2015 CSEAS Post-Doctoral Fellowship: Call for applications

DEADLINE: 20 May 2014

The Center for Southeast Asian Studies at Kyoto University, Japan, invites applications for a two-year CSEAS Post-Doctoral Fellowship under its program “Southeast Asia Studies for Sustainable Humanosphere.”

Southeast Asia, through its regional institution of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), has emerged as a hub for East Asia community-building. The highly diverse societies in this region have undergone rapid social, economic, and political changes that can only be understood if the local-global knowledges and experiences of their peoples, and the ways in which these knowledges and experiences are shaped by, and in turn shape, the ecologies, histories, and social relations in their respective habitats, are fully taken into account.

Working within the paradigm of “sustainable humanosphere” (for further discussion of the concept, visit Southeast Asia Studies for Sustainable Humanosphere), this research program seeks to promote sustainable development in Southeast Asia by analyzing the complex interactions between ecological and social environments in different localities; by developing strategies and techniques for managing social, political, economic, cultural and environmental challenges; and by creating a platform for dialogue and collaboration among scholars from across disciplines (including the natural sciences) in the region.

The objectives of the program are: to analyze structures of everyday life, with the aim of identifying social safety mechanisms that will enable people to cope with natural disasters, pandemics, ethnic and religious conflicts, poverty, inequality, aging, environmental degradation and other issues; to undertake ecological studies toward building sustainable environments and biomass-based societies; and to foster scholarship that can be a source of foundational knowledge for East Asia community-building.

Through this program, we strive to promote intellectual and academic exchanges and collaboration among Southeast Asia scholars in East Asia.

One post-doctoral fellowship will be offered in the Biomass Society research cluster:

Biomass Society: New Concept-Building for Sustainable Humanosphere:

The 21st century is the century of tropics. Renewable energy, including solar radiation and biomass in the tropics, will be fundamental energy resources for the global population and economies. Technological developments aimed at realizing a Low Carbon Society are accelerating. At the same time, competition over natural biomass resources for energy has emerged as a new and important issue, evident in the expansion of oil palm and artificial forest plantations in Southeast Asia.

The equatorial zone of Southeast Asia over Indonesia is the most active region of heat and water cycle in the world. This is especially so for the many islands of Indonesia and the shallow surrounding seas which provide a large-scale unique environment that is neither purely oceanic nor terrestrial, and has been termed the Maritime Continent. The Maritime Continent is the most suitable area for renewable energy production.

Southeast Asian countries are now confronting the challenge of developing, utilizing, and preserving their biomass resources. Based on the global changeovers of energy and economics, we aim to formulate a new concept to realize sustainable biomass society in Southeast Asia.

The postdoctoral fellowship will be for approximately two years, with a starting date of January 6, 2015. The fellowship is intended to provide an up-and-coming researcher with the time, space, and financial as well as institutional support necessary to produce outstanding scholarship that will promote the study of sustainable humanosphere in Southeast Asia.

We seek applicants with excellent academic backgrounds and research training who are willing and able to cross disciplines, who are strongly motivated to publish significant scholarship that fulfills the aims and purposes of the Center’s research program, and who can help expand and strengthen research networks in East Asia (Northeast and Southeast Asia).

Applications are open to scholars of all nationalities. We encourage applications from researchers with Ph.D.s or proof of a solid research and publication track record in biology, ecology, hydrology, climate science, fisheries science, environmental science, disaster science, natural resources, or related disciplines, with experience relevant to the theme outlined in the research cluster. Applicant must not be the recipient of a JSPS Post Doctoral Fellowship or similar programs at the time of employment.

Applicant must submit the following documents:

1. Application form  (please download it here: 2015 Postdoc Application Form )
2. Curriculum Vitae (must include information on language skills, both oral and written; list of international academic conferences and seminars participated in; fieldwork experiences; and list of research grants or fellowships obtained)
3. Complete list of publications (please indicate which ones are refereed)
4. Two recommendation letters
5. Samples of major publications (two samples with abstracts; electronic copies or photocopies/Xeroxes are acceptable)
6. Summary of scholarly activities and achievements (1200 words or less)
7. Statement of your research, writing, and publication goals for this fellowship, and your contribution to the research theme or topic(s) outlined by the research cluster that you wish to be a part of (1200 words)

Shortlisted candidates may be interviewed over Skype, and will therefore be requested to open a Skype account or provide the CSEAS with information regarding existing Skype addresses.

Documents can be submitted by email to postdoc@cseas.kyoto-u.ac.jp (please use “CSEAS fellowship” as subject heading) or by mailing printout copies to:

Center for Southeast Asian Studies

Kyoto University

Post-Doctoral Fellowship Program

46 Shimoadachi-cho, Yoshida

Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501

Japan

Note: Mailed hard copies should reach the Center by May 20, 2014, regardless of postmarked date.

For further inquiries, please contact us at postdoc@cseas.kyoto-u.ac.jp (please use “CSEAS fellowships” as subject heading)