Assistant Curator of Invertebrate Paleontology or Paleobotany - The Field Museum, Chicago, IL

The Field Museum invites applications for an Assistant Curator in the fields of Invertebrate Paleontology or Paleobotany. This term position has a probationary period of 3 + 3 years; after successful promotion to the Associate level it is renewable every 7 years, according to the Field Museum’s Policy Statement on the Curatorial Ranks. The start date for the position is on or after January 1, 2022.

The Field Museum's Geology Section has a record of scientific excellence in collections-based research, with current strengths in phylogenetic systematics, functional morphology, paleoecology, macroevolution, history and philosophy of biology, meteoritics, and cosmochemistry. Our Fossil Invertebrate and Paleobotany collections are world class. The Fossil Invertebrate collection is focused on the Paleozoic of the Midwest with significant collections of the Pennsylvanian Mazon Creek Lagerstätte, Devonian fossils from the Falls of the Ohio area, Silurian reef fossils from the Chicago area, and Paleozoic echinoderms. The Paleobotany Collection contains significant holdings of Late Carboniferous fossil plants preserved as compression-adpressions, permineralized peats, and within sideritic concretions. Cretaceous through Paleogene floras are well-represented, including angiosperm mesofossil assemblages from the Upper Cretaceous Raritan and Magothy Formations. Substantial fossil palynological collections and comparative extant pollen and spore preparations are also housed within the Collection.

We are seeking a collegial individual with strong communication skills who conducts innovative, integrative research that will complement and broaden the section’s strengths. The successful candidate will be expected to maintain an externally funded field and/or laboratory research program, to contribute to building and using the Invertebrate Paleontology or Paleobotany collections, and to participate in Museum exhibition, public outreach and education, and programmatic efforts. We particularly value a commitment to equity and inclusion in the context of museum-based research, curation, education, and outreach. Close relationships with local universities provide opportunities for participation in graduate and undergraduate training. A Ph.D. in a relevant discipline must be held by the start of employment.

To apply and for inquiries, please email: paleontology-search2021@fieldmuseum.org. 

Applications should include: 

1. a Curriculum Vitae
2. a statement of research interests and career objectives
3. a statement describing experience in and/or vision for increasing diversity and inclusion in a museum setting
4. names and contact information for three people from whom letters of recommendation may be sought
5. copies of up to five relevant publications in PDF format. 

Review of applications will begin on March 15, 2021.

The Field Museum is committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion in science, and strives to create a working environment that is free of sexual, racial, and ethnic discrimination, and that promotes human dignity among all staff. As such, it is the policy of the Field Museum to hire without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, disability, or veteran status.

If you are a qualified individual with a disability or a disabled veteran, you may request a reasonable accommodation. The Field Museum strives to ensure that our career website is accessible to all, including individuals with disabilities. Email us at accessibility@fieldmuseum.org if you are unable or limited in your ability to use or access our online application as a result of your disability.

URGE- Unlearning Racism In Geoscience

Hi y'all,

I wanted to draw your attention to a new initiative: URGE- Unlearning Racism In Geoscience (https://urgeoscience.org/). This NSF Funded program seeks to help geoscientists learn how to create more equitable spaces through coordinated local groups (called "Pods"). 

Here's a brief overview of the mission, more detail at https://urgeoscience.org/.

"Many geoscience programs and societies are currently having conversations surrounding racism. These conversations are inspired by recent reminders (e.g., the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery) that the injustices in society are reflected and perpetuated in Geoscience. Morris et al., (2020) appropriately describe the effects of racism on the careers of black, brown, and indigenous Geoscientists by stating that “in place of mass incarceration, there is mass exclusion [and] in place of police brutality, [geoscience] careers are killed through forced attrition and under-investment.” Like the rest of the world and academia, the Geosciences need to unlearn racism.

We designed a community-wide journal-reading and policy-design curriculum to help Geoscientists unlearn racism and improve accessibility, justice, equity, and inclusion (AJEDI) in our discipline. We call this program Unlearning Racism in Geoscience (URGE; www.urgeoscience.org). URGE’s primary objectives are to (1) deepen the community’s knowledge of the effects of racism on the participation and retention of black, brown, and indigenous people in Geoscience, (2) use the existing literature, expert opinion, and personal experiences to develop anti-racist policies and strategies, and (3) share, discuss, and modify anti-racist policies and strategies within a dynamic community network and on a national stage. By meeting these objectives, we hope that Geoscience departments and societies will be able to implement a well-researched crowdsourced group of anti-racist policies."

