Employment Opportunities at NESCent
- Director, National Evolutionary Synthesis Center
- Communications Manager, Education & Outreach
- Accounting Specialist, Part-Time
- Evolution Education Postdoctoral Fellow
Director, National Evolutionary Synthesis Center
Applications and nominations are invited for the position of Director of the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center, NESCent (www.nescent.org), a research center in Durham, North Carolina. The Center is supported by the National Science Foundation, and is jointly sponsored by Duke University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University. The position of Director will be a faculty appointment at the senior level made by Duke University.
NESCent promotes collaborative research on fundamental synthetic questions in evolutionary biology by supporting visiting scientists in working groups and catalysis meetings (>500 scientists/year) and resident sabbatical and visiting scholars and postdoctoral fellows. The Center also has a large Informatics group and an active program in Education and Outreach in evolutionary biology.
The Director has overall responsibility for administration of the Center, in collaboration with Associate Directors from the co-sponsoring Universities. The Director reports annually to NSF and to administrators of the associated universities and is advised by a Senior Advisory Board (SAB). The Director provides scientific leadership and fosters an environment that inspires collaboration. The Director should have a clear and imaginative scientific vision that serves the larger scientific community, receptiveness to alternative scientific views, an understanding of the key role that technology plays in fostering collaborative and synthetic science, and an unwavering commitment to the highest possible quality research. The Director should have an outstanding record of research in evolutionary biology with demonstrated organizational and management and interpersonal skills, and a fully articulated commitment to the goals of the Center. Experience in working with various funding agencies, including NSF, would be advantageous.
Subject to approval by the relevant disciplinary department, and provided the successful candidate meets the university's criteria for scholarly excellence, Duke University will appoint the candidate to a faculty position at the senior level. Evaluation of candidates, and selection of the Director, will be done by faculty from the collaborating Universities as well as representatives of NESCent’s SAB; the final decision requires NSF approval.
Applications and nominations should be submitted electronically to nescent-director@duke.edu. Review of applications will begin December 1, 2008 and continue until the position is filled. Applications should be formatted as a single pdf document and include a letter of interest, CV, and names of three people who have agreed to provide letters of recommendation. The letter of interest should include a vision statement for the Center and the applicant’s career goals. Inquires regarding the search and/or Center function should be addressed to nescent-director@duke.edu.
The Center is especially interested in candidates who can contribute to the diversity and excellence of the academic community through research, teaching and service.
Duke University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer
Communications Manager, Education & Outreach
The National Evolutionary Synthesis Center (NESCent) seeks a highly motivated biologist to serve as Communications Manager for Education and Outreach. The Communications Manager will be involved in all aspects of the Center's Education and Outreach activities and will work closely with the Associate Director for Education and Outreach and EOG staff to promote the scientific and educational activities of the Center. We seek an individual with a strong background in Evolutionary Biology or a related field, and with demonstrated experience in science communication and teaching. The position is full time.
Job Description:
The Communications Manager will be involved in all aspects of Center Education and Outreach activities, and will be encouraged to interact with postdocs, visiting scientists and working groups. Specific responsibiliti
es will include working closely with the Associate Director for Education and Outreach to coordinate the communications functions of the Center. These tasks will include communication of NESCent activities including d
evelopment and implementation of 1) media strategies, 2) journalism projects, 3) website, 4) brochures, articles, etc., and 5) write press releases and articles. The individual will participate in outreach and educati
on for the research science community and postdoctoral fellows including professional development, and assistance with broader impact activities (database development, grant writing consultation, implementation assista
nce). Outreach to the education community includes development and distribution of activities, materials and resources.
Expected Qualifications:
- Ph.D. in biology or related field, with experience in evolutionary biology. Experience in science communication, teaching, and/or education preferred.
- Well developed communication skills and leadership potential.
- Enthusiastic support of the Center's activities and goals.
How to Apply:
Candidates should submit a letter of application discussing their background and job interests, CV and names of three individuals willing to provide letters of recommendation to CommMgr@nescent.org. Applications will be considered until the position is filled; applications received before January 10 will be guaranteed consideration.
Duke University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.
Accounting Specialist, Part-Time, 30 hours per week
An Accounting Specialist will assist in budget management review for contracts and grants awarded to NESCent and offer budgetary recommendations. This person will prepare correspondence and answer inquiries regarding accounting information. Further responsibilities are listed below.
