ACADEMIA

The National Science Foundation's new Office of Cyberinfrastructure (OCI) announces a nationwide search to fill a number of Program Director positions in the OCI. We seek individuals with demonstrated multi-disciplinary expertise to further build a creative, responsive, diverse, and intellectually driven team to continue to meet the Office's responsibilities to its community and the nation. The closing date is July 1, 2006. The Office of Cyberinfrastructure supports the development, acquisition, and operation of state-of-the-art cyberinfrastructure resources, providing cyberinfrastructure services that promote otherwise unrealizable advances in 21 st century science and engineering research and education. These state-of-the-art tools and services also serve as engines for innovation, seeding the development of innovative cyberinfrastructure products in a range of application areas. OCI also supports the scientific and engineering professionals who create and maintain these cyberinfrastructure resources and systems, and who provide the nation's researchers and educators with essential cyberinfrastructure services. The OCI also plays a leadership role with all other parts of the NSF and other domestic and international research funding agencies to help achieve the vision found in NSF's Cyberinfrastructure Vision for 21 st Century Discovery available at http://www.nsf.gov/od/oci/ci_v5.pdf. NSF Program Directors bear the primary responsibility for carrying out the Agency's overall mission: to support innovative and merit-reviewed activities in basic research and education that contribute to the nation's technical strength, security, and welfare. To discharge this responsibility requires not only knowledge in the appropriate disciplines, but also a commitment to high standards, a considerable breadth of interest and receptivity to new ideas, a strong sense of fairness, good judgment, and a high degree of personal integrity. Qualification requirements include a Ph.D. or equivalent professional experience in cyberinfrastructure areas such as distributed sensor systems/observatories, software/middleware engineering particularly in highly complex large systems, high performance computing systems and application, networking and distributed systems, very large scale data/information management and tools, social and technical architecture of virtual organizations, and visualization/HCI. We are particularly seeking people who span cyberinfrastructure areas and a disciplinary application area in science or engineering research or education. Candidates should also have six or more years of successful research, research administration and/or substantial managerial experience in academe, industry, or government. We also expect knowledge of the general scientific community, skill in written and oral technical communication, and several years of successful independent research of the kind normally expected of the academic rank of associate professor or higher. All appointees are expected to function effectively both within specific programs, as well as in a team mode, contributing to and coordinating with organizations in the National Science Foundation, and with other Federal and State government agencies and private-sector organizations. Successful candidates will have the ability to lead, motivate and work well with multi-disciplinary professionals in the science, engineering and education communities. The Program Director position recruited under this announcement may be filled under one of the following appointment options: * Visiting Scientist Appointment.Appointment to this position will be made under the Excepted Authority of the NSF Act. Visiting Scientists are on non-paid leave status from their home institution and appointed to NSF's payroll as Federal employees. NSF withholds Social Security taxes and pays the home institution's contributions to maintain retirement and fringe benefits (i.e., health benefits and life insurance), either directly to the home institution or to the carrier. Appointments are usually made for up to one year and may be extended for an additional year by mutual agreement. * Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA) Assignment. Individuals eligible for an IPA assignment with a Federal agency include employees of State and local government agencies or institutions of higher education, Indian tribal governments, and other eligible organizations in instances where such assignments would be of mutual benefit to the organizations involved. Initial assignments under IPA provisions may be made for a period up to two years, with a possible extension for up to an additional two-year period. The individual remains an employee of the home institution and NSF provides funding toward the assignee's salary and benefits. Initial IPA assignments are made for a one-year period and may be extended by mutual agreement. * Temporary Excepted Service Appointment. Appointment to this position will be made under the Excepted Authority of the NSF Act. Candidates who do not have civil service status or reinstatement eligibility will not obtain civil service status if selected. Candidates currently in the competitive service will be required to waive competitive civil service rights if selected. Usual civil service benefits (retirement, health benefits, life insurance) are applicable for appointments of more than one year. Temporary appointments may not exceed three years. For additional information on NSF's rotational programs, please see "Programs for Scientists, Engineers and Educators" on the NSF website at http://www.nsf.gov/about/career_opps. Those interested in serving as a Program Officer in the OCI should send a letter of interest and qualifications, together with a current resume to: Dr. José L Muñoz Deputy Office Director Office of Cyberinfrastructure National Science Foundation 4201 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 1145 Arlington, Virginia 22230 Phone: 703/292-8970 Fax: 703/292-9060 Email: jmunoz@nsf.gov Questions may also be addressed to Dr. Muñoz. The NSF will continue to play a leadership role in the development and support of a comprehensive cyberinfrastructure essential to 21st century advances in science and engineering research and education. The new Office of Cyberinfrastructure is a critical component of this leadership and we invite you to consider joining us in this exciting and important venture. Yours truly. Daniel E. Atkins Office Director (effective 6-5-06)