[ECOLOG-L] Position Announcement-Assistant Botanist (Full Time)

[Timothy Rye]

Assistant Botanist
Illinois Natural History Survey
Prairie Research Institute
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS) has been the guardian and 
recorder of the biological resources of Illinois—the state's biological 
memory. With a staff of over 200 scientists and technicians, INHS is 
recognized as the premier natural history survey in the nation. The 
mission of INHS is to investigate and document the biological resources 
of Illinois and other areas, and to acquire and provide natural history 
information that can be used to promote the common understanding, 
conservation, and management of these resources. INHS is part of the 
Prairie Research Institute (PRI) at the University of Illinois at 
Urbana-Champaign which is centrally located between Chicago, St. Louis, 
and Indianapolis. PRI houses five large scientific surveys covering a 
wide range of expertise including biology, water resources, climate, 
geology, sustainable technology, and archaeology. PRI’s mission is to
provide objective, integrated scientific research and service, in 
cooperation with other academic and research units of the University of 
Illinois and elsewhere, that allow citizens and decision-makers to make 
choices that ensure sustainable economic development, enduring 
environmental quality, and cultural resource preservation for the
people, businesses, and governments of Illinois.

INHS is seeking to hire an Assistant Botanist to conduct research 
activities essential to scientific programs by providing support in the 
development of research plans and execution of research including 
collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data. This position is based in 
Champaign, Illinois.

Major Duties and Responsibilities: Conduct field surveys and assessment 
of plant communities throughout Illinois forests, wetlands, and 
grasslands. This involves working with both private landowners and 
public entities and field survey crews and may involve travel, long 
days, and challenging habitat and variable weather conditions at
times. Independently complete complex research tasks as required by 
projects or as directed by supervisor. Prepare reports and support the 
publishing of manuscripts, INHS publications; present findings at 
professional meetings. Communicate and interact with recipients of 
services. Keep abreast of developments in discipline. Provide outreach
and service to the public, INHS, the Illinois Department of Natural 
Resources, the University of Illinois, and other professional 
organizations. Supervise assigned student and hourly staff; this 
involves overseeing scheduling and taskassignment, mentoring, monitoring 
and evaluation performance, and training. Must be able to spend 
extensive time (up to 5 months) traveling during the field season and 
work in remote areas under adverse field conditions.

Qualifications: Required: Master's degree in plant biology or related 
field with an emphasis on plant ecology or systematics. Alternate degree 
fields will be considered/accepted depending on the nature and depth of 
the experience as it relates to this position. Must have experience with 
required technology, such as computer systems, GPS units,
data analysis software, etc. Experience using various plant sampling 
techniques. Extensive knowledge of the flora and botanical communities 
of Midwestern United States or Eastern United States. Basic knowledge of 
research techniques in specialized area of research. Must possess 
appropriate field and laboratory skills including scientific as
well as physical skills necessary to carry out work in demanding 
conditions. Strong verbal and written communication skills. Must have 
demonstrated the ability for leadership and planning, supervising, and 
monitoring research activities and progress. Must have the ability to 
perform effectively in a diverse and fast-paced work environment 
consisting of multiple and changing priorities, with minimal 
supervision. Proficiency in commonly employed software and databases. 
Must possess strong skills and training in botany. Must possess strong
interpersonal skills and ability to work collaboratively with other 
scientists, researchers and staff, especially during long periods of 
time in the field. Must have a valid driver’s license.

Assistant Botanist
Illinois Natural History Survey
Prairie Research Institute
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Qualifications: Preferred: Experience with relational database 
management systems such as SQL Server or Microsoft Access. Experience 
with a statistical software coding language such as SAS or R. Experience 
publishing research in peer-reviewed journals. This is a regular full-
time contract-funded academic professional position subject to the 
continued availability of funding and programmatic need. The starting 
date is negotiable after the closing date. Salary is commensurate with
experience. Applications must be received by Tuesday, June 20, 

[ECOLOG-L] Plant Ecology Lecturer - UC Berkeley

[David Ackerly]

The Dept of Integrative Biology at UC Berkeley is seeking a lecturer for fall 
2017 to teach 
IB 154, Plant Ecology. IB154 is an upper division course spanning plant ecology 
broadly, 
with enrollment of 35-55. Requirements include PhD in a related field and prior 
teaching 
experience. Applications may be submitted via 
https://aprecruit.berkeley.edu/apply/JPF00901 (this is an open application to a 
lecturer 
pool; please note a specific interest in Plant Ecology if applying). 
Applications received by 
June 9 will receive priority. For more information, please contact David 
Ackerly 
(dacke...@berkeley.edu)