Thorough knowledge of Duke systems: SAP/R3, PARIS, must become RCC (Research Costing Compliance) certified. Serve as PARIS administrator for NESCent. Maintain, monitor, verify and reconcile monthly expenditures of Center contracts and grants. Maintain detailed Excel spreadsheets to track commitments and monitor expenses. Keep abreast of established University policies, procedures and requirements for payments to foreign nationals and ensure compliance. Obtain necessary documentation to process payments to foreign nationals and institutions.
Process forms for Independent Contractors and Outside Service Agreements with knowledge of requirements for each type of transaction. Complete all basic financial forms including honoraria, reimbursements, accounts payable check requests, journal vouchers, check deposits, purchase requisitions, and fund wires. Reconcile telephone invoices and established new telephone lines for new employees and visitors to the Center. Maintain and order office supplies.
Supervise student assistants relating to accounting support.
Excellent skills in Excel. Strong organizational skills and great attention to detail. Available for occasional evening and weekend work. Perform other related duties incidental to the work described herein (i.e., occasional backup to logistics coordinator).
Education/Training: Work requires knowledge of general accounting principles usually through two years post-secondary education in accounting or a related business.
Experience: Work generally requires 3 years of experience in an accounting setting to become familiar with the accepted accounting practices involved in maintaining more complex financial records, reconciling accounting information and preparing financial statements.
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Interested candidates should submit a cover letter and resume via email to Barbara Mitchell and also apply through Duke University’s Human Resources website, position #400249347.
Evolution Education Postdoctoral Fellowship
A post-doctoral position in science education is available at the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center (NESCent). The successful candidate will be expected to divide his or her time between assessment of the Evolution in the News program (http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/news/newsarchive_01) and an independent research project in evolutionary biology education of the candidate’s choosing.
The Evolution in the News program is a collaboration between the Understanding Evolution group at the University of California Museum of Paleontology (UCMP) and NESCent. The post-doctoral fellow will work closely with the contracting assessment group to implement and support field testing, and collect and analyze data. In addition, this person will work with staff at both NESCent and Understanding Evolution on story and podcast production and will be involved in improving the program based on assessment results.
The candidate’s independent research project should relate to evolution education. The project should compliment NESCent’s core mission of supporting synthesis in evolutionary biology. A number of education initiatives at NESCent, such as the Evolution Across the Curriculum or Tree Reasoning in Evolution Education working groups, may be of interest for independent research projects; however, candidates should not feel restricted to these initiatives.
Qualifications:
- PhD in education (preferably science education), or PhD in biology with a strong education research background
- Familiarity with assessment
- Experience with developing educational materials
- Familiarity with evolutionary biology
- Experience with resource development in new media will be helpful, but is not required.
Applications will be evaluated starting January 15, 2009 and continue until the position is filled; with a start date to be negotiated. This position will be located at the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center in Durham, NC. The annual stipend is $39,000. Duke University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer.
To Apply:
Proposals for postdoctoral fellowships are short, not to exceed 5 single-spaced (12-pt type) research proposal pages including bibliographic references. CVs may be up to an additional 2 pages.
Proposals should be organized as follows:
1. Title (80 characters max)
2. Name and contact information
3. Project Summary (250 words max) - appropriate for public distribution on the NESCent web site
4. Introduction and Goals - What important evolution education problem is being addressed?
5. Proposed Activities - What specific data and analytical tools will be used?
6. Rationale for NESCent support - Why can this activity be most effectively conducted at NESCent?
7. Proposed Timetable - include start date, month, and year
8. Anticipated Results - include anticipated papers, data and software products, and anticipated public release of data and products
9. Short CV of the applicant (2 pages)
10. Name, address and email for 3 references (see below).
APPLICATION AND PROPOSAL SUBMISSION
Proposals will be accepted in digital format only as a pdf file. Graphics should be embedded directly into the proposal document. Note that proposals should be submitted as a single pdf file including all of the components listed above (items 1-10). There are several software products for converting common file formats to pdf, e.g., CutePDF™.
Submitt applications to cclipostdoc@nescent.org. References are also submitted electronically as part of submitting the application. Applicants will provide the referees' names, addresses and email addresses. It is the responsibility of the applicant to insure that the references are submitted within 2 weeks after the proposal deadline.
