Title: Assistant Professor – Global Change Ecology

Location: Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, Institute of Food 
and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS), University of Florida, Gainesville, 
Florida 

Salary: Commensurate with Qualifications and Experience

Review Date: For full consideration, candidates should apply and submit 
additional materials by 15 December 2014.  The position will open until a 
viable applicant pool is determined.

Duties and Responsibilities:
This position is a 12-month tenure-accruing appointment available in the 
Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, Institute of Food and 
Agricultural Sciences, at the University of Florida. The appointment will be 
40% teaching (College of Agricultural and Life Sciences) and 60% research 
(Florida Agricultural Experiment Station).  The successful candidate will 
develop an internationally recognized teaching and research program that 
addresses global change impacts on wildlife and biodiversity.  Duties will 
include: (1) teaching an innovative, state-of-the-art undergraduate course 
that provides a foundation in the concepts and tools of global change 
ecology and its effects on behavior, ecology and population dynamics of 
wildlife; (2) teaching a graduate course that integrates quantitative, 
theoretical, and field approaches to address wildlife management and 
conservation in a global change context;  and (3) developing and supporting 
a rigorous, internationally recognized research program focusing on how 
large-scale, natural and anthropogenic drivers of change (e.g., climate, 
sea-level rise, biological invasions, diseases, fire regimes, pollution, 
land-use transformation, human population growth and sociopolitical factors) 
affect wildlife diversity in Florida, the Southeastern US, and abroad. 

The successful candidate will engage in scholarly activities related to 
instruction, including teaching undergraduate and/or graduate courses, 
advising and mentoring undergraduate and graduate students, participating in 
curriculum revision and enhancement, seeking funding for the teaching 
program, supervising undergraduate and graduate research and creative work, 
publishing teaching-related scholarship, producing learning tools, and 
engaging in professional development activities related to teaching and 
advising.  Faculty are encouraged to support and participate in the CALS 
Honors Program, distance education, and international education. Position 
assignment may change in accordance with the needs of the department.  
Because of the IFAS land-grant mission, all faculty are expected to be 
supportive of and engaged in all three mission areas—Research, Teaching and 
Extension—regardless of the assignment split specified in the position 
description.

Qualifications:
Candidates must possess a doctorate (foreign equivalent acceptable) in 
wildlife biology, ecological or biological sciences, or related natural 
resources discipline; evidence of scholarship and depth of knowledge in 
global change ecology; experience and willingness working with resource 
agencies and stakeholders; and commitment to teach and inspire undergraduate 
and graduate students while promoting a diverse educational and professional 
work environment.  Postdoctoral experience is desirable.  Candidates should 
have demonstrated skills in verbal and written communication, interpersonal 
relationships, and procurement of extramural funding.  Candidates must also 
have a commitment to IFAS core values of excellence, diversity, global 
involvement, and accountability.

Background Information: 
The University of Florida (http://www.ufl.edu) is a Land-Grant, Sea-Grant, 
and Space-Grant institution, encompassing virtually all academic and 
professional disciplines, with an enrollment of more than 50,000 students.  
UF is a member of The Association of American Universities.  The Institute 
of Food and Agricultural Sciences (http://ifas.ufl.edu) includes the College 
of Agricultural and Life Sciences (http://cals.ufl.edu), the Florida 
Agricultural Experiment Station (http://research.ifas.ufl.edu), the Florida 
Cooperative Extension Service (http://extension.ifas.ufl.edu), the College 
of Veterinary Medicine (http://www.vetmed.ufl.edu), the Florida Sea Grant 
program (http://www.flseagrant.org/ ), and encompasses 16 on-campus academic 
departments and schools, 12 Research and Educational Centers (REC) located 
throughout the state, 6 Research sites/demonstration units administered by 
RECs or academic departments, and Florida Cooperative Extension Service 
offices in all 67 counties (counties operate and maintain).  The School of 
Natural Resources and Environment is an interdisciplinary unit housed in 
IFAS and managed by several colleges on campus.  IFAS employs over 2500 
people, which includes approximately 900 faculty and 1200 support personnel 
located in Gainesville and throughout the state.  IFAS, one of the nation’s 
largest agricultural and natural resources research and education 
organizations, is administered by a Senior Vice President and four deans: 
the Dean of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, the Dean for 
Extension and Director of the Florida Cooperative Extension Service, the 
Dean for Research and Director of the Florida Agricultural Experiment 
Station, and the Dean for the College of Veterinary Medicine.  UF/IFAS also 
engages in cooperative work with Florida A&M University in Tallahassee. 

