Special Announcement from UGEC Co-Chairs Karen Seto and Roberto Sanchez-Rodriguez

Dear UGEC community,

It has been over ten years since the International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change (IHDP) convened a scoping meeting to discuss the idea of creating a new international science project on cities and urbanization. At that time, the science of urbanization and global change was just emerging, and IHDP recognized an opportunity to develop a new science project that would frame, catalyze, and coordinate research in this area. Over three years, a Science Plan was written, reviewed and published, a Scientific Steering Committee (SSC) appointed and convened, an International Project Office (IPO) inaugurated and staffed, and the Urbanization and Global Environmental Change Project, or UGEC, officially launched in 2006.

UGEC is now a vibrant international network of scholars and practitioners working at the intersection of urbanization and global environmental change. We have significantly improved and expanded knowledge of the key role of these interactions to better understand the dynamic and complex challenges our societies face in the 21st century. Many in our network have been instrumental in shaping domestic and international policy and science agendas, from the IPCC 5th Assessment Report to a standalone Urban Sustainable Development Goal. New areas of research have emerged and today, this community of scholars extends well beyond the original international science project. We should be proud of the role the UGEC community has played in these contributions.

We have some important news to share with you today, which is that our current cycle of funding through the National Science Foundation has ended, and the UGEC International Project Office, located within the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability at Arizona State University, will be closing at the end of this month, January 2017. Although UGEC is sunsetting, urban issues are even more important on the global policy stage. Now, more than ever, we need to produce actionable knowledge and accelerate the uptake of urban scholarship into decision-making

We want to first thank all of you for your support and engagement in UGEC research and activities over the last decade. It has been a pleasure to be part of this shared learning experience. We are currently exploring alternatives to keep our network functioning, and to transition into a new phase. UGEC SSC member Patricia Romero-Lankao is leading this transition and we will keep you informed of possible future activities. After January, the UGEC website (ugec.org) will remain active, but will no longer updated with new material.  Additionally, we are exploring ways in which we can continue the UGEC Viewpoints blog as it has been such a wonderful venue for showcasing the work of this community.

We are also happy to report that Corrie Griffith, Executive Officer, and Mark Watkins, Project Coordinator, are both transitioning into new positions within the Global Institute of Sustainability at ASU. Mark is now Program Manager for the Central Arizona–Phoenix Long-Term Ecological Research Project and Corrie will be working as Program Manager with the Global Consortium for Sustainability Outcomes. Their email addresses will remain the same.  While we are disappointed to see them leave our wonderful project, we are happy they have secured their affiliation with ASU and wish them success in these new opportunities.

Thank you for all your efforts and friendship over the last decade. We wish you all the best in your future endeavors and hope our paths cross again in the near future.

Roberto Sánchez-Rodríguez
UGEC Co-Chair
El Colegio de la Frontera Norte, Mexico
University of California, Riverside, USA

&

Karen Seto
UGEC Co-Chair
Yale University, USA

Call for Applications: Trier University 2017 Summer University

The Governance and Sustainability Lab at Trier University (Germany) is inviting applications for its 2017 Summer University, which will take place June 6-12, 2017.

Applications are invited from advanced doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers as well as from early career professionals working in geography, urban studies, urban planning, political science, international relations, development studies, gender studies, native studies, cultural studies, sociology, ecology and related fields. Participants will explore the theme of ‘decolonizing urbanism’ through a mixture of public lectures, seminar sessions, advanced skills trainings, excursions, and cultural activities. The Summer University will be held in English.

Deadline for applications is January 31, 2017.

Find out more at https://www.uni-trier.de/index.php?id=60882

Vacancy: Future Earth Executive Director

Future Earth is looking for an outstanding Executive Director to provide strong leadership and guide the implementation of Future Earth’s broad and ambitious vision and scientific strategy. The successful candidate will be effective in further raising the visibility and value of Future Earth, and attracting funding for this implementation. Continue reading →

Call for Applications: SESYNC Graduate Student Workshop

Applications are now being accepted for the fourth Graduate Student Workshop on Socio-Environmental Synthesis, hosted by the National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC) in Annapolis, Maryland from March 7-10, 2017. As part of this highly interactive workshop, graduate students from across disciplines and from around the world will participate in sessions and activities designed to encourage interdisciplinary collaboration, team formation, and scientific proposal development while also building a variety of other skills and best practices crucial to the success of socio-environmental synthesis, including team leadership, effective communication, and familiarity with diverse data types.

