Washington University in St. Louis has an immediate need for an Associate Director of its environmental field station, Tyson Research Center. The Associate Director position is a fulltime, 12 month, non-tenure-track academic position, and the successful candidate will participate in all aspects of the field station's mission and activities.

Primary duties include: 1) Facilitation and promotion of Tyson's academic mission of research, teaching, and outreach in environmental biology and related disciplines. 2) Development of an active research program at Tyson in the candidate's area of expertise and that involves Washington University undergraduate students; 3) Oversight, management, and planning of day-to-day support operations at Tyson, including supervision of 3-6 field station staff; 4) Collaboration with the Director and other administrative and academic units at Washington University to plan and ensure the long-term success of Tyson as a unit of the University.

Although non-tenure-track, this is a career academic position with significant opportunity for research, teaching, and outreach in environmental biology. We seek a dynamic individual who is interested in contributing to all aspects of the mission of a growing field station. The minimum qualifications for this position are a PhD in ecology, evolutionary biology, environmental science, or a related field. Research expertise in some aspect of environmental biology is required.

The specific research emphasis is open, but a relevance to local ecosystems is required. Postdoctoral experience is required and experience working at or in a field station environment is strongly preferred. Some supervisory experience is required, and more extensive staff supervision, project management, or administrative experience will be viewed favorably. Excellent interpersonal skills are essential, as is an interest in the diversity of tasks that are associated with running a field station.

Compensation includes a competitive salary and full benefits. Some internal research funds are available for use by the Associate Director, although it is expected that major research projects will be externally funded. Opportunities for involvement in academic departments at Washington University are available and are encouraged and adjunct faculty status is possible.

About Tyson Research Center: Tyson is a 2000 acre field facility located at the edge of suburban St. Louis, approximately 20 miles southwest of the Washington University main campus. The landscape of Tyson is dominated by oak-hickory forest and steep ridges typical of the Ozark region. Other habitats at Tyson include old fields, seasonal streams, ponds, and experimental prairie and glade habitats. Tyson also owns a stretch of riparian habitat along the nearby Meramec River, as well as part of the La Barque Creek, one of the most biologically diverse streams in Missouri. Research activities at Tyson are diverse, intensive, and expanding, with particular strengths in population and community ecology, aquatic ecology, landscape ecology, restoration ecology, forest ecology and dynamics, and invasion ecology.

Outreach at Tyson focuses on the inclusion of local high school students in authentic research experiences with undergraduates and research mentors. Facilities at Tyson include a relatively new (2009) Living Building Challenge-certified classroom building. The main administrative office building is currently being renovated (May 2013 completion), and a new laboratory building is being constructed (fall 2013 completion). Tyson is deeply involved in the sustainability initiatives of Washington University and is a component of the International Center for Advanced Renewable Energy and Sustainability (I-CARES, http://icares.wustl.edu). Tyson also maintains a working relationship with the Missouri Botanical Garden's Shaw Nature Reserve (http://www.shawnature.org) and the Missouri Department of Conservation. Researchers affiliated with Tyson often conduct field work on MDC and Shaw properties.

To apply, applicants should email a single .pdf file to [email protected], including the following: 1) A cover letter, 2) a 1-2 page statement of research interests, including some information on your future goals and how they may align with the resources available at Tyson, 3) a CV, and 4) contact information for three professional references. Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled. Applications received by April 30, 2013 will receive full consideration.

Questions regarding the search process can be directed to Kevin G. Smith, Interim Director, Tyson Research Center at [email protected].

Stanford’s Bio 44Y course, in which Tad Fukami integrates an ecology curriculum into his research on Mimulus floral ecology based out of OBFS Member Station Jasper Ridge, has just won The Science Prize for Inquiry-Based Instruction (IBI)!

IBI was been established to encourage innovation and excellence in education by recognizing outstanding, inquiry-based science and design-based engineering education modules. This type of education is a form of active learning wherein the instructor provides a question, or a challenge, and a general set of procedures that can be used to answer it. The students then produce an explanation or answer that is based on the evidence that they collect from appropriate resource materials or experimental processes that are, at least in part, of the students own proposal.

Building on one of the Fukami research group's projects, the course focuses on ecological interactions among a species of flowering plants, the hummingbirds and insects that pollinate the plants, and the microorganisms that inhabit the floral nectar of the plants and move from flower to flower by hitchhiking on pollinators.

Congrats to Jasper Ridge and Dr. Fukami!

Full Text of Article

University of Michigan joint appointment:
The School of Natural Resources & the Environment, and the Biological Station

We invite applications for a Research Scientist Faculty Position from those whose research focuses on environmental problems that impact the sustainability of freshwater ecosystems. The University of Michigan (U-M) is in the midst of a major hiring initiative to augment expertise in the environmental sustainability of food, energy, and freshwater systems. The goal of this particular hire is to enhance collaborations between the U-M Biological Station (UMBS) and partnering campus units such as the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA), the School of Natural Resources and the Environment (SNRE), the College of Engineering, and U-M's new $9 million Great Lakes Water Research Center.

The successful candidate will have a joint appointment in SNRE and UMBS, and will be expected to utilize UMBS research facilities, data resources, and the diverse aquatic and terrestrial environments of the Laurentian Great Lakes Basin to advance interdisciplinary field research on topics related to sustaining ecosystem services in this water-rich, globally critical region. This 12-month research-track position (non-tenure track) will include salary support for three years, during which the successful candidate is expected to develop a research portfolio to support their salary and research activities. The successful candidate will develop a widely recognized and externally funded research program, with the option to supervise graduate students in research. This call is intentionally broad, and the Research Scientist position could be filled at the assistant, associate, or senior level. We are particularly interested in augmenting strengths at the interface of climate change, water resources, and ecosystem functioning. Candidates using watershed or landscape approaches on energy or materials exchange between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems are especially desired.

Applicants should have a strong record of scholarly publication, a demonstrated potential to develop a nationally recognized research program that attracts external funding, and a history of interdisciplinary collaboration. Applications must be submitted as a single PDF file and should include a cover letter, CV, a 2-3 page research statement, and contact information for three references. Applications and questions should be directed to Karie Slavik ([email protected]) with the subject line “SNRE-UMBS Research Scientist”.

Review of applications will begin on March 30, 2013 and will continue until the position is filled.
The University of Michigan ranks 15th on the Times Higher Education’s list of the world’s top 200 universities, and Ann Arbor is routinely ranked as one of the best places to live in the U.S. due to its affordability, preservation of wooded areas, vibrant arts program, and lively downtown. U-M Biological Station is a world-class research station located near the geographic center of the Laurentian Great Lakes Basin that attracts investigators from around the world who use its strategic location, laboratory facilities, field sensors, and diverse terrestrial, coastal and aquatic habitats, to conduct field-based research.