AfroMont Vacancy: 1 Coordinator and 1 Postdoctoral positions
segnalato da Marco Borghetti
AfroMont consists of 300 scientists from across Africa who have a common interest: sustainable resources and livelihoods in the African mountains. The most important resources are water, soil, biodiversity and cultural values as these determine the livelihoods of mountain communities. Two positions are available, deadline for applications: November 8th 2013.
1. FIXED CONTRACT POSITION AVAILABLE: COORDINATOR FOR AFROMONT, THE AFRICAN MOUNTAIN RESEARCH NETWORK
The University of Pretoria is offering a contract position for the coordinator of AfroMont, the African Mountain Research Network (http://mri.scnatweb.ch/mriafrica).
This contract position is based at the Centre for Environmental Studies (CFES) at the University of Pretoria and funded by Consorcio para el Desarollo Sostenible de la Ecorregion Andina (Condesan) and the Mountain Forum with technical oversight by the Mountain Research Initiative (MRI) at the University of Bern (Switzerland).
Become part of a multidisciplinary team of scientists on the African continent. You will obtain in-depth experience in research on global change. Your overall insight into the continent-wide research will enable you to collaborate in writing scientific articles, as well as more popular articles on global change in African mountains.
You will work closely with the MRI and CFES. You will also become interact with several international environmental and research organizations The tasks of the coordinator will be:
1. Maintenance and expansion of communication modalities via the Internet using the AfroMont website, blogs and newsletters. This effort has three components:
(i) Maintenance and expansion of information content on the AfroMont web site.
(ii) Assistance with reorganisation of infrastructure that renders this information.
(iii) Organisation of a research meeting of AfroMont.
2. Expansion of the AfroMont member list.
3. Support of a skills development infrastructure that enables efficient research
collaboration by liaising with international environmental and training organisations.
4. Assistance with the publication of research on global change in African mountains using existing data sets.
Appointees will have access to some assistance from the coordinator of AfroMont, the African mountain research network.
Qualifications: A PhD in any discipline relevant to global change in mountains and human communities in mountains. A knowledge of the French language will be a strong recommendation. The coordinator will receive a salary of ZAR 220000 (approx. US$ 22000) per annum, as well as provision for travel and project development. The appointment for a period of two years is subject to a review of progress six months after taking up the position.
The successful candidate will be able to assume duties as soon as possible. Interested persons should send applications by November 8th 2013 with a C.V. and a statement of interest indicating why you would be appropriate for this position (300 words maximum).
Prof. J.W.H. Ferguson, Centre for Environmental Studies, University of Pretoria
Phone: +27-12-420-2017 Fax: +27-12-420-3210
Email: willemferguson@zoology.up.ac.za
mcilliers@zoology.up.ac.za
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2. POST-DOCTORAL POSITION AVAILABLE: GLOBAL CHANGE IN AFRICAN MOUNTAINS
The University of Pretoria isoffering a post-doctoral research position on global change in African mountains. Global change denotes the interaction between climate as well as other global drivers,and human practice with respect to the ecosystem services, food and natural resources. The effect of global change is likely to be observed clearly in mountain areas because the altitudinal variation in climate and natural resources in mountains provide s a sensitive indicator of environmental conditions and because human populations in mountains are often closely dependent on these mountain natural resources.
The post-doctoral position is based at the Centre for Environmental Studies (CFES) at the University of Pretoria and co-funded by Consorcio para el Desarollo Sostenible de la Ecorregion Andina (Condesan) and the Mountain Forum with technical oversight by the Mountain Research Initiative (MRI) at the University of Bern (Switzerland).
The appointee will perform research on the sustainable management of natural resources in the mountains of Africa. A network of African mountain researchers (AfroMont) exists with access to study sites in Cameroon, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Lesotho and South Africa. The appointee will have the opportunity to work with researchers from one or more of these sites in order to perform research of a continent-wide relevance. research focused on basic natural resources including water and the ecosystem services derived from these resources.
The emphasis will be on a quantitative comparison, involving several African mountains, of the availability of natural resources, their management and the drivers of change in their utilisation, management, governance and associated ecosystem services within the context of global change.
Become part of a multidisciplinary team of scientists on the African continent. You will obtain in-depth experience in research on global change. Your overall insight into the continent-wide research will enable you to generate at several scientific articles, as well as a body of more popular articles on global change in African mountains. You will work closely with the MRI and CFES. Appointees will have access to some assistance from the coordinator of AfroMont, the African mountain research network.
Qualifications: A PhD obtained during the last three years and at least two research publications (in SCI-rated scientific journals) resulting from the PhD work. The postdoctoral position includes a stipend of US$ 16000 (approx. ZAR 150000) per annum, as well as provision for travel and project development. Interested persons should send by November 8th 2013 with a C.V. and a statement of interest indicating why you would be appropriate for this position (300 words maximum).
Prof. J.W.H. Ferguson, Centre for Environmental Studies, University of Pretoria
Phone: +27-12-420-2017 Fax: +27-12-420-3210
Email: willemferguson@zoology.up.ac.za
mcilliers@zoology.up.ac.za