[ECOLOG-L] NIMBioS Seeks Proposals for Innovator Workshops

[Catherine Crawley]

Got an innovative idea for transformative research? The National 
Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (NIMBioS) seeks 
proposals for its new Innovator Workshops, which aim to enhance 
understanding of important questions at the intersection of biology and 
mathematics and to generate new approaches for addressing them. 
Organized by active researchers in academia, government or industry, 
Innovator Workshops at NIMBioS provide a dynamic, highly interactive 
forum for the presentation and discussion of cross-disciplinary research 
at the forefront of biological, mathematical, computational, and social 
science. Over the course of 3 to 5 days, these workshops gather experts 
in the field and provide outstanding networking opportunities. A key 
outcome is the development of new collaborations.


Proposals are considered three times each year with deadlines on July 1, 
November 1, and April 1. Researchers interested in organizing a workshop 
must submit a formal application to NIMBioS describing the proposed 
topic and key questions to be addressed. Besides submitting an 
application, organizers identify and secure commitments from up to 4 
primary presenters whose expenses will be fully covered by NIMBioS. An 
additional 25 to 35 participants will be identified through an open 
application process for approved workshops. These additional 
participants cover their own expenses. We expect to have some 
supplements for graduate students.


Innovator Workshops offer a more streamlined review process as opposed 
to our traditional Investigative Workshops 
(http://www.nimbios.org//workshops/).


For full details on Innovator Workshops including the online proposal 
system, visit http://www.nimbios.org/innovatorworkshops


Since 2009, NIMBioS has hosted more than 40 successful workshops with 
more than 1,500 participants on a wide variety of topics driven by input 
from the scientific community. Located at the University of 
Tennessee-Knoxville, near the beautiful Smoky Mountains National Park, 
NIMBioS is an NSF-sponsored initiative to foster interdisciplinary 
research at the interface between mathematical and biological sciences. 
The institute's mission is to cultivate cross-disciplinary approaches in 
mathematical biology and to develop a cadre of researchers who address 
fundamental and applied biological problems in creative ways. Additional 
support for NIMBioS comes from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville.


If you have questions or would like to discuss ideas about a possible 
Innovator Workshop, please contact Dr. Sergey Gavrilets, NIMBioS 
Associate Director for Scientific Activities, ser...@nimbios.org 
or Dr. Chris Welsh, NIMBioS Deputy Director, 
865-974-9334, cwe...@nimbios.org 


#

[ECOLOG-L] rich countries must start paying for tropical forest conservation

[Erik Hoffner]

That's the message author Frances Seymour delivers on this week's Mongabay
Newscast, listen here:

https://news.mongabay.com/2017/05/audio-frances-seymour-on-why-rich-nations-need-to-start-paying-up-to-protect-the-worlds-tropical-forests/

   - Seymour shares her thoughts on why now is such an opportune moment for
   this issue, whether or not the large-scale investment necessary to protect
   the world’s tropical forests shows signs of materializing any time soon,
   and which countries are leading the forest conservation charge.
   - We also welcome Mongabay editor Glenn Scherer back to the program to
   answer a question from Newscast listener Brian Platt about which 'good
   news' stories are worth talking about more in these tough times for
   environmental and conservation news.
   - All that and the top news on this episode of the Mongabay Newscast.


--

See my latest writing and photojournalism projects here


*tw: @erikhoffner *

[ECOLOG-L] 2 PhD positions in herbivory & ecosystem/soil science

[Dan Metcalfe]

Two four year PhD positions with full salary and social benefits are
available with Dr Daniel Metcalfe at Lund University, Sweden
(http://www.nateko.lu.se/dan-metcalfe). Both positions will work within
an exciting new international project examining the causes and
consequences of invertebrate herbivory in forests worldwide
(http://cordis.europa.eu/project/rcn/200548_en.html).

1) The first position entails extensive fieldwork at field sites around
the world to measure the large-scale patterns and biogeochemical
consequences of herbivory
(https://lu.mynetworkglobal.com/en/what:job/jobID:151777).

2) The second position entails laboratory manipulations of herbivore
deposits in soil mesocosms to assess the potential impacts of herbivory
on soil processes under climate change
(https://lu.mynetworkglobal.com/en/what:job/jobID:151827).

For further details of the positions, and to apply, visit links to the
positions on the University Jobs Website. The application deadline is
20th July 2017, the position start date is September 2017 but can be
negotiated. We encourage applications from highly motivated and
independent young scientists particularly with experience of ecological
fieldwork and of biochemistry/microbiology laboratory work.