ICIMOD MOUNTAIN CHAIR
Call for Applications

I. BACKGROUND

The Himalayan University Consortium (HUC) was founded in 2007 with a mandate to develop an effective, sustainable network of universities in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) for collaboration with academic, research, and knowledge generating and exchange institutions both within and outside the region. Since 2014, when HUC became an emerging regional programme of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), the Consortium has expanded its network to 60 full members in eight HKH countries and 17 associate members in other Asian countries, including members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Initial activities such as small/seed grants, exchange/mobility grants, and PhD/doctoral fellowship programmes have increased ownership and commitment among HUC members. A number of common interest clusters and thematic partnerships have also been formed.

The HUC Steering Group recognizes that there is a need to promote scholarly leadership among senior researchers and professors of the Consortium’s members who serve as catalysts to foster inter-university research and training collaboration for sustainable mountain development (SMD) in the HKH. Drawing on existing good practices such as the UNESCO Chair in Sustainable Mountain Development (University of the Highlands and Islands, United Kingdom and University of Bern, Switzerland), the Iqbal Professorial Fellowship (University of Heidelberg, Germany), and the intensive mentorship offered by world-renowned scholars to regional researchers within the South Asian Network for Development and Environmental Economics (SANDEE), the HUC Steering Group developed a Concept Note for the ICIMOD Mountain Chair and secured a strong endorsement for it at the HUC Annual General Assembly Meeting in New Delhi, India in October 2016. With generous initial support from the ICIMOD Foundation, the first implementation period runs from 2017 to 2022.

II. OBJECTIVE

The ICIMOD Mountain Chair is an honorary title given by the Selection Panel led by the HUC Steering Group to persons who currently hold a full-time teaching and/or research position in an HUC full member institution. The term of the ICIMOD Mountain Chair is for two years. The goal is to promote inter-university cooperation and enhance institutional capacities through knowledge-sharing and collaborative research and training for sustainable mountain development (SMD) in the HKH region. The ICIMOD Mountain Chair title enables the incumbent to conduct or finalize a study on SMD issues from transboundary or comparative perspectives in her/his home university and with other HUC members. This allows the Chair to take the lead in bringing a mountain focus to curriculum development and promoting regional collaboration through scholarly exchange activities such as lecture tours and conferences within and beyond the region.

III. EXPECTED OUTCOMES

The ICIMOD Mountain Chair title is expected to create a stream of senior scholars who serve as catalysts for regional collaboration in research and training on mountain-specific issues in the HKH. Exchange of knowledge, enhanced collaborative research capacity, and high quality scholarly publications or other forms of knowledge production are expected end results.

IV. REQUIREMENTS AND BENEFITS

Candidates for the ICIMOD Mountain Chair title must have an excellent track record and substantial experience in HKH mountain issues. They must currently hold a full-time teaching and/or research position preferably at an HUC full member institution (Annex I). The Chair may spend a large portion of her/his time at a home institution but must be willing to spend three to six months engaging in scholarly exchange at ICIMOD and in at least one other HUC member institution outside their country. The Chair is strongly encouraged to present her/his research at international conferences during their term and attend the HUC Bi-annual Meeting in conjunction with international conferences.

The ICIMOD Mountain Chair title is awarded for 24 months, starting at the beginning of the academic year in the country of the honoured. A budget of USD 10,000 is allocated for the term in order to provide the incumbent with the finances needed to carry out the proposed activities. Expenses for regional and international travel undertaken as Chair will be covered additionally but should not exceed USD 3,000 per year without roll-over.

V. APPLICATION, SELECTION, AND ADMINISTRATION

Applications for the ICIMOD Mountain Chair position will be invited once every two years through open competition. Applications from among HUC full member institutions (Annex I) is preferred but not mandatory. The five-member Selection Panel will consist of representatives from the HUC Steering Group, the ICIMOD/ICIMOD Foundation Board, and independent subject specialists. A rigorous selection process will review each candidate’s track record, publications, and achievements.

Women and candidates from less-represented ICIMOD Regional Member Countries are strongly encouraged to apply.

Interested candidates who meet the criteria outlined above are expected to write to the HUC Secretariat requesting an application package. They are expected to then fill up the application and submit a proposal specifying research, publication, training, and/or scholarly exchange activities, and a list of higher education institutions in the HKH that they plan to visit during their term as Chair, if honoured with the title. Candidates who do not make it are encouraged to try again the following year for a maximum of two consecutive years.

The ICIMOD Mountain Chair is administered by HUC-ICIMOD. The HUC Secretariat is responsible for annual reporting.

VI. TIMELINE AND CONTACT DETAILS

Deadline for Applications: 25 August 2019

Selection notification: 05 October 2019

Contact: huc@icimod.org

Annex I: HUC Full Member Institutions

Afghanistan

Eshraq Institute of Higher Education

Kabul University

Kabul Polytechnic University

Kandahar University

Nangarhar University

Bangladesh

Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology

East West University

Rajshahi University

University of Chittagong

Bhutan

Royal University of Bhutan

Ugyen Wangchuck Institute for Conservation and Environment

China

Institute for Mountain Hazards and Environment

Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research

Kunming Institute of Botany

Lanzhou University

Northwest University

Qinghai Normal University

Sichuan University

Southwest Forestry University

Southwest Minzu university

UNIDO International Solar Energy Centre for Technological Promotion and Transfer

Xinjian Institute of Ecology and Geography

Yunnan Agricultural University

Yunnan Minzu University

Yunnan University

India

A P Goyal Shimla University

Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment

C S K Himachal Pradesh Agricultural University

Forest Research Institute

G B Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment and Sustainable Development

H N B Garhwal University

Kashmir University

Kumaun University

Mizoram University

National Institute of Hydrology-Roorkee

Shri Guru Ram Rai University

Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences

Sikkim University

Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology

South Asian University

Tata Institute of Social Sciences

TERI School of Advanced Studies

Wildlife Institute of India

Myanmar

University of Mandalay

Yangon University

Yezin Agricultural University

Nepal

Agriculture and Forestry University

Far Western University

International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development

Kathmandu University

Pokhara University

Tribhuvan University

Pakistan

Agriculture University Peshawar

COMSATS Institute for Information Technology

Karakorum International University

PARC Institute of Advanced Studies in Agriculture

Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University

University of Chitral

University of Peshawar

University of Swat

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ICIMOD Mountain Chair – Application Form (DOCX, 90KB)

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