Position Title: Post Doctoral

Employee Classification: Post Doctoral

College/Division: Arts and Sciences College

Department: 330350-BIOLOGY

Internal or External Search: External - Open to all applicants

Location: Las Cruces

Offsite Location (if applicable):

Target Hourly/Salary Rate:  Commensurate

Appointment Full-time Equivalency:  1.0

Exempt or Non-Exempt:  Exempt

Summary:  The Hanley lab seeks to hire a post-doctoral fellow to lead a study of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) circulation in Costa Rica.

Classification Summary:
Assist, instruct and function as a role model for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in a relevant research program.

Classification Standard Duties:
Supervise, direct, delegate and evaluate work of assigned staff. Oversee and/or conduct research. Assist in technical support for the delegated project. Create new opportunities by preparing and submitting new project proposals to national funding agencies. Perform related duties as required.

Required Education, Experience, Certification/License, Equivalency
Required Education:Doctorate degree in related field.; Required Experience:No previous work experience required.; Equivalency:None; Required Certification/License:

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
KNOWLEDGE:Knowledge of university and department policies and procedures; principles and practices of organization and administration; principles of supervision, training, mentoring and performance evaluation; research techniques and designs; methodologies; data collection and analysis.; SKILLS:Skills in short- and long-range planning; problem analysis and resolution; report preparation and presentation; public contact and relations; oral and written communication; literature reviews and compilation; material development for scientific and non-scientific audiences; grant writing and peer reviewed publications; modification of existing models or development of new models. The applicant may be responsible for, but not limited to, assisting in technical and outreach support in the department and organizing outreach events and conferences addressing activities associated with the research project.; ABILITIES:Ability to direct, evaluate, train and supervise the work of assigned personnel; develop and maintain effective working relationships; maintain accurate and orderly records; use independent judgment and initiative; organize and direct activities; analyze and evaluate information; make presentations; work as a member of a team; write technical reports, conference presentation papers, peer-reviewed journal articles and grant proposals.

Job Duties and Responsibilities
The Hanley lab seeks to hire a post-doctoral fellow to lead a study of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) circulation in Costa Rica. In this project, we seek to leverage our existing collaborations across disciplines and across countries to investigate the dynamics of VSV in two ecological zones in Costa Rica, one (premontane tropical forest) in which the virus circulates endemically and one (tropical dry forest) in which the virus initiates periodic outbreaks. Thus, in a single, relatively small country, we can probe the dynamics of endemicity and outbreak that play out across the much larger expanse of North America, resulting in periodic VSV outbreaks in the US. Additionally, in Costa Rica we will mirror our current investigations of the sylvatic cycle of VSV in Mexico in order to ascertain whether similar vectors and hosts may mediate VSV transmission in wildlife across the endemic range of this virus, or whether sylvatic transmission may be idiosyncratic at the regional level.

The post-doc would be expected to coordinate all fieldwork and implement some aspects of fieldwork, coordinate communication among project partners, receive data from multiple project activities and clean, reconcile and analyze these data, participate in writing project reports, and lead project publications. The post-doc would be expected to split their time between Las Cruces, NM and Costa Rica, with the final allocation of time to be negotiated but to be no less than four months in Costa Rica per year. The project is currently funded for two years with a possibility of extension.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience in tropical fieldwork, disease ecology, virology, and vector biology are all desirable but not required.

Special Requirements of the Position
Competency in Spanish is required.

Department Contact:  Dr. Kathryn Hanley, 575-646-3611, khanley@nmsu.edy

Contingent Upon Funding: Contingent upon external funding

Bargaining Unit Eligibility: This is NOT a bargaining unit position with American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees (AFSCME).

Standard Work Schedule: Standard (M-F, 8-5)

If Not a Standard Work Schedule: 

Working Conditions and Physical Effort

Environment: Work is normally performed in a typical interior/office work environment.

Physical Effort: Moderate physical activity.

Lifting Requirements: Requires handling of average-weight objects up to 25 pounds or standing and/or walking for more than four (4) hours per day.

Risk: Work environment involves exposure to potentially dangerous materials and situations that require following extensive safety precautions and may include the use of protective equipment.