Curator, Professor, and Director of Comparative Biology Initiative

American Museum of Natural History

The American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in New York invites applications and nominations for an outstanding scholar at the Full Curator & Full Professor level with internationally-recognized research and leadership credentials, and demonstrated, ongoing high-impact research productivity and grantsmanship, to provide innovative leadership for a new museum-wide initiative in comparative biology. This initiative will incorporate the work of multiple investigators at the Museum and at collaborating institutions in genomics and phenomics (large-scale phenotypic analysis), aimed at understanding the evolution and relationships of organisms in ways that clarify and illuminate the architecture of life. The successful candidate for this position should show experience and interest in managing large–scale, interdisciplinary, collaborative, multi-institutional projects and is expected to qualify for and be appointed as a tenured full curator in either the Division of Invertebrate Zoology or Vertebrate Zoology, and as a full professor in the Richard Gilder Graduate School at the AMNH. We seek a creative, active, broad-based researcher and dynamic academic leader who interacts well with others and who will utilize the extensive resources the Museum has to offer in the way of collections, research instrumentation and laboratories, teaching and mentoring, exhibition, and public education.

We particularly seek applications from, or nominations of, candidates with a compelling vision for the future trajectory of their science, and for comparative biology in general, and whose research addresses fundamental, cross-disciplinary questions. In addition to the above-noted expectations for high productivity and grantsmanship, the successful candidate will have outstanding communication skills in engaging diverse communities and demonstrated capabilities in management of collaborative projects and decision-making. Experience in interacting with governmental and non-governmental agencies and in fundraising are highly desirable, as are collection-based, field-based and/or computational research. Other responsibilities or opportunities include advising graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, offering courses in the Comparative Biology Ph.D. Program of the Museum’s Richard Gilder Graduate School, institutional service, development activities, and participating in Museum-sponsored exhibits and educational programs.

In addition to applications, we invite recommendations or nominations of potential candidates, and request that these include a resume and contact information for the nominee. Nominations or applications can be submitted to

seniorcuratorsearch@amnh.org. Applicants should submit the following materials electronically, preferably as PDF files, via a single email message to seniorcuratorsearch@amnh.org (Subject line: Senior Curator IZ-VZ Search Committee: your name): 1) a cover letter in which you indicate your interest, experience, and qualifications for the position; 2) a curriculum vitae; 3) PDF files of up to five recent publications; and 4) names and contact information for five referees (to be contacted by the Museum only for the process of tenure review in the case of a pending appointment). Inquires should be directed to John Flynn, Chair of the Search Committee and Dean of the Richard Gilder Graduate School: dean-rggs@amnh.org. Applications or nominations should be received no later than May 10, 2013.

Employer Information:

The American Museum of Natural History is one of the world’s preeminent scientific and cultural institutions. Since its founding in 1869, the Museum has advanced its global mission to discover, interpret and disseminate information about human cultures, the natural world and the universe through a wide-ranging program of scientific research, education and exhibition. The Museum’s research collections include more than 33 million natural history and cultural objects, and AMNH scientists undertake more than 100 expeditions annually. Science at the Museum includes five academic divisions, the Richard Gilder Graduate School, Sackler Institute of Comparative Genomics, 1 million specimen-capacity Ambrose Monell Cryo Collection, Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, high performance computational facilities, Microscopy and Imaging Facility, Southwest Research Station, the largest independent natural history library in the Western Hemisphere, and an array of other scientific facilities and resources.

The American Museum of Natural History is an Equal Opportunity/ Affirmative Action Employer. The Museum encourages Women, Minorities, Persons with Disabilities, Vietnam Era and Disabled Veterans to apply. The Museum does not discriminate due to age, sex, religion, race, color, national origin, disability, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, or any other factor prohibited by law.

If special accommodations are needed in applying for this position, please contact the Office of Human Resources at

hrdesk@amnh.org

or 212-768-5108.

The Natural History Museum of Denmark is searching for a Collections Manager to help coordinate and oversee its zoological, botanical, palaeontological, and geological collections. This position will be supervised by the Head of Collections and is open from April 1st 2013.

About the Natural History Museum of Denmark

The Natural History Museum of Denmark is the Danish national museum for zoology, botany and geology, and it contains large global scientific collections of preserved animals, plants, fossils, and minerals. In its current form the museum was established on January 1, 2004 by the merging of four long-standing institutions: the Botanic Garden, the Botanical Museum & Central Library, the Geological Museum, and the Zoological Museum.

Even though the Natural History Museum of Denmark is young, the history of the individual departments and collections can be traced back to the 17th century. A new museum of natural history in the Botanical Garden is being planned (http://nyt.snm.ku.dk/english/) and will present the museum with a number of big challenges in relation to the coming move of the collections, the establishment of new storage facilities and new exhibits.

The collection support staff collaborates with the Head of Collections, the scientific curators of the museum and the members of the exhibitions department in the curation of specimens, including preparation, preservation, registration, etc.  The collection support staff is organized in a cross-cutting unit under the Head of Collections. The Natural History Museum of Denmark is part of the Faculty of Science at the University of Copenhagen, and therefore host and supervise undergraduate, graduate and PhD students as well as postdocs that use the museum collections for their research. The museum is an international institution with many foreign students and researchers and English is widely used as working language.

Primary tasks

*          To assist the Head of Collections with the coordination and management of the zoological, botanical, and geological collections. 