 Congratulations to the excellent PIs and coordinating crew!

Summer 2021 Opportunities with the National Park Service!

Applications for Students are Now Open!

Please share this announcement with your students. The Scientists in Parks (SIP) Fellows program is now accepting applications from current upper-level undergraduate and graduate students for summer 2021 opportunities with the National Park Service. Visit Website The application deadline is January 24th, 2021 at 11:59PM EST

Why Become an SIP Fellow? Full-time work for 11-12 weeks at $500/wk Professional development through a workshop at the end of the summer Mentoring by a NPS supervisor Networking with NPS and DOI leaders Ability to earn Direct Hire Authority status upon successful completion And so much more

[ABOUT]     [OPPORTUNTIES]     [APPLY]

The Ecological Society of America is the proud partner and host of the National Park Service's Scientists in Parks program.

Ooid Swag from GBGM ... Just in time for Holiday Shopping

To celebrate #TooidTuesday (and impending Holiday gift-giving) we have added some Ooidy items to our Geobio store! All proceeds go to the GBGM Division of the Geological Society of America! Huge thank you to Dr. Tracy Frank (University of Nebraska–Lincoln) for the beautiful photomicrographs! 

Like a clean plane-polarized light (PPL)? Check out the collection here: www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/64528748

Prefer cross-polarized light (XPL) for lots of color? Check out the collection here:  www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/64513984

Want both? Here are the two images mirrored (with a scale bar): www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/64527763

PhD opportunities – Organic Geochemistry Group at CU Boulder

The Organic Geochemistry Group in the Department of Geological Sciences and the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR) at the University of Colorado Boulder is seeking for prospective students interested in pursuing a PhD in Geosciences in the fields of (1) paleoceanography and (2) ocean biogeochemistry.

1. Evaluating Climate Change and Kill Mechanisms Associated with the End-Cretaceous Mass Extinction: A Model-Data Comparison Approach. This PhD project aims to tests hypotheses about the relationship between dramatic climate change, marine ecology, and carbon cycling across the Cretaceous/Paleogene mass extinction event. Research includes laboratory and analytical activities examining lipid biomarkers and their stable isotope composition using samples from ocean and continental drilling, which will be incorporated into climate and biogeochemical models. https://spark.adobe.com/video/UoIFOafxAH6hL  

2. Microbial Lipidomics in Changing Oceans. This PhD project aims to tests hypotheses about lipid remodeling in marine microbes as a physiological adaptation to multiple environmental stressors using observational (cruises) and experimental (microcosm and mesocosm experiments) approaches. Research includes laboratory and analytical activities examining intact polar lipids (IPLs) and their degradation products (core lipids), which will be incorporated into larger dataset of metagenomics, metatranscriptomic, and geochemistry.

Applications from students with a robust foundation in Earth sciences, or related disciplines, and from diverse backgrounds and traditionally marginalized groups in STEM fields, are particularly encouraged to apply. Familiarity with organic and/or stable isotope geochemistry, paleoenvironmental sciences, oceanography, and data analysis is desired, but not essential. Interested candidates should contact Dr. Julio Sepúlveda (jsepulveda@colorado.edu), including a brief interest statement and a CV/resume as a single PDF file.

The Organic Geochemistry Group is a diverse group of researchers from different backgrounds and nationalities that welcomes and embraces diversity. We are part of the Organic Geochemistry Lab, a state of-the-art analytical facility equipped with instrumentation in gas and liquid chromatography, low- and high-resolution mass spectrometry, and stable isotope ratio mass spectrometry, with an active network of collaborators. As the flagship university of the state of Colorado, CU Boulder is a dynamic community of scholars and learners with a proud tradition of academic excellence situated on one of the most spectacular college campuses in the country. Collectively, CU Boulder researchers produce more papers in the geosciences—and generate more citations to those papers—than those at any other university in the world.

