Temporary Lecturer in Human Dimensions of Endangered Species

Institutional Mission:  

SFS creates transformative study abroad experiences through field-based learning and research. Our educational programs explore the human and ecological dimensions of the complex environmental problems faced by our local partners, contributing to sustainable solutions in the places where we live and work. The SFS community is part of a growing network of individuals and institutions committed to environmental stewardship.

Position:  Temporary Lecturer in Human Dimensions of Endangered Species

Reports To: 

• Center Director, Center for Endangered Species Conservation
• Dean, Office of Academic Affairs

Location: Kimana, Kenya

• Candidates must have pre-existing work authorization or be a Kenyan national to be considered.

Contract Dates: January 15, 2025 – May 15, 2025

Compensation/Benefits:  

This is a temporary contract position to cover an employee’s leave for the Spring 2025 academic semester. Salary is dependent on experience and qualifications. On-site room and board, and all meals provided while the academic program is in session.

Position Summary:  

The SFS Center for Endangered Species Conservation, located in Kenya, seeks an enthusiastic, team-oriented individual to serve as part of a team of faculty and staff that delivers an interdisciplinary, hands-on learning experience to students spending a semester in Kenya. On a contract basis, the Lecturer in Human Dimensions of Conservation will deliver the 50-hour Human Dimensions of Endangered Species Conservation course during the spring semester. Additionally, during spring, they will co-teach the 50-hour Directed Research course with other faculty members, leading a faculty-developed directed research project with a small group of students. SFS Kenya has a thematic focus on wildlife and natural resource management and community livelihoods and well-being in the rift-valley of rural Kenya.

SFS programs are field-based and experiential. This position will engage students in a classroom and through extensive time spent in the field. We encourage faculty to integrate as much fieldwork and hands-on experience into their courses as possible.

SFS programs do not follow a nine to five model. Faculty are also integral members of the Center’s communal living model, eating and working with the student cohort.

Faculty are expected to be active members in the community-building process. Additional responsibilities outside of teaching may include participation in community engagement days, involvement in student life, organization of laboratory space, and general Center upkeep. We are especially interested in candidates with experience teaching to a diverse student body, and demonstrated commitment to diversity, inclusion, and cultural competence in a learning environment, conservation, and the Center’s host community.

Center Focus:  

Kenya’s spectacular wildlife, diverse ecosystems, and tribal communities face environmental threats such as climate change and decreased availability of important natural resources. Our research focuses on understanding these threats and their impact with the primary emphasis on wildlife and their ongoing resource needs. In the Maasai Steppe of southern Kenya, finite resources are stretched in many directions. With continued human expansion and fragmentation of wildlife habitats, the immense pressure on this resource will only continue to grow.

Through coursework, field exercises, and Directed Research, students will study people’s dependence on wildlife and other natural resources, examine the threats to the environment and to social networks, and explore the tools and strategies for mitigating the threats and promoting well-being among communities. A strong component of the program will be examining the ecological patterns and processes that underpin the high diversity of wildlife in the region.

SFS Position on Diversity and Inclusion: 

SFS was founded with the belief that stewardship of our planet is the responsibility of people all around the world. Addressing complex global issues requires the active inclusion of stakeholders with varying perspectives and identities. We recognize that to successfully address threats to our natural world, we must look beyond social constructs designed to divide us. Just as we value biodiversity in all its forms, we value and engage with a multitude of diverse perspectives and people in the countries where we work and the students and staff we serve.

Duties and Responsibilities:

SFS Lecturer positions are different than many other university teaching positions. Lecturers are integral members of the Center’s communal living model. The faculty team works closely and collaboratively to deliver a field-based interdisciplinary program, where programming days can be long and active. In addition to providing high quality, inquiry-based teaching, faculty also participate fully in student life and in the implementation of the Center’s research plan. The publication of both student-assisted and independent research results is encouraged and supported.

Teaching 

• As part of an interdisciplinary teaching team, teach and co-teach the Human Dimensions of Endangered Species Conservation course and Directed Research courses, respectively. Course descriptions are found below.
• Plan, revise, and effectively deliver a challenging, problem-based interdisciplinary curriculum to learners from diverse disciplinary and cultural backgrounds
• Organize lectures, prepare course materials, and adhere to a daily academic schedule in a timely and professional manner
• Actively support and counsel students on academic issues
• Prepare, administer, and grade assignments, quizzes, and assessments
• Supervise and mentor a student research group during the Directed Research course
• Maintain an organized course portfolio
• Participate in preparation of final reports, academic handbook revisions, and other required administrative tasks
• Maintain equipment as required for teaching in the field

Research  

• Participate in the development and upkeep of the Center’s Strategic Research Plan (SRP) and conduct designated and aligned independent research
• Identify appropriate components of the SRP suitable for student DR projects that prioritize community needs and build on local knowledge networks
• Prepare research results for community stakeholders and broader scientific and non-scientific audiences using accessible communication methods
• Assist, as required, with reviewing program research policies, priorities, and budgets
• Follow data management, record keeping, and reporting systems
• Represent SFS and/or present research at local, regional, or international meetings and conferences

