Colleague,
I write to ask your help in identifying an individual to direct the
National Academies' Committee on the Human Dimensions of Global Change,
or CHDGC. (The National Academies is the formal name for the National
Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the
Institute of Medicine.) I do not need to emphasize the size and scope of
the issues we face in climate change, energy policy, and the
environment. This committee is the flagship group representing the
social sciences on environmental issues in the Academies. The committee
works to advise on research on human interactions with the biophysical
environment with an eye to improving public policies to meet national
objectives in this area.
The Academies have appointed a distinguished new chair of the committee,
Richard H. Moss of the University of Maryland's Joint Global Change
Research Institute. At present, the committee is searching for a new
staff director to lead its important studies and help organize the
committee. I know from having worked with people in such positions that
they are extremely interesting, challenging, and important.
* **I would be grateful if you could help identify a good director for
the committee*. Do not hesitate to suggest yourself if this is a
position that would interest you! You can email me any suggestions. I
have pasted a copy of the job description at the end of this email.
The Academies will consider candidates who may not be immediately
available, but, if a top person were to be available soon, it could be
decided quickly.
Thanks for your help,
William Nordhaus
Sterling Professor of Economics, Yale University
National Bureau of Economic Research
Member National Academy of Sciences and Advisory Committee
on the Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education
=======================================================================
*Director, Committee on the Human Dimensions of Global Change*
The National Academies' Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and
Education seeks a Director of its Committee on the Human Dimensions of
Global Change. Established in 1989, the Committee provides national
leadership to improve scientific understanding of the social and
economic aspects of climate, environment, and natural resources so that
decisions that affect changes in them can be better informed and so that
society can better adapt to the changes. The Committee convenes studies
of how human activities affect such changes, of social and economic
consequences of them, and of how humans can adapt to the changes or
otherwise mitigate their risks.
The Committee also works with other Academies committees to advise the
U.S. Global Change Research Program and other units of the federal
government concerned with human-environment interactions. In addition,
the Committee serves as the U.S. National Committee to the International
Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change.
The Committee's membership includes eminent scientists and national
experts in a broad array of fields relevant to the sciences of
human-environment interaction. These fields include elements of the
various behavioral and social science disciplines and of the
environmental and earth sciences and engineering, as well as
interdisciplinary fields such as decision science; environmental
management; sustainable development; impact and vulnerability
assessment; risk analysis, communication, and perception; ecology;
public health; and public policy.
The Director, in close collaboration with the Chair, senior staff, and
members of the Committee, provides intellectual leadership by
identifying current and emerging issues of global change where social
science research could clarify problems and lead to potential solutions;
by developing workshops, conferences, and studies by separate panels of
experts; and by seeking funds for these activities from federal
government agencies and public and private foundations. The Director
supervises the Committee's staff and represents the Committee in global
change communities and before Congress, heads of government agencies,
the media, and the public.
The Committee's recent work has focused on supporting decisions for
public policy on climate and global change and on setting new directions
for research. The Committee's work has resulted in influential and
widely acclaimed reports, including /Informing Decisions in a Changing
Climate/, /Public Participation in Environmental Assessment and Decision
Making/ and /New Directions in Vulnerability, Adaptation, and Impacts
Assessment/, and contributed to other influential reports, such as
/Restructuring Federal Research to Meet the Challenges of Climate
Change/ and the suite of /America's Climate Choices /studies. For
information on the Committee's activities see
www.nationalacademies.org/hdgc.
The successful candidate will have a keen interest in and broad
knowledge of environmental social science and substantial experience
working at the intersection of research, policy, and practice. A
doctorate and ten years of related professional experience are required,
as are demonstrated superior talents, skills, and abilities in
networking and relationship building, project development and
fundraising, communication and writing, and management and leadership,
together with a willingness to work with distinguished scientists and
policy makers in a team environment.
Received on Mon Oct 18 2010 - 19:16:50 EDT
