The Society for the Study of Evolution (SSE), on behalf of the Joint ASN/SSB/SSE council, seeks a member of one or more of our societies to help plan and run our annual scientific conference – the Evolution meetings. The meetings are coordinated by one or more Chief Meeting Officers (CMOs), academics who oversee all aspects of the meeting and who are responsible for final decisions about schedules, activities and venues, in consultation with a tri-society Joint Meeting Committee (JMC) and the larger ASN/SSB/SSE Joint Council. The CMOs also act as the principal liaisons with a Professional Conference Organizer (PCO), whose responsibilities include executing the logistics of conference management, interactions with vendors and service providers, and helping identify and negotiate contracts with future meeting venues.
We are currently seeking an Assistant Meeting Officer who will help the CMO(s) with organization, including interfacing with society councils and other stakeholders, producing the scientific program, and providing academic insight to help guide the work of the PCO. The Assistant Meeting Officer’s primary responsibilities will be for the in-person meeting, although some engagement with the virtual meeting may also be requested. Specific duties will be determined by the CMO and the JMC, in consultation with the AMO. Assistants normally serve a 3-year term and, if interested, may transition into the lead CMO role at some point, with approval of the JMC. Helping run our meetings is an important and valuable service to our societies and our field which is largely a volunteer effort, but the AMO will be given a stipend of $5000/year in appreciation. All meeting attendance costs will also be covered, as well as any other costs associated with carrying out meeting responsibilities.
The time commitment is variable but is expected to average a few hours per week, ramping up at certain times depending on particular tasks and in the month preceding the meeting. Much of the time is spent in electronic communication and virtual meetings, but there are also some duties at the conference.
This position is best suited to someone who has attended several of our recent meetings, has academic organizational and leadership experience, enjoys teamwork, and would find it rewarding to serve the societies by fostering dynamic and high-quality meetings. We welcome expressions of interest; please email these to evolution.meetings@gmail.com with 'AMO position' in the subject and include any relevant experience and a CV. These will be reviewed starting on July 1, 2024, so that the new AMO can work on the 2025 meeting (to be held in Athens, GA from June 20-24). There are no geographic restrictions, nor citizenship or residency requirements, but attendance at the 2025 and subsequent meetings is expected and in-person attendance at the 2024 meeting would be an asset.