Subject: Stream ecology research/teaching position in NZ

From: Ralph Riley <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 2 May 1996 17:20:14 -0700

Part 1 of 2

UNIVERSITY OF OTAGO
Te Whare Wananga o Otago

Dunedin, New Zealand

LECTURER IN ZOOLOGY

(RIVER ECOLOGY)

Applications are invited for the position of Lecturer in the Department of
Zoology (equivalent to Assistant Professor in North America).  An
exceptionally well qualified candidate might be considered for appointment
at a more senior level.  This post is available from 1 October 1996 and
the
successful applicant is expected to take up duties as soon as possible
after that date.  An earlier starting date might be negotiated.

The person appointed will contribute to the teaching of stream and river
ecology and other duties will include teaching in undergraduate
biology/zoology/ecology courses and supervision of under-graduate and
graduate research. The department is large, friendly and productive, with
good research and computing facilities and an excellent team of support
staff.  We run BSc, BSc Honours, Diploma, Masters and PhD programmes
across
a wide range of biological disciplines.  All in the Department are
committed to excellence in teaching.

Candidates must have a good record of published research in the area of
stream or river ecology and will be expected to engage in an active
programme of research.  Collaborative research is encouraged in the
Department and the successful candidate will join a strong group of
aquatic
ecologists.  Stream research  is well established at Otago with an
emphasis, so far, on the influence of land-use practices on stream
ecosystems and on the impact of introduced brown trout on the native
fauna.
The considerable data base provides excellent opportunities for the
appointee to become involved in the established Taieri and Southern Rivers
Programme if she or he so wishes.

The department is committed to diversity in staffing and we encourage
applications from women and other under-represented groups.  Parental
leave
without pay of up to 54 weeks and paid parental leave of six week's salary
may be granted to female or male employees with at least one year's
service.  The University operates childcare centres covering the period
birth-eight years.  We are prepared to discuss job-splitting and
flexibility of working hours during periods of child rearing.

Salary:  Lecturers NZ$40,500 - 51,000 per annum.  Senior Lecturers
NZ$54,250 - 64,250 per annum.

Further information is available from Professor Colin Townsend, Head of
Department (Phone: 64-3-479 7975; Fax: 64-3-479 7584, e-mail:
[email-masked]), or from the Director, Personnel
Services.

Applicants should send two copies of their curriculum vitae together with
the names, addresses and fax numbers of three referees, to the Director,
Personnel Services, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand
(fax 64-3-474 1607) by 31 May 1996. Applications should quote reference
number A96/34.  Whanau support is welcome at interview.

Equal opportunity in employment is University policy.

E tautoko ana Te Whare Wananga o Otago i te kaupapa whakaorite whiwhinga
mahi.

INFORMATION FOR CANDIDATES

for appointment as

LECTURER IN ZOOLOGY

(RIVER ECOLOGY)

in the University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand - 1996

1.      General

        A statement of general information and conditions of appointment
for all academic posts within the University is attached.

        The University is situated in the City of Dunedin, the main centre
of the Province of Otago. With a population of around 100,000, Dunedin is
a
lively university city with strong artistic, cultural and sporting
traditions. It boasts excellent art galleries, museums, theatres,
restaurants and gardens. Most newcomers find house prices pleasingly low.
The  city is situated on the shores of the Otago Harbour and its immediate
environment includes large inlets, sandy bays and rocky shores with
abundant wildlife, including seals, the world's rarest penguin and an
albatross colony within a few kilometres. Just a few hours away are
glaciers, fiords, mountains and lakes, with all the recreational
facilities
that these places offer.

2.      The Department of Zoology

        The Department of Zoology has been expanding steadily since 1988
with the appointment of an additional nine academic staff and further
administrative and technical staff.  The atmosphere is lively, friendly
and
supportive and all in the department are committed to excellence in both
teaching and research.

