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Population Biologist

Esteemed as the Green Heart of Pittsburgh and one of the world’s greenest public gardens, Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens is empowered by its mission to inspire and educate all with the beauty and importance of plants; to advance sustainability and promote human and environmental well-being through action and research; and to celebrate its historic glasshouse.

Phipps is seeking applications for a 2-year Postdoctoral Scholar in Population Biology to join the growing Research Institute at Phipps, which is focused on interdisciplinary research in the fields of ecology, human health and wellness, environmental education, science communication and outreach, and social justice.

Phipps Research Institute focuses on an integrative and multi-disciplinary approach to understanding the impact of the connections between people and their environment on human and ecological health and wellness. Phipps seeks a postdoctoral scholar to take a theoretical and empirical approach to questions at the intersection of pressing ecological issues such as air and water quality, natural resource preservation, disease transmission, and wildlife conservation and the demography of human systems. The researcher should be committed to using quantitative and/or qualitative research to address these questions. The postdoctoral scholar will be responsible for conducting original research, securing research equipment, leading data collection, analyzing data, grant writing, and assisting in presentations of the innovative studies being conducted.

Qualified candidates must have a Ph.D. in ecology, evolution, computational biology, systems biology, human ecology, public health, health policy or closely-related disciplines. Focal areas of expertise might include using multi-disciplinary approaches to address human population-oriented questions. The successful candidate must have a passion for interdisciplinary research with a demonstrated ability to work as part of an interdisciplinary research team, as well as working with children and the general public in a pleasant and courteous manner. The candidate must be proficient with computer software and data management (use of R, Python, Matlab, STATA, etc., preferred), a publication and presentation record that is commensurate with the candidate’s experience, and success obtaining extramural grants and research contracts. Teaching experience in formal and informal education is preferred.

More information is available below.

Free Statistical Consulting Services for UW Students, Faculty, and Staff

Faculty and graduate students in the Consulting Program of the Departments of Biostatistics and Statistics offer free statistical advice to University of Washington faculty, staff, and students through scheduled 50 minute consulting appointments during academic quarters when class is in session.  They provide assistance with:

  • the design of studies and experiments, including the preparation of grant proposals
  • data visualization and presentation
  • choice and application of statistical methods
  • development of specialized statistical methods in some cases

The consultants have experience primarily with the R and Stata statistical analysis systems, but they work with clients using whatever statistical package is most convenient for them.  (Note:  Statistical consulting is for study design and data analysis advice, not software tutorials.)

To schedule an appointment, contact the Dept of Biostatistics or the Dept of Statistics (see below). Researchers may schedule an appointment in either department.

Royalty Research Fund – Autumn 2017

This is to announce the Autumn 2017 round of the Royalty Research Fund (RRF) grant program. Proposals are due Monday, September 25, by 5:00 PM.  Awards will be announced by January 15, 2018.

Unlike agency-funded grants, RRF grants are not awarded to supplement or continue existing successful research programs.  The purpose of the RRF is to advance new directions in research, particularly:

  1. in disciplines for which external funding opportunities are minimal, and/or
  2. for faculty who are junior in rank, and/or
  3. in cases where funding may provide unique opportunities to increase applicants’ competitiveness for subsequent funding.

Proposals must demonstrate a high probability of generating important new creative activities or scholarly understandings, new scholarly materials or resources, significant data or information, or essential instrumentation resources that are likely to significantly advance the reputation of the university, lead to external funding, or lead to developing a new technology.  Proposals should include well-justified budgets up to $40,000.

We also continue to seek proposals for the Royalty Research Fund Scholar program to support faculty release time for one quarter in conjunction with support of a meritorious research proposal. RRF Scholar applicants must teach four or more “regular and substantial courses per year.” Independent study and dissertation supervision are not included in these courses, as the intent is to release the faculty from the responsibility of classroom preparation time and in-class hours to concentrate on scholarly activities. While we expect most RRF Scholar proposals to come from the arts, humanities, and social sciences, all qualifying faculty are eligible to apply. RRF Scholar proposals include funds for a teaching replacement and may also include a modest budget for other project expenses.

All proposals will be peer reviewed through one of the three Royalty Research Fund Review Committees. The evaluators are faculty colleagues and therefore will not necessarily be specialists in the applicant’s subfield. Thought should be given, therefore, to crafting the proposal so that a wider audience may understand it. Although technical field-specific information will be expected, the major features of the proposal should also be accessible to non-specialists.

The Royalty Research Fund is made possible by income generated from royalties and licensing fees derived from intellectual property created by University faculty. No funds recovered through indirect costs are used for the RRF.

Proposals are due the last Monday in September and the first Monday in March. Please inform your faculty about this opportunity. Proposals from all disciplines are welcome.