First and second-year doctoral students from social, natural, and computational sciences with strong interests in and potential for synthesis-based research are encouraged to apply by January 13, 2017. There is no cost to attend the Workshop, although space is limited. Please visit the Workshop’s opportunity page for more information and to learn more about other graduate-oriented research opportunities supported by SESYNC.

Position Available: Postdoctoral Scientist: Anthropogenic Carbon Emissions

School of Life Sciences
Arizona State University
Tempe, Arizona

This postdoctoral position will perform research on quantification and analysis of fossil fuel CO2 emissions at fine space/time scales in the North American domain. Working with the “Vulcan” and Hestia emissions data products (vulcan.project.asu.edu; hestia.project.asu.edu), the postdoctoral scientist will expand, improve and extend the emissions data products and analyze the emissions in conjunction with North American 14CO2 monitoring and atmospheric transport modeling. The position requires a knowledge combination of carbon biogeochemistry, data mining, and numerical modeling. The position will require collaboration with colleagues at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration among others.

Candidates must have received a PhD in the geosciences or a field related to position (e.g., Ecology, GIS/Geography, Civil Engineering) from an accredited college or university. The applicant will be expected to publish peer-reviewed journal articles and effectively communicate with a wide range of physical and social scientists.

Necessary skills: geospatial statistics, large codebase management and programming (eg. R, SQL). Desired skills: experience with GIS and spatial mapping/analysis, air quality experience, experience in carbon accounting/footprinting, energy supply/demand analysis, systems engineering.

Given the multidisciplinary nature of the research, a highly self-directed, creative and self-motivated individual is sought. The position is a fulltime appointment with an anticipated start date between 4/1/2017 and 8/31/2017. The appointment will be made initially for one year with possibility of extension for additional years. Salary range is $50,000-$55,000 dependent on experience, with associated University benefits.

Applicants should send a cover letter describing their research experience and interests, a curriculum vita, and arrange for three reference letters sent to (email or surface mail): Prof. Kevin Gurney, School of Life Science, Arizona State University, PO Box 874501, Tempe, AZ, 85287-4501. kevin.gurney@asu.edu (email preferred).

The initial closing date for receipt of applications is February 1, 2017; applications will be reviewed weekly thereafter until the search is closed.

A background check is required for employment. Arizona State University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer committed to excellence through diversity. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply. For additional information on this position and the School of Life Sciences, please visit https://sols.asu.edu/resources/employment.

Postdoctoral Fellowship Opportunity at SESYNC

The National Social-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC) in Annapolis, Maryland invites applications for a Postdoctoral Fellow to work with a newly funded interdisciplinary team to develop and test a comprehensive, systematic framework to understand the dynamic social, economic, and environmental feedbacks that perpetuate segregated urban patterns over the long term. This framework will be tested by examining the City of Baltimore as a case study, working in collaboration with the Baltimore Ecosystem Study (BES), a long term research project of the National Science Foundation. The Fellow will work with a team of mentors from the social and ecological sciences who are associated with SESYNC and BES.

While there has been enormous progress in our understanding of urban environmental inequality and injustice, this program seeks to specifically examine the role of segregation in processes of social-ecological change, sustainability, and resilience. This project will advance understanding of: the long term ecological consequences of urban segregation; how ecological disparities may perpetuate segregation; and how socio-environmental strategies may remediate patterns and conditions of segregation and promote sustainability and resilience.

This is a 24-month position that can begin as early as December 1, 2016 and is based at the SESYNC offices in Annapolis MD, with one mentor at SESYNC (Morgan Grove) and mentors from the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies (Steward Pickett), Dartmouth College (Laura Ogden) and Arizona State University (Chris Boone). The Fellow will also be a full participant in SESYNC’s postdoctoral Immersion mentoring program (http://www.sesync.org/foryou/ educator/programs/immersion) and interact with a large group of current postdocs at the Center.

