Lubbock

39397BR

Agricultural and Applied Economics

Position Description

The Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics in the Davis College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources at Texas Tech University (TTU) invites applications for a full-time, 12-month, tenured Professor to begin August 1, 2025. The successful candidate will be a visionary leader who is innovative, dynamic, collaborative, and entrepreneurial Chair of the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics providing intellectual and strategic leadership for teaching, research, extramural funding, outreach and engagement, and service endeavors in the Department and Davis College.

Among other duties, the Chair/Director/Area Coordinator will manage departmental personnel; administer the academic programs with the assistance of program directors; develop and sustain connections with related professional and industry entities to promote teaching, research, development, and outreach; effectively represent the department to internal and external entities; effectively manage the unit's budget to sustain a culture of fiscal responsibility and health; and promote the success of the faculty, staff, and students in the department. The Chair will also serve as a departmental faculty member with the following expectations related to teaching and research:

Maintain a research program as commensurate with the position and participate in graduate advising through thesis and dissertation committees.

Teach courses as appropriate to serve the needs of the department.

*About the University *

Established in 1923, Texas Tech University is a Carnegie R1 (very high research activity) Doctoral/Research-Extensive, Hispanic Serving, and state-assisted institution. Located on a beautiful 1,850-acre campus in Lubbock, a city in West Texas with a growing metropolitan-area population of over 300,000, the university enrolls over 40,000 students with 33,000 undergraduate and 7,000 graduate students. As the primary research institution in the western two-thirds of the state, Texas Tech University is home to 10 colleges, the Schools of Law and Veterinary Medicine, and the Graduate School. The flagship of the Texas Tech University System, Texas Tech is dedicated to student success by preparing learners to be ethical leaders for a diverse and globally competitive workforce. It is committed to enhancing the cultural and economic development of the state, nation, and world.

About Lubbock:Referred to as the Hub City because it serves as the educational, cultural, economic, and health care hub of the South Plains region, Lubbock boasts a diverse population and a strong connection to community, history, and land. With a mild climate, highly rated public schools, and a low cost of living, Lubbock is a family-friendly community that is ranked as one of the best places to live in Texas. Lubbock is home to a celebrated and ever-evolving music scene, a vibrant arts community, and is within driving distance of Dallas, Austin, Santa Fe, and other major metropolitan cities. Lubbock's Convention and Visitors Bureau provides a comprehensive overview of the Lubbock community and its resources, programs, events, and histories.

About the College

Davis College includes the departments of Agricultural and Applied Economics, Agricultural Education and Communications, Animal and Food Sciences, Landscape Architecture, Natural Resources Management, Plant and Soil Science, and Veterinary Sciences along with multiple research centers and institutes. Davis College has 149 tenure- and non-tenure-track faculty, 2,759 undergraduate and 539 graduate students, numerous staff employees, and generated close to $20 million in extramural research funding last year.

*About the Department/School/Area *

The Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics (AAEC) (https://www.depts.ttu.edu/aaec/) is one of seven departments within the Davis College of Agricultural ciences and Natural Resources at Texas Tech University. AAEC is one of the original departments in the college (then Farm Management) but has evolved into a diverse department covering all aspects of agricultural and applied economics from food and fiber production, natural resources, marketing and behavioral economics, international trade, policy, economic development, and econometrics and applied AI/machine learning. The Department is proud of its student-centric, research-intense, multidisciplinary approach to undergraduate and graduate education. AAEC houses the Combest Endowed Chair for Agricultural Competitiveness, the Thompson Chair in Agricultural Finance, and the Emma Beth Thompson Professorship in Risk Management. Two faculty members are Fellows with the Texas Tech Free Market Institute, and one new faculty hire is a part of the newly established Center for Urban/Rural Environmental Sustainability. Additionally, the AAEC department hosts the International Center for Agricultural Competitiveness, the Thorton Agricultural Finance Institute, and the Food and Resource Experimental Economics Laboratory. The Thorton Institute hosts the Agricultural Bankers Conference, one of the largest agricultural credit conferences in the United States, now in its 51st year. AAEC is also the host to Texas Tech Farm Operations which manages a large commercial farming operation in the Texas Panhandle. Water is a critical research issue, and several members of the faculty are participants in the Texas Alliance for Water Conservation, a research and outreach organization housed within the Davis College Water Center. Research productivity is growing and vibrant with an exciting cohort of early-career faculty. Since January 2021, faculty in the department have secured over $7M in externally funded projects. Faculty members consistently receive research awards at the college, university, and regional/national levels.

The department has approximately 500 undergraduate majors with BS programs in Agribusiness and Agricultural and Applied Economics. Additionally, the department has an Excellence in Agricultural Finance certificate program with extensive linkages to the agricultural finance industry. Students can also pursue a concentration in international agribusiness through our excellent study abroad programs offered by AAEC faculty through faculty-led programs and on our Texas Tech campuses in Seville, Spain and Costa Rica. The department also has approximately 65 graduate students spanning a Masters of Agribusiness as well as MS and PhD programs in Agricultural and Applied Economics. Our students have consistently been recognized with outstanding thesis and dissertation awards at the Southern, Western, and Applied and Agricultural Economics Associations. Several faculties have also been recognized with awards for outstanding teaching by the Davis College, TTU, and national associations. During the past five years,