CLOSED - 11/may/2021 

(RByS1) - CALL TO OCCUPY THE POSITION OF PRINCIPAL RESEARCHER (Investigador Titular A) (Publicada: 15/Abr/2021)

DEPARTMENT OF BIODIVERSITY AND SYSTEMATICS

The Institute of Ecology A.C. (INECOL) invites interested people in Mexico and the rest of the world to participate in this call to occupy a high-quality research position. Candidates must have an academic trajectory compatible and consistent with the profile described below. Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until a suitable candidate is identified. The person chosen will join the Department of Biodiversity and Systematics.

The INECOL is a Public Research Center financed by the federal government of Mexico and coordinated by the National Council of Science and Technology (CONACYT), which conducts research and trains students in ecology and related disciplines (www.inecol.mx). INECOL has its principal campus close to the city of Xalapa, Veracruz State, and a regional center in Pátzcuaro, Michoacán State. It also has three field stations: 1) a coastal station in La Mancha, Veracruz, 2) a pine forest station in La Michilía, Durango, and 3) a desert station in Mapimí, Durango. INECOL also owns the Francisco Javier Clavijero Botanical Garden (8 ha) and the Cloud Forest Sanctuary (30 ha) in Xalapa. INECOL’s current personnel comprises 125 full-time researchers, 101 technicians, 87 administrative, support, gardening, and general services personnel, plus over 100 graduate students and over 100 co-workers funded by external grants. Academic life at INECOL is organized in eleven Academic Departments: Environment and Sustainability, Biodiversity and Systematics, Evolutionary Biology, Biology and Conservation of Vertebrates, Biological Diversity of Western Mexico, Ecoethology, Functional Ecology, Advanced Molecular Studies, Multitrophic Interactions, Bio-Rational Management of Pests and Vectors, and Biotechnological Management of Resources. INECOL offers two Graduate Programs (Masters and Doctorate) certified to be of international quality by CONACyT.

Remuneration: Information regarding salaries will be provided upon request. Please direct inquiries to the Academic Secretary, Dr. Víctor M. Bandala, at Esta dirección de correo electrónico está protegida contra spambots. Usted necesita tener Javascript activado para poder verla.

PRINCIPAL RESEARCHER IN:  Insect diversity and Systematics, with a specialization in phytophagous Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae (Subfamily Melolonthinae) of Mexico.

POSITION AVAILABLE

Job Title: PRINCIPAL RESEARCHER (Investigador Titular A).

Job characteristics: Full time for 12 months. Contract renewable annually based on academic performance and productivity. The performance of the person hired will be evaluated annually by the Head of Department and the members of the Department and by INECOL authorities based on his/her accomplishment of the work program and activity plan agreed upon at the beginning of the hiring process. After three consecutive years of work, the person may request tenure following the guidelines of the Academic Staff Statute (Estatuto del Personal Académico, EPA available online: http://normateca.inecol.edu.mx/normateca/) following current administrative provisions. Besides fulfilling academic expectations, the person contracted is expected to integrate him/herself in a productive and harmonious manner with the other members of the department.

General description

The selected applicant will join the Department of Biodiversity and Systematics, to address the challenges related to field and laboratory studies on the taxonomy, nomenclature, diversity, morphology, molecular systematics, and evolution of one or more specific groups of phytophagous insects of the Scarabaeidae, especially those in the subfamily Melolonthinae.

The selected candidate will work in the Department of Biodiversity and Systematics, individually and in cooperation with researchers of the department, as well as with other INECOL scientists or other interested institutions, on the following topics:

• Entomofaunistic treatments;
• Taxonomic revisions;
• State-of-the-art phylogenetic analyses

Responsibilities

• Develop original research and publish the results following the provisions of the Academic Staff Statutes (EPA). The person occupying the position must dedicate 100% of his/her time to the research topics for which he/she was hired. If the contracted person wishes to address other related topics, after having formally obtained the approval of the academic group to which they are attached, they may be able to allocate up to 30% of their time to these other topics but must dedicate most of their efforts to addressing the research issues established in their contract.
• Formulate and lead research projects to obtain funding for his/her research and to contribute to the infrastructure (research equipment) and development of the Department and the Institute.
• Participate in the training of students in INECOL's Master's and Doctorate programs through the teaching of courses and thesis supervision. Of particular interest will be the candidate's willingness to offer or participate in courses taught as part of INECOL’s graduate programs. Examples of these courses are those related to specific topics in entomology (e.g., origin and evolution of insects), micro- and macroevolution, phylogenetic analyses, and phylogenetic analyses in ecology. The selected candidate is also expected to contribute to the training of undergraduate students and other visiting students affiliated to higher education institutions with which INECOL has formal collaborations. The candidate may also propose innovative courses that complement the department's student training activities.
• Participate in INECOL’s public outreach and popular science initiatives.
• Collaborate with researchers in his/her department, other INECOL departments, and with members from different institutions.

Requirements

• Doctoral degree in Biodiversity and Systematics or related areas.
• Postdoctoral experience of at least six months in an academic institution different from the one that granted the applicant’s doctorate degree.
• Experience in teaching at the graduate or undergraduate level (preferable, but not essential).
• Authorship of at least five recent scientific publications (at least three as first author or corresponding author), in high-quality indexed scientific journals.
• Proven skills in writing grant and project applications.
• Ability and willingness to work with the private sector and/or government agencies in collaborative projects and to procure institutional resources.
• Experience in living and working in Latin America is desirable but not essential.
• Basic communication skills in Spanish preferable; and willingness to learn the language.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to perform different tasks simultaneously, ability to negotiate and deal with pressure and complex or stressful situations.
• Skills and abilities in building and working in multidisciplinary teams.
• Willingness to work outside of regular hours, including weekends, and to travel (occasionally required).
• Commitment to ethics and scientific integrity.
• All other things being equal, the person who demonstrates the greatest emotional intelligence will be hired.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and compliance with institutional regulations, available online at:  http://normateca.inecol.edu.mx/normateca/ 

Interested candidates from Mexico and other parts of the world should send an application letter, expressing their interest in the position, explaining exactly how their previous experience and training fulfill the description of the position and would contribute to the Institute's aims and objectives. Candidates should express their commitment, if invited, to occupy the position, to strictly adhere to the INECOL’s Academic Staff Statute (Estatuto del Personal Académico) and the principles of collaboration, teamwork, and scientific integrity. Candidates must attach an up-to-date Curriculum vitae and any additional materials or evidence they consider may assist the Selection Committee (e.g., citations to their publications, major awards, descriptions of important achievements or contributions to science). Finally, three letters of recommendation are required, as well as the contact information of three consolidated scientists who agree to be interviewed on the strengths and weaknesses of the candidates. Letters of recommendation can be written by the same people indicated as personal references. All documentation must be sent by e-mail to Dr. Víctor M. Bandala, Academic Secretary: Esta dirección de correo electrónico está protegida contra spambots. Usted necesita tener Javascript activado para poder verla. and copied to the Director General of INECOL: Esta dirección de correo electrónico está protegida contra spambots. Usted necesita tener Javascript activado para poder verla. 

Applicants chosen by the Selection Committee will be invited for an interview and must be willing to take a psychometric assessment and be interviewed by a psychologist in order to have additional non-academic elements to support the selection process.

Any questions should be addressed to Dr. Victor M. Bandala at Esta dirección de correo electrónico está protegida contra spambots. Usted necesita tener Javascript activado para poder verla.