We seek a postdoctoral fellow for a project under development on the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology at the University of California, Berkeley. If funded, the position will run from July 2008 through June 2010. We invite applications from interested scholars in the history, philosophy, and sociology of science, including Ph.D. candidates who will have degree in hand by June 2008.
The MVZ
The MVZ, founded in 1908, is one of the premier academic natural history museums in the American West. It is a research-oriented museum without public displays. The MVZ has a long history of contributions to evolutionary biology, biogeography, and vertebrate natural history, as well as close interactions with the National Park Service and California wildlife conservation.
The MVZ has a strong sense of history, going back to its founding director, Joseph Grinnell. It maintains a rich historical collection of correspondence, field notebooks, photographs, and maps, many of which are integrated into its online bioinformatics systems. It has already been featured in several well-known studies (e.g., Star and Griesemer 1989, Griesemer 1990, Griesemer and Gerson 1993, Stein 2001).
A short history of the MVZ is available at http://mvz.berkeley.edu/History.html.
The Project
Our project is a collaboration among a historian (Cathryn Carson), a sociologist (Elihu M. Gerson), a philosopher (James R. Griesemer), and the MVZ's director, a biologist (Craig Moritz). We intend to take up the museum's history from multiple angles, exploring how this form of scientific organization stimulated and responded to far-reaching changes in the larger life science enterprise.
If the project is funded, we will strongly encourage the postdoctoral fellow to contribute to the intellectual shaping of the entire project. For a fuller project description, please contact Cathryn Carson (clcarson@berkeley.edu).
Postdoctoral Position
We seek a postdoctoral fellow with a background in the history, philosophy, or sociology of the life sciences in twentieth century America. Relevant research experience can include evolutionary biology, ecology, museums, or vertebrate zoology. We will give preference to candidates able to commit to take the position in July 2008 and remain with us for two years.
The postdoctoral position is contingent on funding. Word on the status of the position will be available after the project undergoes review by the National Science Foundation. Information about the candidate will be required for the proposal to be submitted to NSF in August 2007.
To apply, send a cover letter describing your interest, availability, and expertise; a c.v.; and a relevant writing sample, published or unpublished. Please send electronically by Tuesday, May 15, 2007, to Cathryn Carson (clcarson@berkeley.edu).
