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NSF Biological Science Administrator (Program Director)

TO APPLY: https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/390306500?org=BIO

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is seeking candidates for Program Director in the Systematics and Biodiversity Science Cluster (SBS) within the Division of Environmental Biology (DEB), Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO) in Arlington, VA.



The DEB supports fundamental research on populations, species, communities, and ecosystems. Scientific emphases range across many evolutionary and ecological patterns and processes at all spatial and temporal scales. Areas of research include biodiversity, phylogenetic systematics, molecular evolution, life history evolution, natural selection, ecology, biogeography, ecosystem services, conservation biology, global change, and biogeochemical cycles. Research on origins, functions, relationships, interactions, and evolutionary history may incorporate field, laboratory, or collection-based approaches; observational or manipulative experiments; synthesis activities; as well as theoretical approaches involving analytical, statistical, or simulation modeling.



The SBS cluster supports research that advances our understanding of the diversity, systematics, and evolutionary history of organisms in natural systems. This research addresses fundamental questions in biodiversity, taxonomy, and phylogenetics, such as: What kinds of organisms exist in the natural world? How are they related? How did evolution lead to patterns of global biodiversity in time and space? How can phylogenetic history shed light on evolutionary patterns and processes in nature? Example topics include: expeditionary biodiversity research and discovery; identification and classification of organisms; and phylogeny and comparative phylogenetic biology. The SBS Cluster seeks to fund projects that are transformative - that is, those that innovatively and fundamentally transform our approaches to analyzing and understanding global biodiversity, its origins, distribution, and evolutionary history. The Cluster places a high value on integrative and holistic approaches to systematics research and training - i.e., those approaches and projects that integrate across all the components within the cluster (biodiversity discovery, organismal biology, taxonomy, phylogenetics, and evolution) and that train highly integrative systematists who can conduct research across the entire spectrum of these activities.



For more information about DEB and its Programs, please visit here.

The Inaugural GBIF Ebbe Nielsen Challenge

 

The inaugural GBIF Ebbe Nielsen Challenge aims to inspire scientists, informaticians, data modelers, cartographers and other experts to create innovative applications of open-access biodiversity data.

For the past 12 years, GBIF has awarded the Ebbe Nielsen Prize to recognize outstanding contributions to biodiversity informatics while honouring the legacy of Ebbe Nielsen, one of the principal founders of GBIF, who tragically died just before it came into being.

The Science Committee, working with the Secretariat, has revamped the award for 2015 as the GBIF Ebbe Nielsen Challenge. This open incentive competition seeks to encourage innovative uses of the more than half a billion species occurrence records mobilized through GBIF’s international network. These creative applications of GBIF-mediated data may come in a wide variety of forms and formats—new analytical research, richer policy-relevant visualizations, web and mobile applications, improvements to processes around data digitization, quality and access, or something else entirely. Judges will evaulate submissions on their innovation, functionality and applicability.

As a simple point of departure, participants may wish to review the visual analyses of trends in mobilizing species occurrence data at global and national scales recently unveiled on GBIF.org. Challenge submissions may build on such creations and propose uses or extensions that make GBIF-mediated data even more useful to researchers, policymakers, educators, students and citizens alike.

A jury composed of experts from the biodiversity informatics community will judge the Round One entries collected through this ChallengePost website on their innovation, functionality and applicability, before selecting three to six finalists to compete for a €20,000 First Prize later in 2015.

View the full announcment.

View the full rules.

Global Genome Initiative Buck Postdoctoral Fellowship Program

The Global Genome Initiative Buck Fellowships are two-year fellowships that contribute specifically to the goals of the Global Genome Initiative (GGI) at the National Museum of Natural History and include a 55% time commitment to biodiversity genomic research and 45% commitment to other GGI related activities. The fellowships are aimed at increasing the capacity for biodiversity genomics at the National Museum of Natural History and across GGI partner institutions.

GGI Buck Fellowships are oriented toward contributing research on a topic relating to GGI over-arching themes. The program aims to leverage question-driven, peer-reviewed research on biodiversity, evolution and ecology in order to accelerate the acquisition, genetic identification, and sequencing of vouchered genomes by collecting genomic quality samples from a strategically chosen synopsis representing all major lineages of Life. For more information on GGI activities and goals visit the GGI website at GGI.si.edu

The National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) is located in Washington, DC and applicants must propose to conduct research in-residence at the NMNH for a period of 12 to 24 months. Applicants must have completed or be near completion of the Ph.D. Recipients who have not completed the Ph.D. at the time of application must provide proof of completion of the degree before the fellowship begins. The fellowship could begin as soon as 1 February 2015, contingent on the pace of administrative requirements. The stipend is $48,000 per year, plus $4,000 per year for research or healthcare allowance. Interested applicants are strongly encouraged to contact potential advisors/hosts at the NMNH prior to proposal preparation and submission. For a description of research staff listed for NMNH departments please consult the Smithsonian Opportunities for Research and Study website at http://www.smithsonianofi.com/sors-index/.

The application will be reviewed by a committee composed of Smithsonian research staff. Applications will be evaluated on the basis of the proposal’s merit, the ability of the applicant to carry out the proposed research and study, and the extent to which the NMNH and Smithsonian, through its staff members and resources, can contribute to the proposed research.

All application materials must be submitted by or on 1 December 2014 for consideration. All proposals must adhere to the following requirements detailed below. If you have any questions please contact Katie Barker, GGI Program Coordinator, at GGI@si.edu.