        The department  offers programmes leading to the undergraduate
degrees of BSc (3 years) and BSc Honours (4 years) in Zoology.Two
first-year foundation courses in biology are administered by the
Department
of Zoology.  Staff from a number of departments (Anatomy, Biochemistry,
Botany, Microbiology and Zoology) contribute to lectures. However, the
Department of Zoology is responsible for all laboratory teaching; a team
of
Teaching Fellows leads this effort.  Students majoring in zoology take
second-year courses in Animal Diversity, Animal Evolution and Animal
Physiology; a Teaching Fellow takes primary responsibility for
administration of laboratory teaching. Our third year programme consists
of
courses in specialised areas of zoology: Aquatic Ecology, Parasitology,
Environmental Physiology, Reproduction, Neurobiology, Behavioural Ecology,
Evolutionary and Population Genetics, Conservation Biology and Biological
Data Analysis and Computing.  The fourth year programme for BSc(Honours)
consists of seminar courses together with a substantial research
component.

        Ordinary BSc graduates may complete an additional year, which is
identical to the fourth year of the Honours programme, by admission to the
Postgraduate Diploma in Science.  The department also offers a one-year
Diploma in Wildlife Management, a two-year Master of Science (one year of
courses and one of research) and a three-year PhD programme (entirely
research).

        Zoology staff contribute to undergraduate courses in Ecology,
Genetics, Environment and Society and to interdepartmental degree
programmes in Cognitive Science, Neuroscience, Ecology and Marine Science.

Enrolments in Zoology

Student enrolments for the 1996 academic year were approximately:

                Year 1 (Biology)1000
                Year 2  120
                Year 3  75
                Year 4 (Hons/MSc courses)20
                Diploma   15
                MSc/PhD research 50

Staff

The department has two full Professors, Professor Colin Townsend (Head of
Department) and Professor Carolyn Burns, 12 Senior Lecturers, 7 Lecturers,
4 Teaching Fellows and 4 Postdoctoral researchers.

Non-academic staff include three secretarial and administrative staff and
19 research and technical staff, five of whom are concerned primarily with
teaching laboratory duties.  The duties of other technicians include
management of a mechanical and electronic workshop, photographic
dark-rooms, histology suite, radio-isotope laboratory, chemistry
laboratory, computer facilities and assistance with research.

Annual grants for part-time staffing provide assistance with laboratory
teaching and with research.

Teaching and Research

Teaching and research facilities largely reflect the interests of current
staff: behavioural ecology,  conservation and wildlife management,
environmental physiology, evolutionary biology, freshwater and marine
ecology, neurobiology, parasitology, population genetics, reproductive
physiology, systematics and theoretical biology.  Appendix 1 lists the
Department's publications in the period 1994 to 1995.

Accommodation and Facilities

The department effectively blends the architecture and traditions of a
long
established university with up-to-date equipment and facilities.

Computing Services are available through the University Information
Technology Services  Centre, the facilities of which include a VAX
cluster.
A networked suite of micro-computers (mainly Macintosh) are installed in
the computer room and throughout the Department of Zoology.  Macintosh
computers are used widely in undergraduate laboratories.

Closed circuit TV and video facilities are available in most of the
undergraduate laboratories.  Transmission and scanning electron
microscopes
located in the Medical School and in some other departments are available
for specific research projects in zoology.

The Department of Mathematics and Statistics administers a Centre for
Applications of Statistics and Mathematics which offers assistance and
advice in research design and data analysis.  In addition, the Department
of Zoology has biostatistical and computing expertise available in house.

The Department of Zoology enjoys cooperation in collaborative research
with
other departments in the Divisions of Sciences and Health Sciences of the
University, the provincial Otago Museum, and governmental research
agencies, including Invermay Agricultural Research Centre 12 km from
Dunedin.

3.      Research Funding

The department strongly supports the principle that research is an
integral
part of academic life.      Funds are available for research from the
Otago
University Research Committee and the University's Division of Sciences.
Other sources of research support include grants or contracts from New
Zealand's Foundation for Research, Science and Technology, the newly
established Marsden fund for fundamental science, from governmental
agencies and from private trusts and non-governmental organisations.

