POSITION OVERVIEW

Position title: Donald R. Dickey Curator and Endowed Chair in Vertebrate Biology

APPLICATION WINDOW

Open date: February 21, 2024

Next review date: Monday, Apr 1, 2024 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
Apply by this date to ensure full consideration by the committee.

Final date: Sunday, Jun 30, 2024 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
Applications will continue to be accepted until this date, but those received after the review date will only be considered if the position has not yet been filled.

POSITION DESCRIPTION

The Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEB) at UCLA, an emerging Hispanic Serving Institution, is searching for a tenure track Professor (open rank) in Vertebrate Biology. The appointed individual will be the Donald R. Dickey Curator and Endowed Chair in Vertebrate Biology, an endowed position to steward, curate, and maintain the Donald R. Dickey Bird and Mammal Collection. The Dickey Bird and Mammal Collection is one of the world’s best bird and mammal collections from the American Southwest and Central America. It houses nearly 64,000 specimens from North and Central America and Pacific islands. Also included in the collection are Donald R. Dickey’s rare photographs, books, and field notes. Candidates with expertise in ecology or evolutionary biology, broadly defined, will be considered. Because this position is established among EEB, the Dickey Collection, and the UCLA DataX initiative, [https://datax.ucla.edu/], candidates must have a Ph.D. degree in a relevant discipline, an integrative collections-based research program that harnesses the power of new technologies in data acquisition, curation, and analysis of natural history collections (e.g., phenoscaping, morphometrics, eco-evolutionary modeling, or digital imagery), and a background in the curation and analysis of complex, large, and multidimensional datasets. The ideal candidate should have experience with the curation, collection, and preparation of mammalian and/or bird specimens and museum data management. The Dickey Chair will be responsible for the supervision of the collections manager. The successful candidate will be expected to develop an externally funded research program, pursue institutional grants to grow the impact of the collection locally, regionally, and nationally, and teach and mentor at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, actively using the Dickey collection. We are especially interested in candidates whose research complements existing departmental strengths in inclusive education and who will develop courses that satisfy the UCLA undergraduate diversity requirement and/or courses that include topics of diversity, equity and inclusion and how they relate to the fields of ecology and evolutionary biology. In addition, the successful candidate will develop courses in zoology, organismal biology, data science, natural history collections, and/or quantitative methods.

Application packages should be submitted online through [https://recruit.apo.ucla.edu/JPF09169] and include the following individual documents: 1) curriculum vitae; 2) research statement including future directions as well as a description of experience with and vision for museum collections (3 pages maximum); 3) teaching statement that describes teaching interests as well as experience in using evidence-based inclusive teaching practices that promote active learning (2 pages maximum); 4) statement of contributions to equity, diversity, and inclusion that includes previous and planned efforts that advance EDI through formal and/or informal mentoring, research or education activities (2 pages maximum); 5) three letters of recommendation; and 6) cover letter. Review of applications will begin on April 1st, 2024 and continue until the position is filled. Inquiries about the position should be sent to the search committee chair, Dr. Felipe Zapata (fzapata@ucla.edu).

Located in an urban setting, UCLA is California’s largest university with a diverse student body of 32,423 undergraduate and 14,007 graduate students, 33% of freshmen come from underrepresented minority groups, and 29% are first-generation college students. UCLA is home to a number of NIH, NSF, and HHMI-funded training programs focused on increasing success for underrepresented students in science, medical, and allied health fields. The EEB Department at UCLA has 22 faculty and is a vibrant and expanding department with a faculty recognized for pedagogical innovation and commitment to advancing STEM diversity. EEB also features a large and diverse graduate program, three undergraduate majors (Biology; Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution; Marine Biology), and two minors (Conservation Biology and Evolutionary Medicine). EEB faculty have affiliations or close ties with the Institute for Quantitative and Computational Biosciences, the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, the David Geffen School of Medicine, and the Fielding School of Public Health. EEB is also closely associated with UCLA’s La Kretz Center for California Conservation Sciences, Stunt Ranch UC Reserve, the Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Garden, the Congo Basin Institute, and the Center for Education and Innovation and Learning in the Sciences; all of which are affiliations and resources that will be available to successful applicants, as appropriate.

UCLA offers competitive salaries, research set-up funds, recruitment allowances, and has programs to assist in partner employment, housing, childcare, schooling, and other family concerns. Salary is commensurate with qualifications and based on University of California pay scales. The posted UC salary scales [https://www.ucop.edu/academic-personnel-programs/compensation/index.html] set the minimum pay determined by rank and/or step at appointment. See Table 1 [https://www.ucop.edu/academic-personnel-programs/_files/2023-24/oct-2023-acad-salary-scales/t1.pdf]. The salary range for this position is $74,600-$197,100. “Off-scale salaries” and other components of pay, i.e., a salary that is higher than the published system-wide salary at the designated rank and step, are offered when necessary to meet competitive conditions. See campus compensation page for additional information.

The University of California is committed to creating and maintaining a community dedicated to the advancement, application, and transmission of knowledge and creative endeavors through academic excellence, where all individuals who participate in University programs and activities can work and learn together in a safe and secure environment, free of violence, harassment, bullying and other demeaning behavior, discrimination, exploitation, or intimidation. With this commitment as well as a commitment to addressing all forms of academic misconduct, UCLA conducts targeted employment reference checks for finalists to whom departments or other hiring units would like to extend formal offers of appointment into Academic Senate faculty positions. The targeted employment reference checks involve contacting the finalists’ current and prior places of employment to ask whether there have been substantiated findings of misconduct that would violate the University’s Faculty Code of Conduct. To implement this process, UCLA requires all applicants for Academic Senate faculty positions to complete, sign, and upload the form entitled “Authorization to Release Information” into RECRUIT as part of their application. If the applicant does not include the signed authorization to release information with the application materials, the application will be considered incomplete. As with any incomplete application, the application will not receive further consideration. Although all applicants for faculty recruitments must complete the entire application, only finalists (i.e., those whom the department or other hiring unit would like to extend a formal offer) considered for Academic Senate faculty positions will be subject to targeted employment reference checks.

As a condition of employment, you will be required to comply with the University of California SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) Vaccination Program Policy. All Covered Individuals under the policy must provide proof of Full Vaccination or, if applicable, submit a request for Exception (based on Medical Exemption, Disability, and/or Religious Objection) or Deferral (based on pregnancy) no later than the applicable deadline. New University of California employees must (a) provide proof of receiving at least one dose of a COVID-19 Vaccine no later than 14 calendar days after their first date of employment and provide proof of Full Vaccination no later than eight weeks after their first date of employment; or (b) if applicable, submit a request for Exception or Deferral no later than 14 calendar days after their first date of employment. (Capitalized terms in this paragraph are defined in the policy.) Federal, state, or local public health directives may impose additional requirements.

QUALIFICATIONS

Basic qualifications (required at time of application)

Necessary qualification include: a) a PhD degree in a relevant discipline; b) experience with the curation and collection specimens and museum data management; c) strong quantitative background in the curation and analysis of complex, large, and multidimensional dataset; and d) evidence of sustained research productivity through journal publications.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

Document requirements

• Cover Letter

• Curriculum Vitae – Your most recently updated C.V.

• Statement of Research – Applicant’s research statement should include future directions as well as a description of experience with and vision for museum collections (3 pages maximum)

• Statement of Teaching – Applicant’s teaching statement should describe teaching interests as well as experience in using evidence-based inclusive teaching practices that promote active learning (2 pages maximum).

• Statement on Contributions to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion – An EDI Statement describes a faculty candidate’s past, present, and future (planned) contributions to equity, diversity, and inclusion. To learn more about how UCLA thinks about contributions to equity, diversity, and inclusion, please review our EDI Statement FAQ document.

  Applicant’s statement of contributions to equity, diversity, and inclusion should include previous and planned efforts that advance EDI through formal and/or informal mentoring, research or education activities (2 pages maximum)

• Reference check authorization release form – Complete and upload the reference check authorization release form

• Misc / Additional (Optional)

Reference requirements

• 3 letters of reference required

The search committee will ask all applicants to submit letters from 3 references which should be submitted at the time of application and no later than the April 1st review date for full consideration. We will use the letters as part of the evaluation of research and collections experience. As per the Academic Personnel Coordinator training, all application materials including reference letters are not to be released to anyone outside of the committee.

Apply link: https://recruit.apo.ucla.edu/JPF09169

Help contact: ssanchez@lifesci.ucla.edu

ABOUT UCLA

As a University employee, you will be required to comply with all applicable University policies and/or collective bargaining agreements, as may be amended from time to time. Federal, state, or local government directives may impose additional requirements.

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age or protected veteran status. For the complete University of California nondiscrimination and affirmative action policy, see: UC Nondiscrimination & Affirmative Action Policy.

JOB LOCATION

Los Angeles, CA