Legacy

Nearly 40 years have passed since Harbor Branch was founded, but the two elemental guiding principles – ocean exploration and innovation – remain unchanged. Founders J. Seward Johnson, Sr., and Edwin A. Link shared a passion for exploring the seas, and Link, whose submersibles revolutionized undersea work, was an innovator with few peers. Today, our faculty includes marine science leaders who continue to make landmark discoveries, and inventive engineers who conceptualize and develop novel solutions for a broad spectrum of ocean-related issues. The executive director will assume leadership of an organization with a robust sense of purpose.

Opportunity

Harbor Branch stands at a particularly pivotal point in its history. A period of uncertainty for the Institute has been replaced by an era of optimism and opportunity driven by the support of a university that is determined to expand its research portfolio, and that envisions Harbor Branch as a strategic driver of that growth. With campuses that span nearly 100 miles of Atlantic Ocean coastline, Florida Atlantic University is committed to building a marine science, engineering, and technology powerhouse whose scientific impact extends worldwide, and whose economic impact serves as a potent driver of regional growth. Supported by the resources of the university, the Institute is better able to leverage its strengths in pursuit of its mission.

FAU also offers the opportunity of broader integration through its interdisciplinary organizations such as the Greater Everglades Research Initiative, the Center for Ocean Energy Technology, and the Florida Center for Environmental Studies. From its beginnings in 1964, FAU was envisioned as a progressive institution unencumbered by some of the trappings and expectations of traditional higher education systems. The executive director can count on solid support from the University along with the flexibility to achieve mutually defined goals.

Technology

Beginning with the Johnson-Sea-Link submersibles, technology at Harbor Branch long has both supported and been the subject of research. Our engineers enable science through development of tools such as sensing and sampling platforms, and advance it through research on undersea optics and communication. Development and deployment of manatee protection systems in Florida’s navigation locks have helped conserve an endangered and beloved species. We’re also aiding sustainable energy research by providing engineering support and environmental impact assessments to FAU’s Center for Ocean Energy Technology. Our engineers have built a legacy of overcoming obstacles to advance marine science, and the executive director will ensure the vitality of this rich tradition.

Science

From the start, Harbor Branch science has been dedicated to helping humans conserve and wisely use marine resources, and conservation is the primary focus of our marine ecosystem health programs. Areas of study include coral and oyster reefs and the variety of life that lives on and above them, nutrient pollution leading to harmful algal blooms, marine mammal health and conservation, and seagrass and salt marsh plant viability. Our Indian River Lagoon Observatory combines multiple study areas with engineering expertise to support a multidisciplinary approach to research and conservation of a nationally important ecosystem. Aquaculture research is geared toward easing pressure on our fisheries and producing species for food, stock enhancement, and ecosystem restoration. The focus of the marine biomedical and biotechnology program is on isolating and characterizing natural compounds with therapeutic potential, a program that dovetails with the state of Florida’s massive investment in biotechnology and biomedical enterprises such as the Burnham Institute in Orlando and the biomedical cluster at FAU’s Jupiter campus that includes Scripps Florida and the Max Planck Institute. Beyond the development of current Harbor Branch research programs, the executive director will be expected to facilitate expansion into complementary areas of marine science and technology.

Responsiveness

Over the years, Harbor Branch has demonstrated the ability to respond quickly and effectively when our expertise is needed most. Our ships and subs were instrumental in unraveling the cause of the 1986 Challenger explosion, and we also helped the state of Florida establish clam farming as a new livelihood for fishermen displaced by a legislative ban on certain fishing practices. As the Deepwater Horizon oil spill continues to unfold, Harbor Branch stands ready with a response strategy that is part of Florida’s overall plan to deal with potential impacts of the worst ecological disaster in U.S. history. In addition to acute responses, we are well-positioned, through our technology and ocean health programs, to carry out the research required to mitigate undersea and coastal ecosystem damage. The executive director will ensure that Harbor Branch remains ready to act when the need arises.

Place

The 130-acre Harbor Branch campus is situated on a nearly mile-long canal that leads to the Indian River Lagoon, less than five nautical miles from the Fort Pierce Inlet. Much of the surrounding land is protected from development, contributing to the natural beauty of the setting. We are in the midst of a $44.6 million renovation and construction campaign, an outcome of Harbor Branch becoming part of FAU. As part of the project, several obsolete buildings have been demolished, renovations of existing buildings have begun, and construction of a new 18 lab line, 43,000 ft2 marine science laboratory building is underway and is due to be completed by September 2011. With the additional space, we will be able to accommodate approximately 12 new faculty members.

