Assistant Professor of Agricultural Economics (Production Economist)

A Ph.D. in agricultural economics, economics, or a closely related field with an emphasis on production economics or related fields.

N/A

N/A

This is a full-time, twelve-month, tenure-eligible position in the Regular Title Series with an approximate start date of January 1, 2027. The anticipated distribution of effort is 85% research, 10% teaching, and 5% service. The candidate should be interested in conducting high-quality research in production economics, including production, technology, land-use, risk management/policy, disease, environmental issues, or related fields.

The candidate is expected to i) work to articulate possibilities for Kentucky’s agricultural lands, ii) understand the decision-making landscape of farm managers and landowners, iii) map out the implications of current and future policies affecting producers and their communities, iv) work on agricultural risk, land-use decision-making, and producer behavior; v) collaborate with soil scientists, plant scientists, animal scientists, agronomists, agricultural engineers, hydrologists, meteorologists, and producers, and vi) be a research partner to the Extension faculty.

The successful candidate is expected to: 1) develop a nationally recognized research program evidenced by publications in leading peer-reviewed scholarly journals; 2) successfully attract external funding to support research efforts, including funding of graduate students; 3) demonstrate a commitment to working with teams of researchers and Extension faculty/staff on interdisciplinary research problems; 4) direct graduate student research; 5) contribute to the multi-functional, land-grant mission of the Department through outreach and engagement efforts with stakeholders and conducting research with application to stakeholders; and 6) exhibit excellence in classroom instruction.

More specifically, we are looking for a candidate who can address the following:

• What are the risk profiles of different crops and technologies? And given current financial tools, which types of risk are most salient to producers? Understanding production risk is key to offering insight for smart investments in agricultural technology R&D and to design agricultural policies that efficiently allow producers to manage agricultural risk.

Applications: New cropping opportunities and specialty crops research, international markets, insurance products and farm bill programs, weather and disease risks, hedging tools for price risk and risk analysis.

• What does optimal land use look like, given the on-going concerns regarding soil and water quality? Shifting agricultural demand, supplies and agricultural policies such as the Kentucky Farm Bureau’s Farmland Transition Initiative can significantly impact land-use decision-making. Likewise, technological advances and new data will offer new research avenues for a production economist to identify optimal production practices for local agroecosystems.

Applications: Digital agriculture, drones, big data, artificial intelligence, precision agriculture.

• How can Kentucky producers develop specialty enterprises and/or differentiate traditional agricultural production under changing economic realities? Agricultural development can be workforce development. A researcher who can examine producer behavior will be able to assess the impacts of shifting industries, workforces, and agricultural policies.

Applications: Agricultural tax policy on farm capital, agricultural subsidies, farm labor development, and the Conservation Reserve Program.

For more information about the Department of Agricultural Economics, please visit http://agecon.ca.uky.edu/.

APPLICATION
Application can be made online and requires

Applications will be reviewed beginning August 15, 2026, and continue until the position is filled. Please contact Dr. Yoko Kusunose at yoko.kusunose@uky.edu.

Ability to conduct high-level independent research, direct graduate student research, and effectively teach at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Outstanding written and verbal communication skills are required as are strong quantitative skills.

We value the well-being of each of our employees and are dedicated to creating a healthy place for everyone to work, learn and live. In the interest of maintaining a safe and healthy environment for our students, employees, patients and visitors, the University of Kentucky is a Tobacco & Drug Free campus.

The University follows both the federal and state Constitutions as well as all applicable federal and state laws on nondiscrimination. The University provides equal opportunities for qualified persons in all aspects of institutional operations and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ethnic origin, religion, creed, age, physical or mental disability, veteran status, uniformed service, political belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, marital status, genetic information or social or economic status or whether the person is a smoker or nonsmoker, as long as the person complies with University regulation concerning smoking.

Any candidate offered a position may be required to pass pre-employment screenings as mandated by University of Kentucky Human Resources. These screenings may include a national background check and/or drug screen.