the Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station ( NJAES) to help the diverse population of New Jersey adapt to a rapidly changing society and improve their lives and communities through an educational process that uses science-based knowledge from the State University to local communities.

Extension Specialists are tenure-track faculty who generate research-based information and solutions in the areas of agriculture, food and nutrition, environmental sciences and natural resources, and youth development. Their expertise and programs are delivered to the residents of New Jersey primarily through NJAES, Cooperative Extension agents and educators in the state's 21 counties. Specialists are located on the George H. Cook Campus in offices and labs in their academic department as well as at off-campus research and extension centers around the state. This position will be affiliated with the Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences and located at one of Rutgers coastal facilities listed below.

Faculty members with appointments as extension specialists are required, in their specific disciplines or professions, to have a mastery of the subject and to be capable of developing and implementing quality programs of instruction and/or technical assistance. Effective extension scholarship is demonstrated by the assessment of client needs; the design, implementation, and dissemination of appropriate delivery systems; the recruitment, training, supervision, and evaluation of program personnel; the evaluation of program effectiveness; and the development of appropriate funding mechanisms. Extension specialists must stay informed of advances in their fields and must demonstrate the capacity to use new and existing information in program development, to interpret research results, and to implement them into extension programs.

The Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences is located on the scenic G. H. Cook Campus of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey in New Brunswick, NJ. The majority of the thirty-member faculty reside in Marine Sciences, which houses state-of-the-art research laboratories and office facilities. The faculty offer undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctoral educational and research opportunities in molecular biology/biotechnology, ocean technologies, marine ecology, and climate change.

The Department is complemented with a range of assets coordinated in a Coastal Campus representing capabilities distributed along the state's coastline. Assets include several unique active and productive facilities. (1) the Haskin Shellfish Research Laboratory ( HSRL) with an active 136-year history dedicated to research, education, and extension in support of sustainable shellfish and finfish resources and fisheries. The HSRL operates the Cape Shore Laboratory which includes an intertidal aquaculture farm and companion shellfish research hatchery. (2) the New Jersey Aquaculture Innovation Center was designed to expand HSRL capacity to meet the research, technology, demonstration and extension needs of the aquaculture community. (3) The Rutgers Marine Field Station is a working laboratory uniquely situated within one of the most pristine estuaries on the eastern seaboard. (4) The Jacques Cousteau Estuarine Research Reserve is part of a national network of NOAA Estuarine Research Reserves created to promote the responsible use and management of the nation's estuaries through a program combining scientific research, education, and stewardship.

The School and Experiment Station: The Department is an integral part of the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, is deeply committed to the three land-grant missions (teaching, research, and Extension). Our faculty integrate teaching, research, and outreach to address real-world problems and encourage students to adopt the same approach to their educational experience at Rutgers. The school is affiliated with Rutgers' New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station and its strong research and community outreach programs across New Jersey and around the world. The School has 15 academic departments, 3400 undergraduate students, and 300 graduate students. The School's current strategic plan can be accessed at https://sebs.rutgers.edu/strategic-plan/. Rutgers University is a dynamic and diverse center for research, technology innovation, public engagement and development, and is located in the heart of the Northeast with easy access to New York City and Philadelphia and is in close proximity to the Jersey shore.

DEI Statement:
Rutgers is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion; our priority to diversify among our faculty ranks is outlined in the Rutgers DEI strategic plan. The Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences and Rutgers University are working to ensure our faculty composition reflects the diversity of our student population. We especially encourage applications from backgrounds underrepresented in aquatic sciences including Black, Latinx, Indigenous, and LGBTQ+ scientists.

Candidates should submit single PDF's of the following :

1.) A letter of application
2.) Curriculum vitae (CV)
3.) A concise statement of extension, teaching and research foci and objectives
4.) A Diversity statement
5.) Name and contact information for 3 professional references

Haskin Shellfish Research Laboratory ( HSRL)
New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station ( NJAES)

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
6959 Miller Avenue
Port Norris, NJ 08349

https://hsrl.rutgers.edu/