University of Montana extends deadline for Native American Research Lab director

Note: I wrote a story in 2007 about Michael Ceballos for the Missoulian. Ceballos is the current NARL director. It was an assigned daily news story and I was not in a position to verify Indian descent claims made by Ceballos. — Jodi Rave

Also, I’ve had a busy summer, so my apologies for a dearth of postings. I am back online… — Jodi Rave

The University of Montana Native American Research Laboratory (UM NARL) was established in 2007. The primary mission of NARL is to provide advanced “hands-on” research opportunities to Native American students in a highly interdisciplinary and inter-tribally as well as inter-culturally diverse training environment, guided by culturally relevant faculty role models and mentors. Although UM NARL is dedicated to serving Native American students, the participation of non-Native and international students is also a priority to facilitate intercultural exchange.

Broadly, the mission of the NARL laboratory includes serving as a training facility to provide research-training opportunities for all students in STEM disciplines, through collaborative interactions with UM faculty and programs within and outside of the university. Currently, UM NARL is equipped as a microbiology, molecular biology, and biochemistry research facility with several active, federally funded projects that provide a broad spectrum of research opportunities for student researchers with diverse interests.

The UM NARL Director will also have a key support role in the University’s Alfred P. Sloan Indigenous Graduate Partnership (SIGP) program. The UM SIGP provides scholarships for indigenous students pursuing advanced degrees in the STEM. Within the SIGP program, the NARL director will focus on recruitment and retention, as well as serve on the program’s steering committee. Position is expected to establish vigorous funded research program and coordinate the administration activities of the NARL program.

Position duties include, but are not limited to:

• Develop and maintain a robust individual faculty research program, the success of which will be demonstrated through acquisition of significant extramural support and publication in peer-reviewed scientific journals.
• Teach select science-based courses (at least one course per year) at both the undergraduate and graduate level.
• Support the Sloan Indigenous Partnership (SIGP) program at The University of Montana in identification, recruitment and retention of Indigenous graduate students in STEM disciplines.
• Develop and maintain a pipeline for the SIGP program by identifying and recruiting Native American undergraduate students to The University of Montana, with a focus on those who qualify for undergraduate minority research and training program support and fellowships in science-based programs.
• Develop and maintain a set of diverse and interdisciplinary research opportunities for students in STEM fields (e.g., areas of study that that have historically been of interest to the target population served by NARL include general biology, microbiology, biochemistry, biophysics, biomedical sciences, and conservation sciences).
• Establish, organize, and direct summer research experience programs for UM NARL and acquire extramural funding to support such programs.
• Develop and expand international research opportunities for UM NARL students.
• Direct and oversee the daily activities of UM NARL.
• Acquire extramural support/funding to enhance and expand UM NARL.
• Develop and maintain domestic and international research collaborations with other academic institutions, government entities, and private companies that will enhance opportunities for NARL students and contribute to achieving the aforementioned duties.

The successful candidate for the UM NARL director position will be expected to maintain a robust individual faculty research program, develop and maintain interdisciplinary projects and collaborations that provide research training opportunities for students with different research interests, interact with the Graduate School and multiple departments across campus to facilitate opportunities for Native American science students, and enhance and expand all aspects of UM NARL activities.

The administrative appointment as NARL director will be up to 0.5 FTE within the Graduate School, and the tenure-track faculty appointment will be at least 0.5 FTE as Assistant or Associate Professor in the Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, which would welcome applications in the area of STEM-based health disparities research, and/or in the Division of Biological Sciences. The locus of tenure would reside with the department(s) whose discipline matches closely with that of the successful candidate.