The Swedish Biodiversity Data Infrastructure (SBDI) consortium is looking for a Director. The application deadline is April 25.
The successful candidate will be offered a full-time position at the Swedish Museum of Natural History, combining duties as SBDI Director with related infrastructure work at the museum.
– I think this is one of the most exciting professional opportunities today in biodiversity and ecosystems research, says Fredrik Ronquist, Acting Director and Principal Investigator of SBDI. In recent years, new techniques—such as automated recording of sound and video and genetic sequencing of environmental samples—have made it possible to collect biodiversity data at unprecedented scales. Coupled with powerful techniques for big-data analysis, such as machine learning and AI, these developments open up completely new possibilities for biodiversity and ecosystems research.
We see more and more scientists taking advantage of these opportunities, and Sweden is at the forefront. It is not a coincidence that several Swedish projects have been awarded the GBIF Ebbe Nielsen Challenge prize in recent years. An important goal is to develop a systems-level understanding of biodiversity. This is all the more urgent, as humanity tries to address the enormous challenges of climate change, environmental degradation and sustainable development. And cutting-edge infrastructure is essential.
The recruitment of an SBDI Director has been planned for a long time, and is linked to the retirement of Anders Telenius from the positions as Node Manager of GBIF Sweden and Director of Biodiversity Atlas Sweden (BAS), the predecessor of SBDI (together with Swedish LifeWatch).
– On a personal note, I would like to thank Anders Telenius for his commitment and fantastic work as GBIF Node Manager and Director of BAS, and for supporting me during my stint as Acting Director of SBDI, Fredrik Ronquist adds. I must also say that it has been a true pleasure to work together with the skilled, talented and friendly staff of SBDI. Now I look forward to focusing on my role as scientific advisor to SBDI, and I also hope to be a good mentor for the new Director. Hopefully, I will also have more time to develop and promote research projects taking advantage of SBDI resources.
Read more about the position and apply here.
Contact: Fredrik Ronquist (fredrik.ronquist@nrm.se)