Members of staff are encouraged to apply for support of their own research
and that of the students working under their  supervision.

4.      Duties

The successful candidate will be responsible to the Head of Department,
Professor Colin Townsend, and will be required to contribute to the
teaching and examining of undergraduate and graduate degree courses in
zoology, biology and ecology.

The successful candidate will be expected to engage actively in her/his
own
research and to supervise that of research students.

5.      Equal employment opportunities

The department is committed to diversity in staffing and we encourage
applications from women and other under-represented groups. Parental leave
without pay of up to 54 weeks and paid parental leave of six week's salary
may be granted to female or male employees with at least one year's
service. The University operates childcare centres covering the period
birth-eight years. We are prepared to discuss job-splitting and
flexibility
of working hours during periods of child rearing.

To ensure that appropriate credit can be given by the search committee to
a
variety of areas of activity, not just academic achievements, we encourage
you to supply a broadly based curriculum vitae describing your
productivity
and creativity in all areas you wish to have considered.

6.      Salary

        Lecturer:               $NZ40,500 - 51,000 per annum.
        Senior Lecturer:        $NZ54,250 - 64,250 per annum.

Initial placement within the scale will depend on the qualifications and
experience of the person appointed. Note that Lecturer is equivalent to
the
North American Assistant Professor.

7.      Term of Appointment

The post is a confirmation path appointment (subject to confirmation after
four years).

8.      Date of Appointment

The successful applicant will take up the appointment on 1 October 1996 or
as soon as possible thereafter.  Applicants should state the date when
they
would be available to commence duties.

9.     Further Information

        Requests for further information may be directed to Professor
Colin
Townsend. Phone: 64-3-479-7975, Fax: 64-3-479-7584,  e-mail:
[email-masked].

10.     Applications

        Applications quoting reference number A96/34 close with the
Director of Personnel Services on 31 May 1996.

University of Otago
PO Box 56
Dunedin
NEW ZEALAND

Telephone: 64-3-479 1100
Facsimile:  64-3-474 1607

April 1996

Ref: A96/34

 Appendix 1:  Department of Zoology, University of Otago, Publications
1994-95.

Arntzen, J.W. and Wallis, G.P. The 'Wolterstorff Index' and its value to
the taxonomy of the Crested    Newt superspecies.  Abhandlungen und
Berichte fr Naturkunde 17: 57-66 (1994)
Barker, M.F. and Kelly, M. The occurrence and transmission of subcuticular
bacteria in echinoderm larvae.  In Echinoderms Through Time . David,
Guille, Feral & Roux (eds). pp. 13 (1994)
Brown, M.A., Cree, A., Daugherty, C.H.,  Dawkins, B.P.  and Chambers, G.K.
Plasma concentrations of vitellogenin and sex steroids in female tuatara
(Sphenodon punctatus punctatus) from northern New Zealand.  General and
Comparative Endocrinology 95: 201-212 (1994)
Bunin, J.S. and Jamieson, I.G. New approaches towards a better
understanding of the decline of Takahe (Porphyrio mantelli) in New
Zealand.
Conservation Biology 109: 100-106 (1995)
Burns, C.W. and Hegarty, B.  Diet selection by copepods in the presence of
cyanobacteria.  Journal of Plankton Research 16: 1671-1690 (1994)
Burns, C.W. Effects of crowding and different food levels on growth and
reproductive investment of Daphnia.  Oecologia 101: 234-244 (1995)
Burns, C.W.  Predation on ciliates by calanoid copepods.  Internationale
Vereinigung fr Theoretische und Angewandte Limnologie 25: 2445 (1994)
Cartland, L.K. and Grimmond, N.M.  The effect of temperature on the
metabolism of juvenile tuatara, Sphenodon punctatus.  New Zealand Journal
of Zoology  21(4): 373-378 (1994)
Cartland, L.K., Cree, A., Sutherland, W.H.F., Grimmond, N.M. and Skeaff,