How to Apply

Proposals should include ALL of the following:

Abstract

Abstract of the proposed research and outreach, not more than one page.

Research and Outreach Plan

Please include a full statement of your research and outreach plan. The plan should be a maximum of five pages, double spaced (excluding all other parts of the application, such as the abstract and bibliography). Please use paper size of approximately 8 1/2 by 11 inches (210 mm x 297 mm). Do not use type smaller than 12 point or 10 pitch. In preparing your proposal, be sure to provide and address the following:

i. A description of the research you plan to undertake at the NMNH, including the methodology to be utilized.

ii. The importance of the work, both in relation to the broader discipline and to your own scholarly goals.

iii. A GGI goal development plan (up to 1 page), which can include: collaborative work with other NMNH-led projects and teams; training workshops; field protocols, biodiversity sequencing techniques or technology, the implementation or development of software (e.g. bioinformatics, analysis), pipelines or tutorials, or public outreach to communicate research to non-specialist audiences.

iv. Justification for conducting your research at the NMNH and utilization of research facilities and resources.

v. Identification of the member of the NMNH research staff who might serve as your principal advisor/host. Also identify potential co-advisor(s) and/or consultant(s) if applicable. The publication, Smithsonian Opportunities for Research and Study (http://www.smithsonianofi.com/sors-index/), contains the necessary information on staff research specialties and current departmental interests to help you determine which staff members are best suited to your research needs. NMNH, SI, or affiliated research staff may be named as co-advisors or consultants if they will be in residence during at least a portion of the tenure period proposed. You are strongly encouraged to correspond with your proposed advisor(s) as you prepare your proposal.

Timetable

Estimate of time period for each phase of the research and outreach proposed, in one page or less.

Budget and justification

Budget and justification for equipment, supplies, research-related travel costs, and other support required to conduct the research itself (excluding stipend and relocation costs). You are encouraged to discuss potential research costs with your proposed advisor(s) before submitting your application. If the funds required to support the research exceed the maximum research allowance of $4,000 per year, please explain the source of additional funds.

Bibliography

Bibliography of literature cited in the proposal.

Curriculum vitae

Curriculum vitae, including publications, previous and current fellowships, grants, and/or awards, other professional activities, and a description of your research interests. Also, if English is not your native language, describe the level of your proficiency in reading, conversing, and writing in English.

Professional References

You should provide the names, affiliations, and email addresses of three persons familiar with your work whom we may contact. Do not list Smithsonian staff members as potential references.

TO APPLY, SEND ALL APPLICATION MATERIALS AS A SINGLE PDF FILE TO: GGI@si.edu

Position Available: Division Director, Division of Environmental Biology- National Science Foundation

 

Job Title:Division Director, Division of Environmental Biology

Agency:National Science Foundation

Job Announcement Number:DEB-2014-0005

SALARY RANGE:

 $157,000.00 to $176,200.00 / Per Year

OPEN PERIOD:

 Wednesday, June 11, 2014 to Monday, August 11, 2014

SERIES & GRADE:

 ES-0401-00

POSITION INFORMATION:

 Full-time. - Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA) assignment only.
 

DUTY LOCATIONS:

 1 vacancy - Arlington, VA 

WHO MAY APPLY:

 Applications accepted from US Citizens. Recent changes in Federal Appropriations Law requires Non-Citizens to meet certain eligibility criteria to be considered. Therefore, Non-Citizens must certify eligibility by signing and attaching this Citizenship Affidavit to their application. Non-citizens who do not provide the affidavit at the time of application will be considered for IPA only.

 

Learn more and apply here: https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/372429800

Tree-for-All: A hackathon to access OpenTree’s global phylogeny resources

A global “tree of life” will transform biological research in a broad range of disciplines from ecology to bioengineering. To help facilitate that transformation, the OpenTree project [1] now provides online access to >4000 published phylogenies, and a newly generated tree covering more than 2.5 million species.
 
The next step is to build tools to enable the community to use these resources.  To meet this aim, OpenTree, Arbor [2] and NESCent’s HIP working groups [3] are staging a week-long hackathon September 15 to 19 at U. Michigan, Ann Arbor.  Participants in this “Tree-for-all” will work in small teams to develop tools that use OpenTree’s web services to extract, annotate, or add data in ways useful to the community.  Teams also may focus on testing, expanding and documenting the web services.
 
How could a global phylogeny be useful in your research or teaching?  What other data from OpenTree would be valuable?  How could OpenTree web services be integrated into familiar workflows and analysis tools?   How could we add to the database of published trees, or enrich it with annotations?  
 
If you can imagine using these resources, and you have the skills to work collaboratively to turn those ideas into products (as a coder, or working side-by-side with coders), we invite you to apply for the hackathon.  The full call for participation (http://bit.ly/1ioPPMc) provides instructions for how to apply, and how to share your ideas with potential teammates (strongly encouraged prior to applying).  Applications are due July 8th. Travel support is provided.  Women and underrepresented minorities are especially encouraged to apply.
 
If you have questions, contact Karen Cranston (karen.cranston@nescent.org, @kcranstn, OpenTree), Arlin Stoltzfus (arlin@umd.edu, HIP), Julie Allen (juliema@illinois.edu, HIP), or Luke Harmon (lukeh@uidaho.edu, Arbor).  
 
[1] http://www.opentreeoflife.org
[2] http://www.arborworkflows.com/
[3] http://www.evoio.org/wiki/HIP (Hackathons, Interoperability, Phylogenies)

 

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