For more information on the research associated with this position, contact Morgan Grove, morgangrove@fs.fed.us or mgrove@sesync.org. For more information on SESYNC, visit https://www.sesync.org

TO APPLY: Preference will be given to applications received by January 1, 2017 at 5pm EST. Please submit a cover letter, CV, and two writing samples as a single pdf at: http://sesync.us/postdocurban, and have two professional references submit letters to Dr. Morgan Grove at: morgangrove@fs.fed.us or mgrove@sesync.org.

Position Available: Program Manager, CAP LTER

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Program Manager, Central Arizona-Phoenix Long-Term Ecological Research Program (CAP LTER)

The Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability at Arizona State University invites applications for a full-time Central Arizona-Phoenix Long-Term Ecological Research Program (CAP LTER) Program Manager.

The Program Manager and the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability (ASU Wrigley Institute) will work with the CAP LTER Director, program staff, scientists, and students to facilitate coordination and collaboration across the program, communicate research findings via various media, and compile annual reports for the National Science Foundation and the ASU Wrigley Institute. Will be responsible for the fiscal management of CAP LTER with the Director and staff as well as for the management of CAP LTER’s undergraduate and graduate research funding initiatives. Will liaise with other research initiatives and community partners, organize events and meetings, track key program metrics, and handle day-to-day administrative operations.  For details on the CAP LTER Program see: https://sustainability.asu.edu/caplter/.

To review the posting and apply to this position, please visit:  https://cfo.asu.edu/hr-applicant and click on Applicant under Staff Positions. Search openings for Requisition ID number 27270BR.

Deadline for Applications: November 10, 2016

UPDATED: Teaching/Research Positions Available at Multiple Locations

[NEW] Boise State University

Assistant Professor, Human-Environment Systems.  Seeking candidates who develop and apply innovative strategies to describe, understand, and predict the dynamics of human-environment systems, including but not limited to, agent-based, dynamical, process-based and geostatistical modeling, and other innovative techniques for integrating models and data. (LINK)
Deadline: October 15, 2016

University of Colorado – Boulder

Assistant Professor, Environmental Studies Program. Focus on Natural Resources Policy and Governance. (LINK)
Deadline: October 15, 2016

Assistant Professor, Department of Geography/International Affairs Program. Looking for an Urban Geographer with focus on cities in the Global South. (LINK)
Deadline: October 20, 2016

University of California – Davis

Faculty, Department of Human Ecology – Community and Regional Development Unit, University of California-Davis.  Looking for social scientist whose research focuses on socio-economic development and policy formation in an urbanizing and globalizing environment at the urban and rural-urban interface.  (LINK)
Next application review date: September 16, 2016

[NEW] University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Associate or Assistant Professor in Remote Sensing, with interests in methodology, data analytics, and domain applications of remote sensing.  (LINK)
Deadline: October 21, 2016

Pennsylvania State University

Assistant or Associate Professor, Department of Geography. Focus on environment and society. (LINK)
Review of applications begins October 14, 2016

[NEW] Assistant or Associate Professor, Urban and Stormwater Hydrology (LINK)
Deadline: Open until filled

University of California – Merced:

One or two faculty members (open rank) levels in ecological sciences, environmental, mechanical, or sustainability engineering, or environmental health related fields focused on sustainable agricultural systems.

One or two faculty members (open rank) in systems engineering, environmental management, resource conservation, process modeling, and life-cycle analysis in the context of optimal development and management of agriculture to balance crop production, food processing, community development, ecosystems and human health.

One or two faculty members (open rank) in the humanities, social sciences and related fields, with active interests in sustainable food, water and agricultural systems. (LINK)

Consideration of Applications begins November 1, 2016

Positions Available at Texas A&M University

The Texas A&M University Department of Geography invites applications for three (3) tenure-track faculty positions at the Assistant Professor level.  The department is reinvesting in its human geography program by hiring leading-edge scholars with research specializations in urban, health, economic or human-environment geography.  Combinations of research expertise among these specialties are encouraged as well as is their integration with geospatial technologies.  Essential characteristics include publications commensurate with experience; demonstrated capability to secure external funding; ability to contribute to GIS research and teaching; and the ability to strengthen the graduate program in Geography through course offerings and mentoring students.  Candidates should have the potential for creating synergies with existing Department strengths, must have a Ph.D. at the time of appointment and a have strong commitment to excellence in research and teaching.

Deadline for Applications: September 21, 2016 Continue reading →