Department of Botany, University of Hawaii

The Department of Botany, College of Natural Sciences, seeks a Distinguished Botanist for the G. P. Wilder Chair. This position is available for a period up to 12 months and is available on an annual (or one semester) basis. Applications are sought from individuals in any field of botany with expertise complementary to departmental faculty. Primary duties include sharing of expertise through interactions with faculty and students in the Botany Department and offering a seminar series or course in their specialty area. Salary is competitive and research support may be provided; arrangements will be tailored to the requirements of each Chair holder within the purposes and limits specified by the endowment.

Submit vitae, contact information (e-mail, phone, fax) and a statement of planned activities for the period of appointment to Dr. Tom Ranker, Chair, Department of Botany, UHM, 3190 Maile Way, Honolulu, HI 96822-2279.

Separate Fall and Spring appointments may be available. Interested persons wishing information about appointments in future years are encouraged to inquire in advance. Applications will be reviewed semi-annually to allow decision at least one year prior to appointments, when possible, with best consideration for applications received eighteen months prior to desired appointment (by March 1st for Fall appointment in the following calendar year; September 1st for Spring appointment two years forward). Inquiries may be made to botany@hawaii.edu or Fax 808 956-3923.

The Department especially values Wilder Chairs who interact with a range of faculty and students, who are active in research, who will contribute new science on the Hawaiian flora, and who teach original courses. Please provide detail on these areas in your application letter. We note that the Hawaiian terrestrial and aquatic flora is exceptional for developing projects in many fields of plant sciences. Hawaii possesses a wide range of terrestrial vegetation types in relatively close proximity, including dry, mesic and wet forests; grasslands; and alpine zone; and a diverse array of marine plant habitats, from coral reefs to sea grass meadow to deep algal beds. The Hawaiian flora is well-known for its exceptional adaptive radiations across life forms, rare endemic species that require increasing conservation, and numerous invasive species. The terrestrial and aquatic flora is understudied in many important aspects of its biology, including physiology, systematics, population biology, ecology, evolutionary biology, ethnobotany and conservation.

The Department has strengths in both terrestrial and marine botany including anatomy, conservation biology, cytology, ecology, ethnobotany, evolution, invasion biology, mycology, populations genetics, phycology, physiology, taxonomy, and systematics. Additional information about this position and the Botany Department can be found at http://www.botany.hawaii.edu.

The University of Hawai'i at Manoa is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. Women and members of Minority Groups are strongly encouraged to apply.

Previous Appointees to the Wilder Chair: Harold St. John (1950-1958), Albert Smith (1965-1970), Isabella Abbott (1984-1995), Erik Nilsen (2002-2003), Anthony Balfour-Cunningham (2004), Julie Denslow (2005), Tom Ranker (2005-2006), Ulo Niinemets (2006-2007)