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Category: Jobs

Position Announcement: Assistant Professor of Environmental and Natural Resource Economics

This position might be of interest to readers of this blog:

Assistant Professor
Environmental and Natural Resource Economics
Department of Applied Economics
University of Minnesota

This position is open to candidates with interests related to environmental and resource economics. Current topics of interest include water resources, air and water quality, land use, fisheries, forestry, biodiversity conservation, climate change, renewable energy, integrated natural science and economic modeling, and the interplay between agriculture and the environment.

Candidates will be expected to demonstrate an ability to carry out the following:

a) Develop a leading nationally and internationally recognized research program related to environmental and resource economics with a strong emphasis in the application of quantitative methods and economic theory to timely and relevant environmental and natural resource topics. Residing in a leading Tier 1 research university, the individual will be expected to develop strong and productive disciplinary and interdisciplinary research programs with our vibrant linkages to programs in the Institute on the Environment, Water Resources, Conservation Biology, School of Public Health, Carlson School of Management, Humphrey Institute on Public Affairs, Academic Health Services (Medical School, College of Veterinary Medicine), Law School, and related departments within the University, as well as our non-governmental, government and business constituents.

b) Teach courses at the graduate and undergraduate level in environmental and natural resource economics, and possibly applied microeconomic theory core courses, quantitative methods courses, and interdisciplinary courses in environmental and resource sciences and management. Develop classes that will fit into the overall teaching needs of the Department of Applied Economics and be consistent with his/her research program.

c) Provide leadership for the department’s programs, engaging in development of teaching and research programs to move the department in innovative, productive and relevant research and educational activities.

d) Develop successful grant proposals and work with interdisciplinary research teams, drawing upon expertise in environmental and natural resource sciences, forestry, agricultural, public health, fisheries and wildlife, ecology, climatology and other areas in the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences and the broader University, to conduct research and deliver knowledge to a wide range of audiences.

Contact

Jay Coggins
(612) 626-5411
enr@umn.edu

For more information on how to apply, click here.

Postdoctoral Fellowship at UC Davis

I  received the following announcement from the Index Insurance Innovation Initiative, which is funding my work on index insurance for cotton producers in Mali:

The BASIS Assets and Market Access Collaborative Research Support Program at the University of California, Davis seeks to hire a post-doc in economics or agricultural economics to assist with the development and implementation of its research program on risk and insurance. BASIS and its sister Index Insurance Innovation Initiative (I4) currently have ten rural insurance pilot projects underway. There is burgeoning interest in determining whether and how index insurance instruments can be used to solve long-standing development problems associated with uninsured risk, and the newly refunded BASIS program anticipates funding additional research in this area using its core grant funds from the US Agency for International Development. In addition, we expect opportunities to develop further research in this area by working directly with USAID’s missions worldwide.

Working in collaboration with the BASIS director, Michael Carter, and USAID staff, the Post-Doc will engage in a program of outreach to USAID missions. We anticipate that the results of these visits will be further demands for technical analysis of possible index insurance solutions and research project design. The post-doc will have ample opportunity to participate and direct resulting research programs on this topic. In addition to these research activities, the post-doc will take responsibility for preparing a set of “how-to” briefs explaining index insurance issues and options for practitioners. The post-doc will interact and may collaborate with the full team of I4 researchers, which includes faculty members and researchers at a broad range of institutions, including Australian National University, the Universities of Athens, California-Berkeley, California-Davis, California-San Diego, Colorado, Cornell, Duke, Namur, Oxford, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the International Food Policy Research Institute, and the International Livestock Research Institute.

The position requires a PhD in economics and agricultural economics. Prior research on agricultural risk and insurance is highly desirable, as is experience with impact evaluation of complex programs. Excellent writing and communication skills are a must. Funding is available for up to five years, although it is anticipated that most individuals will want to hold the position for only a fraction of that time period. The position will require extended trips to various world regions several times per year. Interested individuals should send an application letter describing qualifications, a CV, a list of references and a research paper to ifour@ucdavis.edu. Questions may also be directed to that address. Applications must be received by 1 March to receive full consideration. The position will be available by 1 April 2012, although it is expected that most candidates will not be available to start the position until mid-year.

Facebook and Signalling: Are There Negative Consequences to not Being on Facebook?

From a letter to the editor published in last Saturday’s New York Times:

[O]ne big concern I have not seen discussed is whether not having a Facebook page is a liability.

An acquaintance recently told me that his church had hired a new minister. The final decision on which of two excellent candidates to hire came down to their Facebook pages. Presumably, candidates without Facebook pages didn’t get a second look.

Are we at the point where low Internet presence equals low job prospects?

We’ve all heard theories according to which Facebook is an enabler of narcissism, but this raises an interesting point regarding Facebook’s signalling potential.