NATIONAL ECOLOGICAL OBSERVATORY NETWORK (NEON), Inc. SCIENCE AND TECHNICAL POSITIONS AVAILABLE =========================================
NEON, Inc. (http://www.neoninc.org) has openings for scientific, technical, and educational staff in its Science and Education Office in Boulder, Colorado. We are looking talented individuals to help in the design and development of protocols and architectures for the Observatory network. THE ORGANIZATION ================ NEON, Inc. is a 501c(3) nonprofit corporation based in Washington, DC. Our mission is to provide the scientific and business infrastructure for the National Ecological Observatory Network. NEON is a continental-scale research platform for discovering and understanding the impacts of climate change, land-use change, and invasive species on ecology. Our goal is to deliver a research instrument consisting of geographically distributed and networked infrastructureincluding lab and field instrumentation, site-based experimental infrastructure, biodiversity archive facilities, and computational, analytical, and modeling capabilities. The nations current research infrastructure provides glimpses of large-scale, long-term phenomena, but was not designed to capture them systematically. NEON is. NEON will gather long-term data on ecological responses of the biosphere to changes in land use and climate, and on feedbacks with the geosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere. We will support the first continental-scale comparisons of research transects focused on some of the nations most pressing ecological challenges, including continental-scale climate change, forest management, invasive species, infectious diseases, and the effects of urban and exurban development. We are building the team of scientists, technical experts, and science educators that will gather long-term ecological data and make it readily available to researchers, teachers and students, decision-makers, and all citizens with an interest in ecological science and environmental processes. The NEON team will reflect a unique mix of individuals with strong professional expertise and technical proficiency, joined in the spirit of a start-up enterprise. Our work space will include many experts in our distributed offices, universities, corporations, scientific organizations, and government agencies. POSITIONS AVAILABLE =================== We are looking for talented individuals with the following qualifications: (A) Scientists with 5 7 years experience in field data acquisition systems. The ideal candidate should have an excellent working knowledge of the end-to-end process of data acquisition and data analysis, including the evaluation of sensor performance, calibration and maintenance of sensors, quality analysis and quality control of data streams, and data aggregation and data transformation. Applicants should ideally have a Ph.D. degree in ecology or a related field (e.g. geophysics, meteorology, environmental chemistry). (B) Scientists with at least 5 years research in one of the following areas: genomics, biodiversity, and population biology for terrestrial biota (insects or small mammals) or aquatic biota (algae or invertebrates). We also seek applicants with microbiology experience as it relates to soil microbes. The ideal candidate should have a demonstrated record of (1) extensive field experience, (2) proficiency in analyses that correlate biological data with abiotic variables, and (3) ability to perform such analyses within a geospatial framework. The successful candidate should posses a PhD degree in ecology, evolution, or a related field. (C) Scientists or IT specialists with 5 7 years experience in bioinformatics / scientific applications development. Experience in working through the various stages of application development (requirements gathering, conceptual design, detailed design, development, testing, commissioning) is essential. In addition, the ideal candidate must have worked in a number of the following areas: (1) workflow management for automated data processing, (2) geospatial analyses, (3) time-series analyses, (4) data visualization, (5) ensemble data assimilation, (6) multivariate statistical analyses. The successful candidate should either have a Ph.D. degree in ecology or a related field with substantial application development experience, or an IT professional who has been intimately involved in designing a platform to address a number of integrated scientific computing tasks. (D) Educators with 5 - 7 years' experience in science education / educational technology or outreach. Experience in working through the various stages of educational program and technology infrastructure development (requirements gathering, conceptual design, detailed design, development, testing, commissioning) is essential. Experience in implementing infrastructure for enabling citizen science (e.g. databases and portals for capturing bird observations and phenology observations) is a plus. The successful candidate should either have a MA / MS or Ph.D. degree in education, ecology or a related field with substantial experience, or an IT professional who has been intimately involved in designing a platform to address a number of integrated educational computing tasks. We are looking for individuals who are problem solvers who can successfully apply experience, judgment, and creativity to both short- and long-term challenges. Strong communication and interpersonal presentation skills are critical, owing to the extensive interaction across a broad range of individuals with diverse backgrounds. Individuals should have experience working in a collaborative scientific enterprise and undertaking responsibilities beyond those associated with individual research projects. For positions (A) and (B), the candidate may be exposed to conditions in the field, and therefore must be able to traverse uneven ground such as dirt banks, stream beds, and shallow ponds carrying equipment and materials up to 50 lbs. TO APPLY ======== Travel may be required and salary is commensurate with experience. These are full-time, salaried positions subject to the continuing availability of NSF funding, and will remain open until filled. NEON is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Women, Minorities, Veterans and Disabled Persons are encouraged to apply. Send cover letter, resume, salary history, and salary requirements via email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the subject line NEON Science and Technical Search. Address your cover letter to NEON Executive Director, attn. NEON Science and Technical Search, 1444 Eye St. NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20005.
