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