The RRF proposal submission and review process is electronic – all proposals must be submitted using SAGE (System to Administer Grants Electronically).  Briefly, the RRF application consists of an eGC1 (electronic Grant and Contracts Form 1, created online in SAGE), the proposal documents, and the suggested reviewers memo.  The proposal documents are gathered into a single PDF file and attached electronically to the eGC1. The completed application is then routed electronically to all of the individuals that need to approve the proposal (Chairs, Directors, and Deans).  It is then automatically routed to RRF staff who review the proposal for adherence to instructions and program rules. The suggested reviewers memo is submitted separately to a special email account; this completes the submission process.

In our ongoing efforts to improve service, the RRF program continues to evolve and there are changes to the rules and/or application instructions each round.  Therefore, please advise your faculty and staff that it is essential that applicants thoroughly read and carefully follow all instructions each round. Proposals that do not adhere to the guidelines will be returned for immediate correction and resubmission if time permits; otherwise, they will not be considered eligible for funding. Additionally, it is the applicants’ responsibility to find out how much lead time is required by each unit which needs to approve their proposal, through the Dean’s level. (For example the College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s office requires that proposals reach them via SAGE by 5:00 pm on the Thursday prior to the RRF deadline.) We strongly encourage all applicants to monitor the progress of their application throughout the approval process.  Applications not fully approved by the RRF deadline will not be accepted – NO EXCEPTIONS.

Scott Allard Explains the Rise of Suburban Poverty

Scott Allard, CSDE Affiliate and UW Professor of Public Policy, was recently featured in a discussion about recent geographic trends in US poverty. Allard’s research shows a rise in suburban poverty across the United States, which stems partly from evaporation of the manufacturing jobs that have attracted many families there since the 1970s. The problem is compounded by the slow spread of programs designed to alleviate these hardships. You can read more about Allard’s findings and their potential impact on social policy below.

Introduction to R

This workshop is a 2 hour introduction to the free, open-source statistical programming language R. It assumes no prior experience with R.

Assistant Professor in Human Geography

A tenure track in human geography with a specialization in development and rural-urban transformations in the Global South is open at the Section for Geography, Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Denmark. The successful candidate will be attached to the research group Environment and Society in Developing Countries.

The successful candidate shall take part in forming and further strengthening the section’s research on rural-urban transformations in the Global South and participate in ongoing research projects within the field as well as developing his/her own. The candidate must have strong research experience within two or more of the following fields related to rural-urban transformations: migration, livelihood trajectories, social mobility, processes of socioeconomic development, and the nature and diversity of urbanization dynamics. The candidate should have experience from research, including fieldwork, in the Global South.

The tenure track assistant professor’s duties will primarily include research, including obligations with regard to publication/scientific communication and research-based teaching with associated examination obligations within human geography. To a limited extent the position may also include other duties.

The tenure track assistant professor must have an academic standing showing internationally competitive research, and/or have internationally recognized high potential to make a future impact.

More information is available below.

Introduction to R

This workshop is a 2 hour introduction to the free, open-source statistical programming language R. It assumes no prior experience with R.

Instructor of Geography

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Master’s in geography OR Bachelor’s in geography AND Master’s in geology, history, meteorology or oceanography OR the equivalent OR see Interdisciplinary Studies.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
Verifiable successful Geography teaching experience at the college/university level.
Experience in teaching many of the Geography courses listed in the Victor Valley College Catalog:

  • Introduction to Physical Geography
  • Introduction to Physical Geography Lab
  • Introduction to Cultural Geography (Human Geography)
  • Geography of California
  • World Regional Geography
  • Map Interpretation and Analysis
  • Introduction to Geographic Information Systems
  • Introduction to Weather and Climate

Experience teaching Geography courses not listed above.

Experience in GIS.

Experience using computers and Internet applications in the classroom.

Must have sensitivity to and understanding of the diverse academic, socioeconomic, cultural, disability, and ethnic backgrounds of community college students. More information is available below.

Alexes Harris Adds Context to Controversial Court Case

Alexes Harris, CSDE Affiliate and UW Associate Professor of Sociology, recently discussed the systemic factors at play in the case of 15-year-old Bresha Meadows, who spent 9 months in jail for involuntary manslaughter after killing her abusive father. Harris, author of A Pound of Flesh: Monetary Sanctions as Punishment for the Poor, explains that the financial costs of such an ordeal extend well beyond prison time. She traces when and why the US justice system began employing these sanctions on defendants and outlines how the practice can have unintended effects on certain demographic groups. You can read the full story below.

Assistant Professor of Health Studies

East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania invites applications for a full-time, tenure-track position in the Health Studies department beginning January 2018.

  Position typically filled at the Assistant/Associate Professor rank. East Stroudsburg University is part of Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education (PASSHE).  The East Stroudsburg University Department of Health Studies offers CEPH accredited undergraduate programs in Public Health (with two tracks in Health Services Administration and Community Health Education), SHAPE-CAEP accredited (formerly AAHE-NCATE) program in School Health Education, a CEPH accredited MPH in Community Health Education, and a M.S. in Health Education. More information is available below.