Postdoctoral Research Associate: Agricultural Land Use & Applied Econometrics

Postdoctoral Research Associate Agricultural Land Use & Applied Econometrics Food & Resource Economics (FRE), University of Florida / IFAS

• Location:

  Gainesville, Florida

• Duration:

  2 years; Renewable annually depending on performance and funding availability

• Start Date:

  August 2026, or until position is filled
• Project Overview Florida's citrus industry has experienced one of the most dramatic agricultural collapses in recent U.

S. history, losing over 60% of its planted acreage since the mid-2000s. The forces driving this transformation are not simply biological: Huanglongbing (citrus greening disease) has compounded with surging land values, residential development, and the rapid expansion of solar energy projects to fundamentally reshape land use decisions across the state. Understanding how farmers weigh disease burden against competing land uses — and which forces ultimately drive farmland exit — is a question with broad implications for agricultural policy, land conservation, and rural community resilience. This USDA-funded project addresses these questions by constructing the first parcel-level panel dataset of land use transitions across all Florida citrus-producing parcels from 2008 to 2023. The project integrates satellite-derived land cover data, administrative parcel records, land value estimates, and economic indicators to study farmer decision-making under multiple simultaneous pressures. Core analytical work includes econometric modeling of land use transitions, identification of key drivers, and economic model development to capture the structural dynamics of these decisions. The project involves an interdisciplinary team of economists at the University of Florida and the University of Guelph, with active engagement from industry partners.

• Position Overview We seek a Postdoctoral Research Associate to serve as a key analytical contributor on this project.

The position is well-suited to a self-driven, intellectually independent researcher with strong econometric and technical skills who seeks to publish rigorous, policy-relevant research in high-quality peer-reviewed journals and thrive in a collaborative, intellectually engaged team environment.

• Key Responsibilities
• Develop and manage large-scale geospatial datasets integrating land cover, parcel boundaries, and economic layers
• Contribute to the development of economic models and econometric analysis of land use change
• Lead and co-author peer-reviewed journal publications
• Present findings at various professional venues, including academic conferences and stakeholder meetings
• Supervise and mentor graduate students involved in the project
• Engage with project team members, USDA partners, industry stakeholders, and advisory board
• Required Qualifications
• Ph.D. in economics, agricultural economics, natural resource economics, or a closely aligned field (such as public policy, urban planning, or geography)
• Strong background in econometrics and quantitative methods
• Strong programming skills in R and/or Python
• Evidence of academic research productivity or potential
• Preferred Qualifications
• Experience with large geospatial or remotely sensed datasets
• Experience with modern causal inference methods
• Experience developing decision-support tools (e.g., R Shiny)
• Experience with land use modeling, natural resource economics, or agricultural production systems
• Track record of publication in peer-reviewed academic journals
• Interest in applied, policy-relevant research and the dissemination of results to stakeholders and the general public
• Research Environment The postdoctoral associate will work directly with Drs.

Malek Hammami, Conner Mullally, and Zhengfei Guan at University of Florida Food & Resource Economics (UF FRE), with collaboration from Dr. James Ji at the University of Guelph and other project partners. UF FRE offers a rich scholarly environment and strong connections to the broader agricultural economics research community. The successful candidate be primarily based at the University of Florida main campus in Gainesville and will work closely with the supervising faculty members. Travel to, or temporary relocation at, the Tropical Research and Education Center (TREC) in Homestead, FL, or the Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) in Lake Alfred, FL, may be possible in consultation with the supervising faculty.

• Compensation Competitive salary commensurate with qualifications. Full University of Florida benefits and annual conference travel funding included.
• Application Applicants should submit:
• Cover letter describing research background and fit with the position
• Curriculum vitae
• Job market paper or representative publication
• Contact information for two professional references Please combine all documents into a single PDF and email it to ahammami@ufl.edu . For priority consideration, apply by June 5th, 2026. Applications received after this date will be considered on a rolling basis until the position is filled.
• Contact Dr.

A. Malek Hammami Assistant Professor, Food & Resource Economics, University of Florida - IFAS TREC ahammami@ufl.edu