February 21, 2005
Job: Research Scientist/Associate Research Scientist
Research Scientist/Associate Research Scientist
Program Leader for Climate and Society Publications Series
The International Research Institute for Climate Prediction (IRI) at Columbia University is seeking an outstanding individual with excellent analytical abilities and a research background in climate impacts and related policy arenas. The IRI mission is to enhance society's capability to understand, anticipate and manage the impacts of seasonal climate fluctuations, to improve human welfare and the environment, especially in developing countries.
The Research Scientist (RS)/Associate Research Scientist (ARS) will be responsible for leading the development and production of a flagship report series on climate and society. The report will help meet the needs of decision-makers and the public for peer-reviewed, policy-relevant scientific information on the consequences of climate variability for society and options for response.
The incumbent is also expected to pursue his/her own scientific interests on the use of climate information for sustainable development within the research framework of the IRI. Relevant areas include climate impacts, decision systems and institutions and policy related to IRI regional programs in Africa, Asia, and the Americas.
Candidates must have: a Ph.D. in natural or social sciences, engineering or the humanities and a minimum of two years of experience at the post-doctoral level (ARS), or six years at the post-doctoral level (RS). Post-doctoral experience must reflect a combination of research and applied work, preferably in sustainable development in matters related to climate. Prior experience with producing reports that pull together a consensus of scientific opinion for international decision-makers is highly preferred.
Strong quantitative skills and demonstrated ability to communicate scientific information to a general audience are essential. Required skills include the ability to meet deadlines and ability to work collaboratively in a skilled group environment. Excellent written and oral communications skills and organizational habits are also required.
The RS position is comparable to the rank of Associate Professor, while the ARS position is equivalent to that of Assistant Professor. Classification will be determined by qualifications. Columbia University benefits accompany appointments.
Columbia University benefits accompany appointment. Salary is commensurate with experience. This position is located in Rockland County, NY at the Lamont Campus of Columbia University. Prospective candidates please select 'apply now' to submit: contact information; letter of application including position reference number LD670 05 001; statement of research interests; statement of career objectives; curriculum vitae; and contact information for three references. Columbia University is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer. Women and Minorities are encouraged to apply.
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Posted by ldilling at 04:45 PM | Comments (0)
Learning to Ride a Bike
Metis is a concept from ancient Greece most recently revived by James Scott, Professor of Political Science and Anthropology at Yale University to represent the broad array of “practical skills and acquired intelligence” needed to respond to a changing environment. Metis can be thought of as practical knowledge—not just an idealization of how in theory one might do something—but rather knowledge that comes from experience and trial and error. Scott likens it to the difference between reading a description of how to ride a bike versus knowing how to ride a bike from having experienced the feeling of balancing, pedaling and steering, all while constantly adjusting to the terrain.
How does Metis reflect our approach to climate science policy? Climate science has been justified to the public on its ability to underpin and support decision making. Supporting decisions of any scale with scientific information, it turns out, is a difficult task. The outdated model of simply putting scientific information generated within the research community into publications and hoping that it somehow diffuses out to the appropriate users has been shown to be inadequate, time and time again. We submit that in order for climate science to serve decision makers at any scale, from the local to the international, research agendas must effectively take into account the needs of users—who have the “Metis” of everyday experience in their decision making environment. To incorporate this Metis into climate science research agendas requires close examination of the structures, culture, precedents and opportunities for setting climate science policy. Hence our SPARC project—a five year project funded by the National Science Foundation to study climate science policy in the context of decision making under uncertainty. Read more about SPARC at our website. And please contribute your thoughts to our Metis weblog!
Posted by ldilling at 04:16 PM | Comments (0)