Title: PROFESSOR IN PALEOBOTANY, UNIVERSITY OF OSLO,
NORWAY
PROFESSOR IN
PALEOBOTANY, NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUMS AND BOTANICAL GARDEN, UNIVERSITY
OF OSLO, NORWAY.
Position is vacant for Professor in Paleobotany
(macropaleobotany), Geological Section, Natural History Museums and
Botanical Garden, University of Oslo, Norway. The position is part of
a plan to increase the proportion of female professors at the
University of Oslo and is thus open only to women.
Applicants must have a Ph.D. or equivalent. In adddition to scientific
competence, museum and teaching experience is essential. The position
is subject to the university employment rules where it is expected
that work load be divided between research, museum duties and
teaching, and administration.
Details and Description of position
The Geological Museum is situated within the University Botanical
Garden, off-campus, at Tøyen on the east side of the city. The
museums of Geology, Zoology, Botany, together with the Botanical
Garden form an administrative unit, with a Director and elected board
of representatives under the central University administration.
Teaching of geology at all levels, is coordinated by the Geological
Institute, Faculty of Science, situated on the west side of the city
at Blindern. Staff at the Geological Museum have undergraduate
teaching responsibilities at Blindern and post-graduate and doctoral
teaching and supervision at Tøyen.
The scientific staff in paleontology consists, at present, of two full
Professors, two Associate Professors and a fixed term (usually 3
years) doctoral position. The bulk of scientific collections
consists of Palaeozoic invertebrate fossils from the Oslo Region
together with those of all ages from the the polar regions. A recent
acquisition includes both macro- and microfossils from the Norwegian
continental shelf. The paleobotanical collections include Palaeozoic
material from Norway including Spitsbergen, Greenland, Ellesmere
Island, Novaya Zemlya, Central and Southern Africa. These collections
have been without a responsible curator for many years and so the
successful candidate is expected to curate and expand them. A Ph.D.,
or equivalent, in the field of macropaleobotany is therefore
necessary.
In selecting the successful candidate, a scientific committee will pay
particular attention to:
* Scientific merits: judged from evaluation of work submitted
in the form of publications. Attention will also be paid to science
administrative experience, project initiatives and project
leadership.
* Museum qualifications: The successful candidate should
document experience of curatorial work, popular science and inititives
in relation to the public.
* Teaching: Attention will be paid to the candidate's teaching
experience, and supervision at undergraduate, postgraduate and
doctorate levels and other forms of lecturing such as seminars and
laboratory course work.
Research: The scientific staff in paleontology had formerly a
long tradition for studies of fossil plants and it intends to renew
and support this in the future.
Collections: The collections contain more than 1.5 million
specimens including over 1.500 type specimens of fossil plants. The
successful candidate will have the responsibility for using these in
research, displays and teaching.
Displays: The palaeontological section has two exhibition halls
with displays covering such topics as systematics, evolution and
themes of special or topical interest. Fossil plants have been
particularly neglected and new displays of these for the public will
be given priority.
Public service: This involves identification of fossils for
amateurs, qualified assistance to other museums, government agencies
and private persons, acquisition of new fossil material by loan and
exchange, popular lectures for the public inside and outside of the
museum, and participation in radio and television programmes.
It is the museum's intention to raise the standard of public service
in cooperation with other organisations such as museums, schools and
centres of higher education.
University teaching: It is expected that the successful
candidate will take part in undergraduate teaching at the Geological
Department, Faculty of Science together with postgraduate teaching and
supervison at the Geological Museum for students and doctoral
candidates.
In the event that all the applicants are found not qualified for the
professorship as advertised, then it is possible that the most
potential will be offered the choice of a short term engagement
(professor-stipend) for a period in which to become qualified.
The length of this period will not exceed 3 years.
Four copies of the application with curriculum vitae together with
scientific publications and a complete list of all documents
submitted, should reach the following address by 15 December
2001: University of Oslo, The Natural History Museums and
Botanical Garden, Attn.: Director Professor Elen Roaldset, Box 1172
Blindern, N-0318 Oslo, Norway.