Vacancy: Director, Mountain Societies Research Institute - UCA

Duty station: CAO, Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic
Deadline: 02 March 2015

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The new Director of MSRI will advance the research institute to become a leading research centre on mountain societies. Research at UCA fits the definition of applied and action research that is in line with the more contemporary world of academic and/or practice based publishing. Today, a pragmatic orientation to research is not only relevant for policy formulation but necessary for effective undergraduate and graduate education. Knowledge creation at MSRI must be leveraged to improve the circumstances of the various stakeholders of the mountain societies in which UCA operates. Research must be practical and meet the internationally rigorous standards of design, implementation, and subsequent knowledge dissemination. Failure to meet such standards would diminish the possibility of publishing the findings, produce a flawed curriculum, and ultimately of little import for policy and practice.

The Director of MSRI must espouse this definition of research as he or she leads the development and implementation of MSRI’s strategic plan including: 

• Assess present and emerging research themes of MSRI and develop a strategy for the Institute in the short term and long term future to enable it to increase its publishing footprint while deepening its commitment to practice based research that informs policy and practice;
• Strengthen and develop new key research streams that will enable MSRI to have the greatest impact on “mountain societies” research and development;
• Enable MSRI to be pursue its integrative and interdisciplinary research enabling it to serve as a bridge with a larger number of international organizations, local communities, local governments and even emerging scientists. 
• Further develop research links between MSRI and UCA’s other research institutes such as the Institute for Public Policy and Administration and the Central Asian Culture and Humanities Unit
• Establish and sustain a research culture in MSRI, i.e. one that encourages knowledge sharing via (1) regular meetings where key researchers/academics from UCA engage in discussion of design and implementation of research projects; (2) establishing formal mechanisms for internal peer reviews of research and funding proposals; (3) by developing and monitoring quality standards of research processes and outcomes; (4) by inviting well known, successful scholars and development professionals in mountain research to share their work and ideas with faculty and staff at MSRI; and (5) by encouraging faculty in MSRI to participate and organize conferences and symposia on mountain societies.
• Develop a publication strategy to allow MSRI to pursue projects that not only have regional relevance and interest, but are conducted with the rigour necessary to allow them to make contribution to the global knowledge repository via peer reviewed journal articles in recognized publications
• Strategically engage in research partnerships with national, regional, and international institutions (i.e. universities, research institutes, development agencies).
• Ensure the institute is engaging in research that is balanced across UCA’s catchment areas including Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, and areas in Northern Pakistan and Western China
• Substantiate MSRI’s relevance to communities, government and other actors through engagements and interventions that translate sound, evidence based research into development practice and provide results of applied research to local communities for direct action.
• Work with the Dean of Academic Affairs (responsible for the School of Arts and Sciences that will be established shortly) and Dean of the Graduate School of Development to hire faculty that will be strong Earth and Environmental Science Teachers and Researchers
• Ensure that MSRI and the School of Arts and Sciences work in tandem, mutually supporting applied research and curriculum development seamlessly merging teaching and research at UCA; to meet the meet the needs of mountain societies of the twenty-first century, senior institute staff need to be strong teachers committed to effective applied research. 
• Develop a strong strategic vision that can potentially influence donor priorities in Central Asia allowing MSRI to develop a multi-term fundraising strategy in collaboration with UCA senior management and the fundraising unit for regional research and development; including the transition of MSRI to Khorog, Tajikistan.
• Facilitate MSRI’s collaboration with relevant agencies within the Aga Khan Development Network in the region and internationally. 
• Oversee internal and external communication of MSRI’s activities; 

Required Qualifications and Experience 

Education

• PhD in a relevant field in earth and/or environmental sciences, natural resource management, geography

Research 

• Minimum of 10 years of relevant experience leading research projects through the publication lifecycle; 
• Experience working on cross country research projects with scientists located in different countries;
• Demonstrated track record of research publications in strong international, national and regional journals;
• An active research agenda in the broad area of earth and environmental sciences;
• Experience publishing both qualitative and quantitative research studies;
• Experience implementing different research methods, and statistical analyses;
• Experience working on cross-disciplinary research projects that produce publications and reports for different agencies;
• Knowledge of the greater Central Asia region (including China, Afghanistan and Pakistan).

Leadership

• At least 5 years of experience leading a research institute;
• Experience mentoring at least 5 doctoral students and post-doctoral fellows;
• Demonstrated management, communication and leadership skills in a senior university administrative/research position;
• Flexibility and ability to work and manage in a start-up environment of a new institution in a challenging environment.

Teaching

• At least 5 years of experience teaching undergraduate and graduate students;
• Demonstrated track record of successful classroom teaching;
• Experience developing new courses and upgrading existing courses.

Mentorship

• Experience formally and informally training young faculty;
• Experience providing feedback to colleagues in the review process as they go through the experience of publishing.

Fundraising and Networking

• Successful track record of raising external funding ;
• A strong network among academic, development, and donor organizations;
• A dense personal network of academics who balance teaching and research in the broader areas of Earth and Environmental Science;
• A strong network of colleagues that work on mountain society research;
• An international network of academic contacts.

Language

• Fluency in English
• Working knowledge of Russian and/or a Central Asian language; and knowledge of a second European language are desirable.

Please send a cover letter, CV, and contact information for three references to hr.recruitment@ucentralasia.org  by 2 March 2015.
Please also indicate earliest available date.
​Early applications are encouraged. Ideally, the University is seeking the incumbent to begin in the summer of 2015, but is negotiable.