*          To help facilitate the use of these collections by all users, e.g., NHMD Curators and other Scientific Staff, exhibits, students, visiting scientists, and to support the collection management activities of all divisions.

The Collections Manager’s specific responsibilities will include:

*          Management and coordination of collection curation in conformance with NHMD policies and procedures.

*          Help define, formulate and prepare collection management policies, standards and procedures.

*          Actively participate and if required head various collection management committees.

*          Represent the Head of Collection in various committees and professional organizations.

*          Plan, coordinate and implement the move of collections from the old museums storages to new facilities when the new museum is built.

*          Participate in the planning and coordination of new collection facilities in the new museum.

*          Assist with grant-writing to support museum operations and improvements.

*          Coordinate and produce internal as well as external reports on collection matters.

*          Supervision and coordination of collections compliance activities including internal and external reports.

*          Help coordinate the stockroom and the purchase of supplies for collection management.

*          Coordinate the conservation care of the collections.

*          Administrate the loan database at NHMD (users, passwords, reports etc.).

*          Initiate and coordinate relevant tests and measurements of materials and equipment.

*          Other collection related duties as required.

*          If required assist with the curation of selected collection(s) (depending on professional background).

*          If desired participate in fieldwork in Denmark and abroad.

Qualifications

*          MSc in biology, geology, conservation and restoration or related field is required;

*          Collections management experience (from natural history museums).

*          Relevant computer skills.

*          Must be self-directed and have the ability to work independently.

*          Strong social and collaborative skills.

*          Good English language skills are required (spoken and written).

*          Good abilities to communicate orally as well as in writing.

*          Driving license is advantageous.

Additional information

More information about the position can be obtained by contacting the Head of collections, Nikolaj Scharff (phone: +45 35 32 11 07; e-mail: nscharff@snm.ku.dk). More general information about the Natural History Museum of Denmark is available from our website http://www.snm.ku.dk.

Salary and employment conditions are in accordance with the collective agreement between the Ministry of Finance and the Danish Academic Trade Union. It is possible to negotiate additional salary according to documented previous experience and special qualifications.

Applications

Only electronic applications are accepted. Applications can be submitted in both English and Danish. Send the application including a C.V. and documentation of relevant experience by clicking the ”Apply online”-button at http://employment.ku.dk/administrative/. Deadline for applications is Friday February 15 2013.

The University of Copenhagen welcomes applications from suitably qualified candidates regardless of personal background.

A two-year postdoctoral position is available in the Department of Cryptogamic Botany, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm. The position is placed within professor Mats Wedin’s working group and is a part of the project area “Fungal phylogeny and evolution” funded by the Swedish Research Council (VR).

The project is about fungi in the Stictidaceae (Ostropales, Ascomycota), a group containing saprotrophic, parasitic and lichenized fungi, focussing on some species that can live either as saprotrophs or as lichens, depending on the substrate they grow on. This is a phenomenon we have coined “optional lichenization”. We have also suggested that the fungus, at or soon after the germination of the fungal spore, irreversibly initiate either way of life. The postdoc will specifically study microbial and photobiont diversity in Schizoxylon albescens. Schizoxylon albescens constitutes two genetically distinct cryptic species that both show optional lichenization, and Schizoxylon when lichenized is probably associated with a consortium of algae, only some of which are potential “true” photobionts. The simple lichen associations in Schizoxylon and other related Stictidaceae will be a useful model system to study fungal-algal-microbial interactions.

The bacterial and photobiont communities in Schizoxylon will be compared with communities in Populus-bark and wood (potential substrates of the fungus) and with other lichen-associated bacterial communities described in the literature. This will be done using established pyrosequencing methods based on targeted PCR-amplification with bar-coded primers to separate samples, utilizing a GS Junior next-generation-sequencing machine available in-house. The postdoc will utilize the data to test several hypotheses.

Candidates have a recent PhD in systematics/evolutionary biology or similar, preferably with experience of pyrosequencing and bioinformatics. A demonstrated publication record and excellent English communication and writing skills are expected. Good knowledge in molecular lab work, phylogenetics and light microscopy are required, and experience in lichenology, mycology, and field work is an advantage. A valid driving licence is required.

The starting date is May 1st 2013. The appointment is for two years.

For more information please contact professor Mats Wedin (mats.wedin@nrm.se). Union representatives are Bodil Kajrup, SACO-S and Yvonne Arremo, ST. All can be reached at telephone number + 46 8 519 540 00.

Mark your application, including a cover letter outlining relevant background, experience and motivation, your CV including a list of publications, contact information for two references, and copies of educational certificates, with dnr 2.3.1-9-2013, and send it as a single pdf document to rekrytering@nrm.se or to the Swedish Museum of Natural History, Box 50007, SE 104 05 Stockholm, Sweden, no later than February 28th, 2013.

Enheten för biodiversitetsinformatik på Naturhistoriska riksmuseet söker en IT-strateg/systemutvecklare och en systemutvecklare. För den första tjänsten söker vi antingen en biolog, gärna systematiker, med rik IT-erfarenhet eller en datavetare med erfarenhet av biologiska tillämpningar. Läs mer om tjänsterna här: http://www.nrm.se/ommuseet/ledigatjanster.10.html

/Fredrik Ronquist

A position in Minnesota is available for a researcher in fungal evolution/phylogeny:

https://www.cbs.umn.edu/facres/cluster-hiring-cbs/fungal-evolution/position-description