Arid Land Research Center (ALRC), Tottori University, JapanVACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT
Foreign Research Scholar(Visiting Professor / Visiting Associate Professor)
Positions are available for foreign visiting professors / visiting associate professors starting from 1stDecember 2024 or 1st February 2025. Candidates interested in the position should contact any of theprofessors of the Arid Land Research Center (ALRC) to explore the possibility of their hosting them.
Once the host faculty member (see table 1) has agreed to host, the candidate should submit application,with all necessary documents, to ALRC, through the host professor within the deadline. Application
received after the deadline will not be considered.
A brief description of the program and the documents needed are given below:
1. Number of positions available: Two in all.
(The position could be in any of the categories listed at the top of the announcement.)
2. Application deadline:

Tuesday, 20 August 2024 (Due JST 17:00pm)

3. Duration of fellowship:

One year starting from 1st December 2024 or 1st February 2025

4. Qualifications and other requirements:(1) A doctorate degree;(2) Outstanding research achievements in developing solutions tothe problems related to desertification, drought or sustainable
development in arid regions;(3) Willingness to cooperate with the host faculty member in therelevant division of ALRC in the conduct of research here;(4) Assurance that the candidate would take up the assignment
once the offer is made by the ALRC. (Prior permission fromthe parent institution of the candidate would be needed.)
5. Documents needed:(1) Curriculum vitae (CV) on the required format. Please use theattached format in developing the CV and ensure that thedetails of the whole periods of your studies and work areindicated, without any gaps. This part is very important forevaluation of the candidature by the selection committee. A fullrecord is needed for computing the salary entitlement of thecandidate. If there are gaps in studies or work, these should beindicated. Be sure to fill details of any military service done byyou.
(2) Certificate of each degree obtained, or at least that of thehighest degree.
(3) Reprints (or pdf files) of selected 10 articles published ininternational journals with JCR Impact Factor listed in Web ofScience database (only "Article" or "Review" in "Document
Types" of Web of Science).
(4) A letter of recommendation from your host faculty member.
Please submit a detailed resume of your research and work
experience to your host faculty member, based on which he/shewould prepare the letter.
(5) A letter of recommendation from the Director or the Head ofthe Department of the parent institute.
(6) A clear but concise write-up of the research plan to be
executed by the candidate at the ALRC.

Table 1
List of faculty members
NameYasunori KUROSAKI
Takeshi TANIGUCHI
Reiji KIMURAMunemasa TERAMOTO
Haruyuki FUJIMAKI
Ping AN
Takayoshi ISHII
Atsushi TSUNEKAWA
Mitsuru TSUBO
Yoshihiko ISERI

Research Field
Dust Climatology
Microbial Ecology
Meteorology
Terrestrial Carbon Cycle
Irrigation and Drainage
Plant Ecophysiology
Plant Cytogenetics
Conservation Informatics
Climate Risk Management
Hydrology

General Information about the Visiting Research Fellowship Program
The visiting research professorship program for foreign professors is operated by the Arid Land
Research Center (ALRC) of the Tottori University. Senior scientists actively engaged in dryland
research are encouraged to apply. The general information about the program is given below.
1. Definition:

Visiting foreign research fellows are scientists of outstanding research achievement who wouldparticipate, on full time basis, with the Staff of the ALRC in jointly planned research in a specificarea of arid land studies.
2. Status:

Visiting foreign research fellow will be granted a status in the University equivalent to that of aJapanese counterpart for the period of the assignment. The Fellow would be conferred with the titleof Visiting Professor / Visiting Associate Professor depending on his/her qualification and researchexperience.
3. Duties:

Visiting foreign research fellow will participate with the University Staff in jointly planned researchin the context of the activities of the ALRC or other units of Tottori University.
4. Contract duration:

The period of employment will be one year.
5. Remuneration:

The monthly remuneration would be computed based on the qualification and professional experience,evaluated as per the prescribed criteria. Indicative figures are given in Table 2. The salary is subject
to upward revision in accordance with the regulations governing the salary adjustments for thepersonnel in General Service. Salary will be paid on a fixed date of each month (usually 17th day).
The salary is subject to income tax deductions. However, an exemption would be allowed for theindividuals coming from the countries with which a Tax Convention agreement of Japan exists and if
the status of the visiting fellow fits the requirement in the relevant article of the Convention.
Information on this can be obtained from the relevant tax authorities in the country concerned.

Table 2. Salary (Japanese Yen) for the visiting fellows based on the points scoredby them based on qualification and professional experience (as of January 2024).
Point1234567370,000
420,000
467,000
519,000
560,000
607,000
644,000

6. Mutual aid association:

Visiting foreign research fellows would become union members of the Mutual Aid Association at thetime of employment. Regardless of age, members are obliged to pay for health insurance, nursingcare insurance (aged between 40 and 64) and pension scheme. Upon return home, they can bereimbursed part of the contribution they have made as the Lump-sum Withdrawal Payment.
7. Travel expenses:

Travel expenses on taking up appointment:
These will be paid based on the most economical route and method of travel, whether by land, sea,or air, together with a fixed daily allowance. The actual travel expenses recognized as miscellaneous
travel costs include immunization fees, passport fees, visa fees, foreign exchange procurement fees,and immigration/emigration taxes. Documentary evidence of expenditure (e.g. air ticket, receipts forvarious fees, etc.) would be needed for reimbursement of these expenses. Travel expenses for family
dependents are not paid.
Travel expenses on return to home country:These are paid on the same conditions as above, but only if the period of contract has been completed.
8. Facilitation of visa for Japan:

The ALRC would need the following documents from the candidates in order to arrange a certificatethat will facilitate the issuance of Japanese visa to candidates in the country of their employment:(1) Photocopy of the passport(2) Application for Certificate of Eligibility(3) PhotographAn authorization certificate will then be sent to you on the basis of which the Japanese Consulate in
the country of the current residence of the candidate would issue the Japanese Visa.

9. Invitation and other procedures:

Once the application of a candidate has become successful, based on the evaluation of the documents
provided by the candidate, a formal letter of invitation will be issued by the President of Tottori
University. The invitation letter would spell out the terms and conditions of the assignment including
the position offered, period of assignment, title of research to be conducted, and the entitlement for
remuneration and travel expenses. Once the visiting research fellow arrives at the University to takeup the appointment as per the invitation issued by the President, a contract will be formally concluded
between the candidate and the President outlining the terms and conditions already mentioned in theletter of invitations and the obligations of the two parties. The contract will be made both in Japaneseand English and one copy of each will be retained by each party.