Research Fellow, Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum

Job Description

The successful candidate will work with Professor Peter Ng to manage the Secretariat of the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN).

The Executive Secretary of the ICZN (as “Secretary” in the following) is the only permanent staff of the ICZN Secretariat and is responsible for running the ICZN’s daily activities.

The Secretary has four main roles: -

1. Communication. The Secretary responds to enquiries on ICZN matters or refers them to an appropriate member of the Commission. The Secretary ensures that information on the Commission’s online media outlets is up-to-date and makes sure that Commissioners have access to ICZN correspondence and archives. The Secretary handles the transmission of information between NUS and the ICZN (viz., reports and finances).
2. Writing and Editing. The Secretary acknowledges all submissions to the Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature and works with the Editorial board to have these submissions reviewed, copy-edited upon acceptance, typeset by an external printer, proofed by the authors and published online (currently via Biotaxa and BioOne) as well as on the ICZN website. The Secretary prepares drafts of the text published by the Commission, including announcements, Opinions resulting from the regular voting on ICZN Cases, Official Corrections and updates on the ICZN website, before having them reviewed by relevant ICZN members. The Secretary prepares successive instalments of the Official Lists and Indexes of Names and Works in Zoology.
3. Administration. The Secretary is responsible for administrative duties arising in the routine activities of the ICZN. These include organising of and reporting on the regular voting on ICZN Cases as well as votes on other ICZN matters (amendments to the Code and Constitution; changes to the Bylaws), handling all Bulletin subscription matters, organising of meetings, recording of the minutes of meetings and the organising of and reporting on elections (Council and Commission).
4. Finance. The Secretary works with the ICZN President to plan the Secretariat’s expenditure for each financial year to ensure sufficient funds for all activities. The Secretary solicits quotations, creates purchase orders, and produces an annual financial report for the Commission. The Secretary also ensures that NUS registers and processes donations to the ICZN.

Information about the ICZN is available at https://www.iczn.org/.

Qualifications

1. MSc or PhD degree in a relevant discipline.
2. A demonstrated knowledge of and interest in the field of taxonomy and nomenclature.
3. Excellent skills in: -
   1. Scientific publication.
   2. Copy-editing.
   3. Written and oral communication using English.
   4. Organization of international networks.
   5. Interpersonal interactions.
   6. Demonstrated familiarity with tools for electronic communication, both with individuals and for groups.

More Information

Location: Kent Ridge Campus

Organization: Science

Department : Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum