Title: Assistant Researcher (equiv. to Assistant Professor), 3 positions total
Position Number: **pending position numbers
Hiring Unit: Pacific Biosciences Research Center (PBRC)
Location: Manoa campus
Closing Date: Continuous - application review begins December 18, 2023.  Priority review will be given to applications received before December 18, 2023 at 12:00am Hawai'i Standard Time (HST).  Applications will be accepted until the positions are filled.  
Salary Information: R3; salary commensurate with qualifications and experience
Monthly Type: 11-month
Tenure Track:  Tenure
Full Time/Part Time: Full-time
Temporary/Permanent: Permanent
Funding: General and Extramural funds
 
Other Conditions:  This position is a full-time, tenure-track 11-month appointment with nine months of state support annually.  The appointee is expected to raise the remaining two months in extramural support.  This position is 75% research and 25% instruction.  The starting date is August 2024 or soon thereafter, subject to position clearance and/or availability of funds.  

The School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) has an ongoing commitment to scholarly excellence. We share the common goal of providing a superb academic experience, a productive and collegial environment, and the infrastructure to support excellent research that is both academically rigorous and that contributes to tangible improvements in policymaking and the quality of life. In this collaborative hire we seek three scientists who will contribute their excellence to the research and instructional missions of the Pacific Biosciences Research Center (PBRC) at the rank of Assistant Researcher (Assistant Professor equivalent). Specifically, we seek candidates whose research is characterized by innovation and excellence, and sits at the intersection of microbiome studies (bacteria, archaea, fungi, viruses) and environmental or host health. The research focus should be viewed as inclusive of a wide range of fields and study systems such as: microbial ecology, marine biology, molecular and cellular biology, computational biology, theoretical ecology, biogeochemistry, physiology, evolutionary biology, bioinformatics, -omics, model organisms, cultural-ecological and/or natural study systems. Ideally the candidates’ research will straddle multiple disciplines and engage a range of approaches to address pressing questions in microbiome science. One position will be filled by a Computational Biologist/Ecologist who has achieved excellence in cutting-edge data science approaches to microbiome data while also having a deep understanding of the biology, ecology and/or natural history of the organisms they study; another hire will be a Disease Ecologist focused on the interaction between disease, the microbiome and a Hawaiian host animal; and one position will be open across microbiome-related disciplines. We are also particularly interested in researchers whose expertise compliments that of existing PBRC faculty, and those who can leverage our unique core facilities and Hawaiian locus to further understanding of microbiome science. It is expected that appointees will participate in an NIH-funded P20 COBRE award: Integrative Center for Environmental Microbiomes and Human Health (ICEMHH; https://icemhh.pbrc.hawaii.edu), which will provide additional research funding, resources, and mentorship for up to five years. Human health, in this context, is defined broadly and includes, but is not limited to, microbial roles in environmental health and sustainability, how abiotic conditions influence reservoirs and assembly of microbiomes, as well as the evolution and ecology of host-microbe interactions.  

PBRC faculty members have research programs spanning a broad range of the hierarchy of life, from ecosystems to cells and molecules, studying organisms in a wide array of habitats. PBRC has a long history of international leadership in biology and ecology, and has state-of-the-art research infrastructure that includes: the Kewalo Marine Lab and the W.M. Keck Microbiome Observatory. The ICEMHH also supports three core facilities that provide microbial genomics services, microscopy imaging, and an insectary. Additionally, the PBRC-led University-wide Center for Microbiome Analysis through Island Knowledge and Investigation (C-MAIKI) bridges the areas of microbial ecology, environmental health, human health, and mathematics, as they apply to holistic understanding of Earth’s microbiomes (https://www.c-maiki.org/).  PBRC has a strong commitment to the recruitment, retention, and advancement of diverse applicants.  Women and members of underrepresented groups are encouraged to apply. 

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Pursue, conduct and collaborate on research with a strong focus in environmental microbiomes and their interactions or potential interactions with host health. 

• Integrate a breadth of molecular, chemical, genetic, genomic, physiological, bioinformatic, and/or community-based culturally-sensitive methodologies.

• Pursue and obtain extramural research grants for conducting innovative microbiome research.

• Regularly publish findings in appropriate peer-reviewed journals and discipline-specific publications.

• The instructional component of the position should be viewed broadly and creatively; we encourage integrative and transformative contributions that expand the educational role of PBRC and that include teaching a minimum of one undergraduate or graduate course per year (equal to three-credits).

• Serve as a mentor or academic advisor to students and/or serve on advanced degree committees.

• Serve as a research project leader on the Integrative Center for Environmental Microbiomes and Human Health, an NIH Center of Biomedical Research Excellence.

• Play a full and positive role in contributing to, and promoting, a collegial, respectful, and welcoming environment for faculty, staff, students, and post-docs within PBRC.

• Participate in PBRC, department, school, and/or University committees. 

• Other scholarly duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Ph.D. in a biological science, ecology, microbiology, computer science or related field from a college or university of recognized standing.

• Evidence of scholarly output such as peer-reviewed publications.

• Ability to support research and scholarly activities, through extramural funding.

• Evidence of successful interaction within a research team.

• Ability to interact effectively with students through instruction, mentorship, and/or collaboration.

• Evidence of outstanding research and/or scholarly achievement in their respective field relevant to microbiome research.

• Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

• Status as an NIH New Investigator or Early-Stage Investigator (https://grants.nih.gov/policy/early-stage/index.htm), and eligibility to serve as a research project leader on the Integrative Center for Environmental Microbiomes and Human Health, an NIH Center of Biomedical Research Excellence.

Desirable Qualifications:

• Strong record of peer-reviewed publications in leading professional journals relevant to microbiome research.

• Expertise in novel computer-science or data-science approaches to analyze microbiome data.

• Use of innovative approaches to study the interactions between environmental microbiomes and host phenotype/disease/fitness in terrestrial, marine, or synthetic systems.

• Potential to leverage Hawaii's unique environmental, biotic and cultural diversity to understand host-microbiome interactions and their role in human health.

• Evidence of obtaining research funding or fellowships.

• Knowledge of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander world-views in relation to science, and the ability to engage in appropriate place-based and community-oriented research.

To Apply:

Go to https://www.schooljobs.com/careers/hawaiiedu/jobs/4243709/assistant-researcher-equiv-to-assistant-professor-3-positions and click on the "Apply" button on the top right corner of the screen to complete an application and attach the required documents:

• Cover letter indicating how you satisfy the minimum and desirable qualifications;
• Statement describing your research and teaching experience and interests, and how it supports diversity, equity and inclusion;
• Current curriculum vitae;
• PDF copies of three publications;
• Names and contact information for three professional references.

Upon selection for an interview, the candidate(s) must provide the following:

• *Transcript copy of the highest educational degree earned that is relevant to this position (please redact references to birth date and Social Security number).

*Original transcripts sent directly from the degree granting institution is required upon hire. Transcripts issued outside of the United States of America require a course-by-course analysis verifying the degree equivalency to that of an accredited institution within the USA, from an agency having membership with the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES).  Applicant is responsible for expense of evaluation.

The application will be considered incomplete if any of the required documents are not included or are unreadable.  Incomplete applications will not be considered.  
Note:

• If you have not applied for a position before using NEOGOV, you will need to create an account.
• All application material should be uploaded to this website and not to the email listed below.
• Please be sure you are including all required documents as stated above.  If you need to make any changes to your application, you will need to reapply and attach the documents again.
• The maximum file size to upload/attach is 10MB. If the attachment is larger than 10MB, please split the file and upload it as a supplemental attachment.

Inquiries:
Dr. Joerg Graf; microfac@hawaii.edu

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