Daily Center Life 

• Work flexible hours and live on site or nearby the field station with a small team of permanent staff and groups of US undergraduate students.
• Contribute to the creation of a living-learning community that is inclusive of diverse perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds, in which all learners have the opportunity to thrive
• Actively model skills in competence, awareness, and knowledge necessary for meaningfully working with, interacting with, and learning from others who may differ from oneself in identity and/or lived experience
• On a rotating basis, act as on-call “staff of the day/week”
• Participate in the planning of activities and semester calendar prior to the start of the program and in training for new program staff
• Participate in and lead parts of the orientation and re-entry components of the program presented to students at the beginning and end of each program
• Participate in regular evaluations and reflection discussions following students’ departure
• Take part in, and occasionally lead, community outreach events, site upkeep projects, and field activities
• In cooperation with other program staff, provide day-to-day coordination of interns and/or field assistants as delegated by the Center Director
• As requested by the Center Director, assist with other logistical, group management, and administrative tasks
• At all times, work to ensure good relations between the SFS and the local community
• Drive standard transmission vehicles and boats as needed (driving license may be required)
• Any other duties as assigned by the Center Director

Safety and Wellbeing 

• Take responsibility, as an individual and as a member of the Center team, for the safety of all program participants
• Complete Risk Management Plans in a timely fashion for each field outing
• Participate in resolving group management issues and student discipline problems
• Adhere to, actively model, and enforce all SFS and program policies and procedures, including the values of the SFS Position on Diversity and Inclusion
• Participate in the review and revision of program risk assessment and management plans
• Know the emergency procedures plan for the field station, including evacuation plan
• Participate in the safety portions of the on-site orientation and conduct safety briefings for students and/or staff
• Complete incident reports when appropriate and contribute to safety audits.
• Obtain Wilderness First Aid certification prior to first day of work (SFS support and reimbursable available) and ensure first-aid certifications are kept up to date

Minimum Qualifications:

• Candidates must have pre-existing work authorization or be a Kenyan national to be considered.
• M.S. and university-level teaching experience in areas related to conservation sociology or human dimension relationships, or related field.
• Experience teaching international students (preferably U.S. students)
• Field research experience, preferably in the fields of conservation or sociology.
• Experience with Maasai or other pastoral communities in community resource conservation
• Demonstrated commitment to creating inclusive learning environments
• Demonstrated ability to work as part of an interdisciplinary teaching and research team
• Track record of research publications
• Experience teaching classes in the field
• Demonstrated commitment to environmental issues
• Fluent in English (all courses taught in English)

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Experience working in East Africa (Kenya is preferred)
• Ph.D. in areas related to conservation sociology or human dimension relationships, or related field.
• Experience teaching field courses
• Comfort with camping in the parks and other field expeditions in the field
• Enjoys working with others, taking the initiative, and functioning without close supervision
• Experience with residential student group management and/or risk management
• Experience cross-teaching or collaborating on projects
• Able to operate standard transmission vehicles and boats (driving license may be required)
• Track record of grant writing success
• Current First Aid, CPR, and/or Wilderness First Aid certification
• Fluent in English

Expectations for Faculty Conduct: The School for Field Studies strives to create and maintain a work environment in which people are treated with dignity, decency, and respect. The SFS environment is characterized by mutual trust and the absence of intimidation, oppression, and exploitation. SFS will not tolerate unlawful discrimination or harassment, including sexual harassment, of any kind. Through enforcement of this policy and by education of employees, SFS seeks to prevent, correct, and discipline behavior that violates this policy.

All offers of employment at The School for Field Studies Kenya are contingent upon clear results of a thorough background check. Background checks will be conducted on all final candidates and on all employees as deemed necessary.

Course Descriptions: 

Human Dimensions of Endangered Species: Conservation is a deeply human endeavor in multiple dimensions. Humans influence nature that they are part of, and nature also plays a role in shaping humans social, economic, and political world. Conservation cannot, therefore, be fully understood and practiced from a pure natural science perspective. Exploring human dimensions of conservation, using heuristic tools and concepts from social sciences, is indeed essential in realizing the desired holistic approach needed to restore biodiversity to pre-1970s levels. This course will focus on the human dimensions of conservation of endangered species in Kenya and Rwanda. The course will examine and expand students’ understanding of the multiplex relationships between people, endangered species and their environment, including associated natural resources. In the process, it will explore how people’s behavior, values and knowledge influence and are affected by decisions on management of endangered species. The overarching question to be addressed is how to achieve a healthy interaction between politics, economics, cultures and technology so that populations of endangered species are conserved and restored in a manner that values humans wellbeing as well. The course will use a wide range of social sciences knowledge and tools, but mostly Anthropology and Political Ecology, to effectively incorporate societal values into conservation planning, technology and decision-making. Students will also learn human dimensions concepts, the tools and methods that can be used in conservation research, outreach and communication.

Directed Research: This course provides students with the opportunity to apply ecological, biological, and/or social-scientific methods to a field research project that addresses a local issue related to the environment. We will also investigate the ways that various methods and theories distinguish (or don’t) fact from interpretation, cause from correlation, and advocacy from objectivity. The directed research topics are derived from the SFS Center’s Research Plan as defined by the Center staff and local stakeholders. Through the Directed Research project, students will contribute to a growing body of scientific research that informs local conservation and resource management decisions. SFS program lecturers lead a small group of students in this research component of the program.

Applicants are encouraged to review the full course syllabi and programs descriptions on the SFS website: Endangered Species Conservation – School for Field Studies

To Apply: Submit a cover letter and resume outlining relevant experiences via the online application on the SFS Careers page at https://fieldstudies.catsone.com/careers/

Equal Opportunity Employer:

SFS is committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all persons regardless of race, color, religion, creed, caste, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetics, sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, national origin or ancestry, ethnic origin, or veteran status.