The Vice Chancellor for Research is seeking a new Faculty Director of the five Central Sierra Field Research Stations: Sagehen Creek Field Station, Central Sierra Snow Lab, Onion Creek Experimental Watershed, Chickering American River Reserve, and North Fork Association Lands. Established in 1951 and situated on the eastern slope of the northern Sierra Nevada approximately 20 miles north of Lake Tahoe, the Sagehen Creek Field Station is a teaching and research facility, and serves as the hub for the Central Sierra Field Research Stations. The station is embedded within the 9,000-acre Sagehen Experimental Forest, which is cooperatively and collaboratively managed in a partnership between the University of California, the US Forest Service’s Pacific Southwest Research Station and the Tahoe National Forest. The surrounding Sagehen Experimental Forest is also available to researchers and to instructors with classes through an agreement with the Forest Service. (See more about Sagehen Creek on Instagram.)
Berkeley’s Natural History Field Stations are “living laboratories” where students and researchers can investigate the natural processes that underlie landscape dynamics, biological evolution, and ecosystem interactions. They provide large natural areas for teaching, research and public outreach. Six of Berkeley’s nine natural history field stations, including the Sagehen group, are part of the University of California Natural Reserve System.
The faculty director will serve as the supervisor for three CSFS staff members and will work in partnership with resident reserve directors to ensure the safe and productive operation of all of the Central Sierra Field Stations.
We invite nominations of tenured, highly qualified Berkeley faculty whose research and teaching are informed by interest in and commitment to the natural environment. The candidate should have a well-established research and professional reputation, leadership and administrative abilities, and the capacity and willingness to raise funds from competitive grant programs and philanthropic sources. The candidate should also be willing and able to travel at regular intervals to the stations. This appointment is for an initial five-year term and provides limited compensation. The anticipated start date is July 1, 2022.
Desirable Candidate Qualifications
The Director should have the leadership qualities to foster innovative research and field instruction among faculty and students, promote outreach, and sustain and expand financial resources to support existing and new infrastructure, research programs, and activities. These leadership qualities must include a commitment to promoting diversity, equity and inclusion while fostering a positive climate of collaboration and respect of staff. The successful candidate will ideally also have an interest in developing a research and/or teaching program at the Sagehen reserves. While involvement with the natural environment is key, the successful candidate’s research can be focused on any of a broad array of fields, including Biological and Environmental Sciences, Engineering, Social Sciences, appropriate Architecture, and/or Environmental Humanities.
Nomination Process
Please submit nominations by completing the online nomination form as soon as possible and no later than Thursday, February 3, 2022. Self-nominations are welcome. Upon receipt of nominations, the appointed search advisory committee will request that the nominees submit a letter of interest by Monday, February 28, 2022.