Employment Opportunities at NESCent
- Scientific Programmer
- Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Sharing, Preservation, and Stewardship of Scientific Data
Employment Opportunities at NESCent
The US National Evolutionary Synthesis Center seeks a Scientific Programmer on a limited-term contractual basis to assist with the user interface to a novel semantic knowledge base for evolutionary biology. The Phenoscape project aims to represent phenotypic data using a formal ontology-based syntax with computable semantics. The Phenoscape Knowledge Base (PhenoscapeKB), in public beta-release since July 2009, integrates genetic data from model organisms with biodiversity data for the purpose of exploring the genetic basis of anatomical diversity in nature.
Work description. The scientific programmer will assist the NESCent software development team by implementing defined components of the web-based user interface, which uses JavaScript, REST-based web-services, Ruby on Rails, and CSS as implementation technologies. Design of new user-interface components will be based on existing or to-be-constructed mockups. All software developed by Phenoscape is open-source. The technology stack and components are documented, along with links to the source code, at http://phenoscape.org/wiki/Informatics.
Qualifications. The applicant should be a principal or senior software developer with significant professional experience in several or all of the requisite technologies, most importantly Ruby on Rails for programming and CSS for styling. The incumbent must be able to work independently and according to specifications, estimate effort, and communicate requirements and deliverables to the development team. Phenoscape maintains close relations with external open-source development efforts and the ideal applicant will have demonstrated experience in successfully developing and communicating in such an environment, as well as working independently on contract assignments.
How to apply. Please send by email a cover letter, resume, and representative examples of code (e.g. links to open-source code and web-based user-interface design portfolio) plus the contact information for three references. Applications should be addressed to Hilmar Lapp, Assistant Director of Informatics, NESCent (hlapp@nescent.org). In the cover letter, please describe your availability for work between now and May 2010 along with information on the rate (or rate range) to be charged. Further inquiries about the position may be directed to Mr. Lapp by email or phone (919-668-5288).
Additional information. NESCent (http://www.nescent.org); Phenoscape (http://phenoscape.org)
Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Sharing, Preservation, and Stewardship of Scientific Data
A position is available for a postdoctoral associate or senior researcher interested in studying issues related to sharing, preservation and stewardship of scientific data. The position is based at NESCent and associated with the Dryad and DataONE projects. Dryad is a digital repository that aims to preserve research data underlying "small science" publications in ecology, evolution, and related disciplines while DataONE is an NSF-funded virtual center with the goal of developing and promoting cyberinfrastucture for the long-term preservation and use of diverse and complex and diverse scientific data. Dryad is a member of the DataONE network.
Position description:
The postdoctoral researcher is expected to undertake research that is aligned with the missions of Dryad and DataONE, and to provide expertise for the community engagement and technical implementation goals of these virtual organizations. Potential areas of focus include: issues in preservation such as data replication, migration and metadata quality; issues in sustainability of data repositories; the roles and interactions of individual scientists, journals/publishers, institutions, and the variety of disciplinary repositories; attitudes and practices in data reuse and citation; awareness and education about digital data issues among domain scientists; overcoming social and technological barriers to data deposition among scientists; user interface design and usability testing; the balance of automated systems and manual curation in ensuring metadata quality.
The position is initially offered for one year, with extension anticipated provided progress is satisfactory and funding remains available. Starting date is negotiable. Travel will be required several times a year to project meetings and for attendance/presentation at conferences.
Qualifications:
Candidates should have (or soon have) an advanced degree (minimally MS, preferably PhD) in Information Science, Scientometrics or a related field, excellent communication skills and demonstrated creativity, productivity, and intellectual independence.
How to Apply:
Send a C.V., including contact information for three references, and a brief statement of interest to tjv@bio.unc.edu. Inquiries about suitability for the position are welcome.
Additional information: NESCent (http://www.nescent.org), Dryad (http://datadryad.org), and DataONE (http://dataone.org)