The programs of the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation 
emphasize biological and human dimensions of wildlife ecology and 
conservation in local to international arenas.  Department faculty may be 
affiliated with the Center for Latin American Studies, Center for African 
Studies, and the School of Natural Resources and the Environment.  Also 
housed with the Department is the Florida Cooperative Fish and Wildlife 
Research Unit, whose principal focus is on wetlands wildlife and ecosystem 
restoration and conservation. The nearby 3,600-hectare Ordway-Swisher 
Biological Station, managed by the UF Department of Wildlife Conservation 
and Ecology, provides an outdoor laboratory for teaching and a site for 
long-term field research, and has been designated to serve as a National 
Science Foundation NEON core site.

Several units on or nearby the University of Florida campus complement the 
teaching and research programs of the Department, including The Florida 
Climate Institute, an interdisciplinary center hosted at UF and comprising 7 
Florida universities; Biotechnologies for Ecological, Evolutionary, and 
Conservation Sciences; the Tropical Conservation and Development Program in 
the Center for Latin American Studies; Center for Natural Resources; Center 
for Wetlands; Center for Biological Conservation; Pre-eminence initiatives 
in Bioinformatics and Biodiversity; Florida Museum of Natural History; 
Northeast Regional Data Center; National Ecology Laboratory (Sirenia) of 
USGS; Florida Field Station (Gainesville) of the U.S.D.A. Wildlife Research 
Laboratory; Southeastern Forest Experiment Station unit of the U.S. Forest 
Service; The Nature Conservancy; the Wildlife Conservation Society; the 
Wildlife Research Laboratory of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation 
Commission; and others.

Florida boasts a diversity of fauna and flora common to both southern 
temperate and subtropical climates and is replete with springs, rivers, 
backwater streams, lakes, freshwater and saltwater marshes, mangrove 
fringes, cypress swamps, hardwood hammocks, sandhills, scrub, pine 
flatwoods, and rangeland.  Nested between the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of 
Mexico, Florida has more than 2,000 kilometers of coastal beaches and 
estuaries.  Special features include the Florida Keys, which constitute an 
archipelago of picturesque subtropical islands, and the unique Everglades, 
or “river of grass,” which sprawls across the vast southern peninsula.  As a 
gateway to the Caribbean and Latin America, Florida provides convenient 
access to tropical environments, and diverse expertise on campus.

Employment Conditions:
This position is available 1 July 2015, and will be filled as soon 
thereafter as an acceptable applicant is available; specific start date is 
negotiable.  Compensation is commensurate with the education, experience, 
and qualifications of the selected applicant.

Nominations:
Nominations are welcome.  Nominations need to include the complete name and 
address of the nominee. This information should be sent to:
        
Dr. Bill Giuliano
Chair, Search and Screen Committee
University of Florida
Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
P.O. Box 110430
Gainesville, FL 32611-0430

Telephone:              (352) 846-0552
Facsimile:              (352) 392-6984 
Electronic Mail:        d...@ufl.edu 


Application Information:

Individuals wishing to apply should go online to 
http://jobs.ufl.edu/postings/58734 and submit:
o Application 
o Cover letter that states applicant’s interest in the position and 
qualifications relative to the credentials listed above
o Curriculum vitae
o Statement of research and teaching/mentoring philosophies (4-page limit 
total – attach as ‘Other Document’)
o Names and contact information for at least 3 references

Official transcripts showing receipt of the doctoral degree should be sent 
to: 

Please refer to Requisition # 0906992
Dr. Bill Giuliano
Chair, Search and Screen Committee
University of Florida
Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
P.O. Box 110430
Gainesville, FL 32611-0430

Telephone:              (352) 846-0552
Facsimile:              (352) 392-6984 
Electronic Mail:        d...@ufl.edu  

Final candidate will be required to provide official transcript to the 
hiring department upon hire. A transcript will not be considered “official” 
if a designation of “Issued to Student” is visible.  Degrees earned from an 
education institution outside of the United States are required to be 
evaluated by a professional credentialing service provider approved by 
National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES), which can be 
found at http://www.naces.org/.

The University of Florida is an Equal Opportunity Institution dedicated to 
building a broadly diverse and inclusive faculty and staff.  The selection 
process will be conducted in accord with the provisions of Florida’s 
‘Government in the Sunshine’ and Public Records Laws.  Persons with 
disabilities have the right to request and receive reasonable accommodation.

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