Marine Veterinarian Research Postdoctoral Fellowship

IMPORTANT:  This Advertiser has requested that applicants MUST be National Residents / Valid Work Permit-holders.  Other applicants need not apply.

 

Mote Marine Laboratory (Mote), an independent not-for-profit institution established in 1955, has recently adopted a new 2020 Vision & Strategic Plan that includes as one of Mote’s four core priorities, “Ensure the long-term prosperity of the research enterprise through focused staff recruitment and nurturing programs.”This notice announces the availability of a newly establishedMarine Veterinarian Research Postdoctoral Fellowship position. 

 The new Postdoctoral Fellow is expected to begin in the first half of 2013, but exceptional candidates with a firm expectation of graduation by summer 2013 will be considered. The full-time position includes an annual salary of $55,000. Health insurance is also provided, with family options. Benefits include an opt-in retirement plan with employer matching, leaves for holidays, illness, and vacation, and other benefits. The Fellowship position will be for a period of two years (assuming appropriate first-year progress).  The Postdoctoral Fellow will also have an established researcher assigned to serve as a dedicated mentor, will receive office/laboratory space and will have full use of Mote’s well-equipped marine mammal and sea turtle rescue, rehabilitation and hospital facilities and instrumentation.

The Marine Veterinarian Research Postdoctoral Fellow represents a “hybrid” professional whose commitments and responsibilities involve both the conduct of cutting edge science and the care and well being of the AZA-accredited Mote Aquarium living collection, including animals on public display and those housed as patients in the NOAA-certified Mote Sea Turtle and Whale and Dolphin Hospitals. The successful candidate will be selected based on their ability to not only support the needs of the Mote Aquarium’s variety of marine life according to AZA requirements and the NOAA-certified Mote marine mammal and sea turtle standings and hospital programs, but also the potential to strengthen and diversify the Laboratory’s significant existing research expertise by establishing their own innovative research initiatives that address Mote’s new 2020 Vision & Strategic Plan.  Exemplary Fellows may be invited to join Mote as Staff Scientists upon completion of their initial two-year appointment. 

 The Postdoctoral Fellow will have responsibility to (a) provide tangible linkages between research (e.g., contaminants and biomarkers of effects; immunology; toxicology) and animal care; (b) play a primary role for medical care of Mote Marine Laboratory’s collection animal; and (c) provide guidance for the Mote animal medical staff, trainers and other Aquarium Division personnel who work with different species. Therefore, the Postdoctoral Fellow will report to both the Senior Vice President for Research and the Vice President for Education, Aquarium and Public Outreach, and be expected to work especially closely with the Mote Rehabilitation and Medical Care Coordinator.  The Postdoctoral Fellow is expected to write proposals, manage projects and budgets, conduct data analyses, write technical reports, and prepare scientific manuscripts for peer-reviewed journals and/or books.  The incumbent is also expected to remain current in his/her field of study, and interact with the professional community through a variety of forms of communication, including attending professional conferences and symposia. 

 As an independent, nonprofit, mission-based organization, Mote’s greatest strength has been its ability to define its own agenda and research based on our communities’ needs and our scientists’ expertise.  Mote is committed to being a leader in nationally and internationally respected research programs that are relevant to conservation and the sustainable use of marine biodiversity, healthy habitats and natural resources.  We envision a comprehensive and integrated Mote enterprise with research, innovation and public education and outreach programs that are among the most creative and fruitful in the world. 

 Mote’s research extends throughout the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea, and tropical to polar environments. The main 10 acre campus is headquartered on Lido Key in Sarasota, Florida, with a nearby 200 acre inland marine aquaculture research park; in Charlotte Harbor (Lee County- southwest Florida) with a fisheries research station, and on Summerland Key (Monroe County- Florida Keys) with a Tropical Research Laboratory.  Mote’s existing research programs include behavioral ecology & physiology, benthic ecology, biomedical research, chemical and physical ecology, coral reef ecosystem research, coral reef science & monitoring, dolphin research, ecotoxicology, environmental laboratory for forensics, environmental health, fisheries habitat ecology, manatee research, marine & freshwater aquaculture research, marine biomedical research, marine immunology, marine mammals & sea turtles, marine microbiology, marine stock enhancement, ocean acidification, phytoplankton ecology, sea turtle conservation & research, sensory biology & behavior, shark biology, and marine stranding investigations. The Laboratory also includes a marine policy institute. Program details are available at www.mote.org.

 Mote is part of a growing marine research enterprise zone on the Florida Gulf coast that includes the Gulf of Mexico Alliance and three National Estuary Programs (Tampa Bay, Sarasota Bay, Charlotte Harbor), Southeast Regional Headquarters of the NOAA National Marine Sanctuary Program including the Florida Keys, Gulf of Mexico Fisheries Management Council, Florida Wildlife Research Institute, USF College of Marine Sciences, SRI, U.S. Geological Survey’s St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, and numerous national wildlife refuges and state aquatic preserves.  Mote is also a member institution of the Florida Institute of Oceanography and Florida Sea Grant.

 The Aquarium at Mote Marine Laboratory opened in 1980 as the public outreach and educational arm of the Laboratory.  The Aquarium’s living collections include more than 200 species of fish and invertebrates.  Marine mammals and sea turtles housed at the Marine Mammal Center include West Indian manatees, a pan-tropical spotted dolphin, loggerhead sea turtles and green sea turtles.  The Aquarium also operates a Mobile Exhibit that is a self contained tractor trailer sized traveling exhibit which includes a saltwater aquarium and touch tank.  Several offsite aquariums are also maintained by Aquarium staff, including a 6,000-gallon tropical reef exhibit at the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport and a 4,000-gallon aquarium at the main branch of the Sarasota County Library.  Mote’s Sea Turtle and Whale and Dolphin Hospitals have established an international reputation for excellence in care and treatment of diseased and injured animals, as well as for the frequency with which such individuals recover and are successfully reintroduced into the wild. 

 

APPLICATION

 

Recent PhD graduates, those with firm expectation of graduation with doctoral degrees in BOTH veterinary medicine AND biology, chemistry or a related field by summer 2013, and others with prior postdoctoral experience are invited to apply. 

 Applicants must be eligible to work in the US in 2013. A complete application will be a single pdf file containing:

-- A letter of interest and availability including employment status

-- Academic transcript of doctoral studies

-- Copy of the PhD and DVM degrees (Persons with a firm expectation of graduating by summer 2013 may apply.)

-- Curriculum vitae

-- A 2-page essay describing the applicant’s intended research program and mentor (See Note 1)

-- Three representative journal publications (in press or published)

-- As appropriate, the name and contact information of major professor and/or postdoctoral supervisor, and

-- Names of 3 references including their complete contact information

 Novel media other than pdf essential to an individual’s application may be submitted.

 In fairness to all applicants and reviewers, only complete applications will be accepted. Address cover letters to the Postdoctoral Search Committee Chairman. Applications are due by COB 15 December, 2012, to humanresources@mote.org, using the subject line “Postdoctoral Application.” Finalists and alternates are expected to be notified on or before February 1.