Director of ASU Biocollections
Director of ASU Biocollections
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Job Description
The School of Life Sciences (SOLS) at Arizona State University (ASU) invites applications for the Director of the ASU Biocollections with a concurrent appointment as a tenured associate or full professor. The anticipated start date for this position is July 1 2025. The successful candidate will provide inspirational vision quality leadership and sound management for one of the fastestgrowing biological collections in the US. The unique partnership between ASUs Natural History Collections and the NSFfunded National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) Biorepository offers unprecedented opportunities for innovative research education and outreach.
The Director of Biocollections will lead according to the principles outlined in the ASU Charter. The successful candidate will promote a dynamic longterm vision for growth collegiality transparency and clear communication within the Natural History Collections NEON and across ASU while buildingconsensus around shared objectives and new opportunities. We are seeking exceptional candidates who meet the expectations for appointment at the rank of Associate or Full Professor at ASU.
About the School of Life Sciences
With more than 100 fulltime faculty members and excellent undergraduate and graduate training programs the School of Life Sciences (SOLS) has wideranging expertise across the biological sciences. SOLS supports and encourages multiple interdisciplinary research initiatives. ASU offers an attractive startup package with highly competitive conditions of employment. The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and SOLS value our cultural and intellectual breadth and continually strive to foster a welcoming and inclusive environment. ASUs stimulating and highly collaborative environment provides access to stateoftheart equipment and core facilities.
The ASU Natural History Collections supported by SOLS and located in the same building as the NEON Biorepository together rank among the largest collections of Sonoran Desert biota in the world There are nine subcollections: Insects (over 2 million pinned specimens) Fossil Plants 10000 specimens) Amphibians and Reptiles 40000 specimens) Fish 22000 lots) Lichens 115000 specimens) Mammals 10000 specimens) Mollusks 140000 specimens) Birds 2000 specimens) and Vascular Plants (over 315000 specimens). The collections play a vital role in the universitys teaching research and public outreach functions including lab and fieldbased courses taught by collections faculty and staff members.
The NEON Biorepository( is an archive of biotic and abiotic samples collected through the National Ecological Observatory Network a continentalscale longterm ecological observatory funded by the National Science Foundation. The observatory became fully operational in 2019 and is expected to collect and distribute research samples for 30 years. Each project year the Biorepository at ASU will receive process store and make available for research an average of 100000 environmental and biological samples collected at 81 ecological sites across the United States including Alaska Hawaii and Puerto Rico. Sample types include DNA extractions frozen soil samples bulk terrestrial arthropod samples pinned insects (mosquitos and ground beetles) herbarium vouchers vertebrate specimens and more. Invertebrates are the largest NEON collection and offer extensive research possibilities. With an estimated collection of over 1 million samples and specimens by 2026 there are enormous research opportunities for those interested in arthropods and vectorborne diseases. NEON is currently moving forward with approximately 8000 square feet of expansion to accommodate growth.
About The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is the academic heart of Arizona State University committed to improving communities on a local national and global scale. We support the professional development and growth of our faculty and staff in their cuttingedge research to advance these aims. Within The College our faculty engage with a large curious student body guiding them as they grow into socially aware critical thinkers and writers able to succeed in a wide range of careers and to address the challenges of the twentyfirst century. Advancing the success of our students remains our top priority. To learn more about The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences please visit .
About Arizona State University
ASU exemplifies a new prototype for the American public research university. As articulated in the ASU Charter ASU is a comprehensive public research university measured not by whom it excludes but by whom it includes and how they succeed; advancing research and discovery of public value; and assuming fundamental responsibility for the economic social cultural and overall health of the communities it serves.
Required Qualifications:
- PhD in a natural sciences discipline or related field
- A record of distinguished scholarly research sufficient to merit appointment at the level of Associate or Full Professor with tenure at ASU
- Experience directing curating and/or managing biological collections and/or collections data
- Demonstrated commitment to working with faculty and staff members students and external communities to advance the principles of the ASU Charter
Desired Qualifications:
- Strong leadership skills with the ability to inspire and manage a varied team
- Innovative vision and enthusiasm for the future of collectionsbased and interdisciplinary biodiversity research
- Experience in developing and implementing longterm strategic plans for the growth and sustainability of biological collections or collections data resources
- Demonstrated excellence in teaching and mentoring
- Experience with and potential for public engagement and outreach
- Strong record of extramural funding
- Demonstrated successful management of project timelines and budgets especially regarding complex collaborative projects
- Demonstrated development and growth of research infrastructure or services
- Evidence of leadership experience in an interdisciplinary program or Center and/or administrative experience within a School Department College or Program
Required Experience:
Director
Employment Type
Full Time
