Society of Systematic Biologists

Systematics is the study of biological diversity and its origins. It focuses on understanding evolutionary relationships among organisms, species, higher taxa, or other biological entities, such as genes, and the evolution of the properties of taxa including intrinsic traits, ecological interactions, and geographic distributions. An important part of systematics is the development of methods for various aspects of phylogenetic inference and biological nomenclature/classification.

The objective of the Society of Systematic Biologists is the advancement of the science of systematic biology in all its aspects of theory, principles, methodology, and practice, for both living and fossil organisms, with emphasis on areas of common interest to all systematic biologists regardless of individual specialization.

Books recently reviewed in Systematic Biology, or written by members of the Society.

8–10 October 2012, Amphitheater of the INEE, 3 rue Michel-Ange, 75016 Paris.
The next annual meeting of the “Société Française de Systématique” (SFS ; http://sfs.snv.jussieu.fr/) will address the issue of "Systematics beyond phylogenetics". The meeting will emphasize the central but often underestimated role that phylogenies (and hence, systematics) play in modern evolutionary and comparative biology, through various techniques and in many fields (conservation biology, nomenclature, evo-devo, molecular evolution, etc.).

The College of Biological Sciences, University of California, Davis invites applications and nominations for a tenure-track position in the Department of Evolution and Ecology at the ASSISTANT level, with the possibility of ASSOCIATE appointment with tenure. Candidates must have a Ph.D. (or equivalent) in the biological sciences or related fields. They should have a strong record of integrative approaches to the evolution of organismal diversity. We seek candidates with expertise in the organismal biology/natural history of a multicellular group, and whose research uses genomic data in an explicitly phylogenetic context to address questions in macroevolution, ecology, behavior and/or development. The successful candidate will be expected to teach in the department's undergraduate program and in the Population Biology Graduate Group and should be committed to departmental service. Applicants should submit materials online at:

https://recruitments.ucdavis.edu/PositionDetails.aspx?PositionID=85&Title=Asst/Assoc-Professor-%28Tenure-Track%29

which contains additional information about the position. These should include: curriculum vitae, description of current and projected research, summary of teaching interests and experience, and up to five publications. Applicants should also provide the information requested for three referees. Once entered, referees will be prompted by email with upload instructions for their letters. Closing Date: Open until filled, but all application materials, including letters of recommendation, must be received by February 6, 2012, to assure full consideration. Administrative contact: Carla Munoz (camunoz@ucdavis.edu). Faculty contacts: Peter Wainwright, Michael Turelli, and Rick Grosberg. The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer with a strong institutional commitment to the development of a climate that supports equality of opportunity and respect for differences.

The American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in New York is inviting applications for a curatorial position at the Assistant or Associate Curator level in the Division of Vertebrate Zoology, Department of Ornithology. This is a tenure track position with the salary and duration of review for tenure being negotiable depending on the candidate's degree of professional experience and accomplishment.

We seek candidates whose research addresses fundamental questions involving the systematics and evolutionary biology of living birds. The successful candidate will have an accomplished record of scholarship and publication as well as capabilities for leadership within the Division and Department. Candidates who can contribute to Museum initiatives in genomics, phenomics (large-scale phenotypic analysis), and to the global exploration of avian diversity are especially encouraged to apply. Collection and/or field-based research are highly desirable. The ability to communicate effectively within the scholarly community and to a larger public is important. AMNH curators are expected to maintain a high level of productivity in original research, to provide curatorial oversight of relevant collections, and to seek extramural funding. Other responsibilities may include serving on committees and participating in Museum sponsored exhibits and educational programs, and in the Comparative Biology Ph.D. program at the Richard Gilder Graduate School. Candidates should have postdoctoral or professional employment experience.

The Distributed European School of Taxonomy (DEST, http://www.taxonomytraining.eu) provides a high quality training that prepares students for future taxonomic careers. Courses are open to participants from Europe and outside of Europe.

Upcoming courses within the Modern Taxonomy programme:

• DNA-Barcoding course (Paris, 19-23 March 2012)
• Basics of taxonomy: describing, illustrating and writing biodiversity (Kristineberg, 16 - 27 April 2012)
• Biological Nomenclature (Paris, 28 May - 1 June 2012)

Upcoming courses within the Expert-in-training programme:

• Entomological research in protected areas (1 week in May-June 2012, Firenze, Italy)
• Eco-ethological peculiarities and morphological taxonomy in defining uniqueness of island populations: Podarcis Lacertid lizards (1 week in June 2012, Aeolian Islands, Italy)

Have a look now as registration deadlines are getting near!

Olivier Gascuel and Jean-Michel Marin are co-=chairing a meeting on Mathematical and Computational Evolutionary Biology to be held June 18-22 at Hameau de l'Etoile in France. See website (http://www.lirmm.fr/mceb2012/) for details.

The subject is evolution, which is considered at different scales, from genes to populations. The focus is on the mathematical and computational tools and concepts, which form an essential basis of evolutionary studies. The rise of sound statistical and combinatorial approaches in evolutionary biology has seen considerable improvements of the original ad hoc methods and the ability of the new methods and algorithms to handle ever-larger data sets. Such advances involve increasingly sophisticated mathematical treatment of the problems at hand and the reliance on faster algorithms and powerful computers to answer important biological questions. To present these advances and to discuss open questions and problems, the meeting will bring together researchers originating from various disciplines: mathematics, computer science, phylogenetics and population genetics. Ten keynote speakers, two each morning, will introduce a field of research and discuss their own work in this field. Afternoon will be for short presentations and posters, with plenty of time for discussions. We will stop early every day, thus leaving time for hiking and visits. The number of attendees will be limited to favor exchanges (~60).

The Department of Zoology of the Institute of Biosciences of the University of Sao Paulo (Brazil) (http://www.ib.usp.br/) is seeking applications for two tenure-track Assistant Professor faculty positions: Developmental Biology (all fields) and Zoology (systematics, natural history and evolution of any group of metazoans or non-parasitic protists). Applicants must hold a Ph.D. degree in a field related to the position of interest and a demonstrated record of research productivity. The successful candidates will be expected to maintain a rigorous research program and contribute to undergraduate and graduate teaching. Applications should be submitted by January 7th, 2012.
Further information (including information for foreign applicants and/or holders of a foreign Ph.D.) can be obtained from: Dr. Pedro Gnaspini, Chair of the Department of Zoology, zoochefe@ib.usp.br.