For more information about the Department of Geological Sciences Graduate Program*, INSTAAR, and our university, please visit: Department of Geological Sciences, Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado Boulder 

*GEOL graduate program deadlines: International students (12/01); Domestic students (12/15)

Winners of the GSA GBGM Division Student Presentation Awards

Dear Geobiology and Geomicrobiology Division Members,

It is our pleasure to announce the winners of the GSA 2020 student presentation awards. We were all so impressed with the quality of presentations by our student members, especially given that for many of us, this was our first time attending and presenting at a virtual conference.

We would like to express our deepest gratitude to our members who judged this year's competition. Without your feedback and support, this endeavor would not be possible. There were many interesting talks and posters at this year's GSA Meeting, so thank you to everyone who participated.

To all of our students, congratulations on presenting at GSA this year. All of the excellent entries from you all truly made choosing winners difficult, but here are the students who will receive an award this year:

Best oral presentation winners:

• Gwen Antell - "Thermal Niches of Planktonic Foraminifera are Static Throughout Glacial-Interglacial Climate Change"
• Jack Shaw - "Methodological Advances in Inferring Ancient Food Webs"

Best poster presentation winners:

• Yu Kai Tan - "Freshwater Mussels in North America: Museum Collections and Pre-Industrial Biogeography"
• Amelia Lindsay Kaufman - "Two Novel Biomineralized Tubular Fossils from the Terminal Ediacaran, Central Iran"

Honorable mentions:

• Erica Scarpitti (oral presentation) - "Association Between Tympanic Bulla Morphology and Locomotion in Rodents: Application to the Fossil Record"
• Katie Maloney (oral presentation) - "Possible Multicellular Green Algae in Early Tonian Marine Environments"
• Tian Gan (poster presentation) - "Paleo-Speleothems as Evidence for Widespread Karstification in the Aftermath of the Marinoan Deglaciation (635 Ma) in South China"

As with previous years, we will be handing out prizes to our award winners at GBGM awards luncheon next year at GSA 2021.

We'd like to thank all of the students who contacted us and put their names forward for consideration. It was a real privilege to see and hear about the work you've been doing, and we encourage you to enter again next year. Recognizing the excellent work of our members is the most important aspect of the GBGM division, so please stay in touch. It is wonderful to see the faces of the student population of GSA GBGM and there is a bright future ahead for this group!

Thank you,
Alison Cribb and the GSA Geobiology and Geomicrobiology Division

Tenure Track position at Penn State in a field broadly related to sedimentary processes and the evolution of Earth's surface

The Department of Geosciences at The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA invites applications for a tenure-track faculty position in a field broadly related to sedimentary processes and the evolution of Earth's surface. We seek creative colleagues working to understand connections between Earth’s surface dynamics and deep-Earth, ocean, climate, and/or biological systems. We are especially interested in applicants whose research, teaching, and diversity efforts would complement existing departmental strengths in geobiology, geochemistry, and geophysics.

The Department of Geosciences is part of the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, which houses research programs spanning a broad range of Earth and planetary science, including the Earth and Environmental Systems Institute and the Energy Institute. Successful applicants will be expected to engage with our community by developing vigorous, externally funded research programs, teaching undergraduate and graduate courses, and working to advance diversity in geosciences. Applicants must have a Ph.D. in geosciences or related field at the time of appointment. 

We anticipate filling the position at the rank of Assistant Professor, although in exceptional cases more senior candidates will be considered. The appointment could begin as early as July 1, 2021. Review of applications will begin on January 4, 2021 and continue until the position is filled.

Applications should be submitted online and include: (i) cover letter; (ii) curriculum vitae; (iii) statement of research plans and vision; (iv) statement of teaching philosophy and interests; (v) a separate diversity statement that demonstrates a commitment to fostering diversity, equity, and an inclusive environment in their department/workplace and (vi) names and contact information for four references. Questions about the position should be directed to Peter J. Heaney, Search Committee Chair, at pjheaney@psu.edu.

The College of Earth and Mineral Sciences relies on the expertise, sensitivity and commitment of an inclusive faculty to enhance diversity, seek equity, and create a welcoming environment within our community. We are committed to nurturing a learning and working environment that respects differences in culture, age, gender, race, ethnicity, physical ability, sexual orientation, and religious affiliation. In welcoming every candidate, we strive to meet the needs of professional families by actively assisting with partner-placement needs.

Full Ad here:
https://psu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/PSU_Academic/job/University-Park-Campus/Tenure-Track-Faculty-Position-in-Sedimentology_REQ_0000008482-1