Two PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR POSITIONS (研究员 Yan2 Jiu1 Yuan2) in
ecology, conservation biology, and evolution, at the Chinese Academy
of Sciences, based at the Kunming Institute of Zoology (KIZ), Kunming,
China.
The Ecology, Conservation, and Environment Center (ECEC) at KIZ (www.kiz.ac.cn
) invites applications for two full-time PI positions in ecology and
evolution, broadly defined. The rank is equivalent to an Assistant or
Associate Professor in the US. Senior applicants (those with faculty
positions) will also be considered and are eligible for special
recruitment packages from the national government.
The ECEC was recently established as a joint center between the
Chinese Academy of Sciences and the University of East Anglia (UK).
The ECEC's mission is to conduct international-quality research in
ecology and conservation biology, to train Chinese and foreign Ph.D.
and postdoctoral researchers, to lead the development of ecology and
conservation science in China and Southeast Asia, and to provide
information necessary for environmental policy-making. The KIZ is one
of China's leading scientific research institutes for evolutionary
biology, its faculty are internationally recognized, and the institute
is building an ecology and conservation group on this foundation.
This is a superb opportunity to pursue an independent research
program, backed by a large research team and ample funding. Highly
qualified candidates conducting research on any taxa and in all areas
of ecology, evolution, and conservation biology are encouraged to
apply. We especially encourage applicants with research programs
involving molecular ecology and bioinformatics, theory and modeling,
conservation planning and economics, and/or climate change.
Responsibilities include contributing to the ECEC's mission, obtaining
external funding, and publication in top, international journals.
Considerable startup funding is available, generally at levels higher
than those offered by European or US universities, and faculty will be
members of the KIZ's State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and
Evolution. Facilities at the KIZ include 454 next-gen sequencing,
SNP, and gene-chip facilities in a new, national barcoding center to
be installed this year, extensive internet journal access, a
zoological museum with over 600,000 specimens, and access to CAS field
stations, datasets, and facilities around the country. In addition to
opportunities for collaboration within the ECEC and KIZ, there are
ample local opportunities for collaboration with ecologists and
evolutionary biologists at the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden
(xtbg.ac.cn &www.ecologicalevolution.org) and the Kunming Institute of
Botany (www.kib.ac.cn), as well as local universities. In the near
future, faculty from the three institutes, including the ECEC, will be
combined to establish a new National Laboratory in biodiversity.
The working languages at the KIZ are Chinese and English. All
nationalities are welcome to apply, and most faculty have had
international research experience. It is possible to conduct research
outside China with grant monies from China. Starting data is flexible.
Candidates with a strong record of accomplishment (a Ph.D.,
postdoctoral experience, and published papers in SCI journals) should
submit a CV, a statement of research interests and plans, and pdfs of
three publications. Please also include the names, addresses, and
contact details of three individuals who can provide letters of
recommendation. A single, combined PDF or zipped file is preferred
and can be emailed to <[email protected]>. Informal enquiries can be
made with the center's director, Dr. Douglas Yu <[email protected]>.
Applications will be reviewed starting 31 July 2009 until the
positions are filled. This advert will be repeated over the next
months.
Background information:
The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) was established in 1949 and is
China’s national research organization, funding research and training
in basic science and technology across a countrywide network of
research institutes. CAS’ goal is by 2010 to make 30 of its research
institutes internationally recognized and 3 to 5 of them world class.
KIZ: Established in 1959. Primary research areas have been
evolutionary genetics and developmental biology, animal systematics,
and animal and human disease models. There are about 200 staff,
including 1 CAS member, and about 50 faculty, of which 7 PIs are
supported by a CAS “Excellent Young Scientists Program.” There are
about 100 MSc and 100 PhD students enrolled.
From 2005-8, the institute published 812 papers (505 in SCI-indexed
journals), including articles in Science, Am. J. Human Genetics, PNAS
USA, The Plant Cell, Genome Res., PLoS Medicine, and Human Molecular
Genetics. 230 of these papers were published in journals ranked in
the top 30% by the Thomson-Reuters Journal Citation Report. PIs have
earned several patents and numerous awards from the Chinese Academy of
Sciences and other national bodies, plus 3 awards from international
organizations. Two PIs head CAS-Max Planck Junior Scientist groups.
See also recent news articles in Science and Nature concerning KIZ,
XTBG, and Yunnan:
Stone, R. (2008) From remarkable rescue to restoration of lost
habitat. Science 322: 184
Stone, R. (2008) Last stand for the body snatcher of the Himalayas?
Science 322: 1182.
Qiu, J. (2009) Where the rubber meets the garden. Nature 457: 246.
Erard. M. (2009) How many languages? Linguists discover new tongues
in China. Science 324: 332-333.
Yunnan Province (Ywin-nan, 394,000 sq. km, population 44 million)
covers approximately 4% of China’s area but is its most biodiverse
province. Habitats range from tropical forest in the south, where it
borders Vietnam, Laos, and Myanmar (Burma), to the Himalayas in the
northwest, bordering Tibet. High biological diversity is mirrored by
high ethnic diversity, housing 24 of China’s 55 recognized minority
ethnic groups, many still living in isolated areas. The province’s
major industries are tobacco, mining, agriculture, and tourism,
including nature-based tourism. Yunnan is one of the world’s most
productive sources of edible mushrooms, and is one of China’s biggest
producers of natural rubber, coffee, and tea. In fact, tea originated
from Yunnan. Tourism is boosted by ethnic and habitat variety, a
pleasant year-round climate, and the presence of some important
cultural centers, including the UNESCO World Heritage town of
Lijiang. Nonetheless, because of its remoteness from the
manufacturing boom on China’s coast, and its mountainous terrain,
millions still live below China’s official poverty line.
Kunming (Kwin-ming, urban population 3 million) is known colloquially
throughout China as Spring City because of its climate. Living
conditions include a high-quality housing market, widespread internet
access, extensive public transport, entertainment and cultural
resources, both Chinese and Western (e.g., www.gokunming.com), easy
access to the countryside, and well-developed retail outlets (incl.
Carrefour, Metro, Wal-Mart, and B&Q). There is a local organic food
movement (www.greenkunming.com) and an international school (www.kia-china.org
).
Dr. Douglas W. Yu
School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia
Norwich, Norfolk NR4 7TJ UK, 44-(0)1603-593-835
Ecology, Conservation, and Environment Center, Kunming Institute of
Zoology
#338, 32 Jiaochang Dong Lu, Kunming, Yunnan 650223, China, 云南省,
昆明市,教场东路32号 650223, China, ofc +86-871-519 9178, mob
1398-719-1275
http://www.uea.ac.uk/bio/people/YuD
http://web.mac.com/dougwyu
There are 10^11 stars in the galaxy. That used to be a huge number.
But it's only a hundred billion. It's less than the national deficit!
We used to call them astronomical numbers. Now we should call them
economical numbers. - Richard Feynman