The campus is in the midst of Florida’s Treasure Coast, so named for the Spanish galleon wrecks found off its shores. We enjoy strong community connections by providing the location and curricular components for St. Lucie County’s marine science-focused high school, the Marine and Oceanographic Academy; through our Friends of Harbor Branch donor family; and by engaging the public with our free Ocean Science Lecture Series, events, and Ocean Discovery Center, a museum-style window into Harbor Branch research.

It was the presence of Harbor Branch, Smithsonian Marine Station, and University of Florida Institute of Food and Agriculture Sciences in the area that sparked the idea of positioning the Treasure Coast as Florida’s Research Coast. Since the mid-1990s, the Research Coast has become even stronger with construction of new facilities for organizations establishing or expanding their presence in the region including the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies, Oregon Health & Science University’s Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute, Scripps Florida, and Max Planck Florida Institute. This is an outgrowth of economic development strategies intended to garner the well-paying jobs, enhanced reputation, and outside investment associated with research organizations. It will be the executive director’s charge to ensure that Harbor Branch capitalizes on existing collaborations and forges new ones in this fertile regional environment.

People

The Harbor Branch family recently surpassed 145 research faculty, postdoctoral investigators, graduate students, and operations and administrative staff, all of whom vigorously pursue the benefits of marine research and conservation. The executive director will continue to recruit faculty and staff who thrive on addressing difficult scientific and technical challenges, embrace inter-disciplinary projects that include collaborators from all relevant parts of the university and partner institutions, and inspire and motivate others in pursuit of our organizational mission.

Partnerships

Harbor Branch continually seeks and works to develop collaborations with other organizations and agencies that lead to new research, intellectual exchange, and funding opportunities. Our partnerships with the state of Florida and U.S. Department of Agriculture have been geared toward aquaculture research for food and stock enhancement using sustainable farming practices, and we are working with the Georgia Aquarium to perform annual health assessments on wild bottlenose dolphins. In terms of ocean exploration, we have collaborated with the Waitt Institute for Discovery for research in the South Pacific, and we are looking forward to being among the first to explore Brazil’s coastal oceans beyond SCUBA depth through a partnership with Cepemar Environmental Group. Furthermore, the Institute was chosen in 2009 by NOAA to host the Cooperative Institute for Ocean Exploration, Research, and Technology, which is co-managed by University of North Carolina Wilmington. The right executive director will extend our reach further still.

Education

Harbor Branch’s marine science education history reaches back to the Institute’s early days, beginning with the Summer Internship Program in 1974 and the Postdoctoral Fellowship Program two years later. More recent additions include the Marine and Oceanographic Academy, the Semester by the Sea program for FAU undergrads, and graduate course offerings for the FAU Integrative Biology Ph.D. Program. As a consequence of the merger with FAU, we are beginning to bring more graduate students and postdoctoral investigators on campus, which will allow us to extend our educational reach and grow our research programs. The executive director will foster and develop this educational mission.

Investments

Innovation occurs most readily in an entrepreneurial environment, where the best solutions are enabled not only by successful grantsmanship, but also through the development of philanthropic support. The Institute is blessed with the support of the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution Foundation (HBOIF), a legacy of the founders’ decades-long commitment to Harbor Branch that exists to foster our work with the proceeds of its significant investments, currently valued at approximately $45 million. The executive director will serve as an ex officio member of the HBOIF board and participate actively in its fundraising and development efforts.

By virtue of a recapitalized HBOIF and other recent developments, Harbor Branch can now devote major resources to strategic growth initiatives, including faculty recruitment at all levels and a reinvigorated postdoctoral and graduate student program. The Institute also is prepared to expand its research support commitment for seed funding and new research tools. The executive director will be expected to play a leadership role in developing and implementing strategies for these initiatives.

To Apply

A complete job description and application instructions may be found at https://jobs.fau.edu. Please reference job number 980252. The applicant selected for the position must complete a background check prior to employment.

The application deadline is September 15, 2010.