This work may be seasonal, with periods of downtime.
Responsibilities
Duties of the Turtle Ecologist Support Specialist may include some, or all of the following:
This activity has tasks that may include the following analysis, statistical consultation, synthesis, and report writing on sea turtle ecology and population dynamics. Data could include those collected from captures, surveys, acoustic recording devices, tagging programs, health assessment programs, environmental sampling programs, photogrammetry, remotely operated vehicles, remote sensing, or from other sources. Methods could follow established protocols, or may need to be developed to address short-comings of current approaches, to include additional available data, or to address other changing needs. Needs may include the following types/topics:
- Statistical consultation on sea turtle studies
- Distribution and/or abundance estimates
- Animal behavior and ecology
- Health assessments, morphometrics, and/or physiological studies
- Simulation studies (which may include population dynamics, exploration of bias and uncertainty, management strategy evaluation, predictions over time)
- Spatial management
- Climate impacts
- Evaluation of ecological relationships between characteristics of protected species (abundance, distribution, and bycatch) and their physical and biological ecosystem;
- Stock identification, life history, and/or estimation of vital rates
- Anthropogenic impacts and/or stock assessment
- Comparisons between techniques or populations/groups
- Evaluation of accuracy, precision, bias
- Other conservation research
Field and lab support which may include:
- Prepare for field work and de-stage afterwards.
- Participate in or coordinate data collection in land-based programs or at sea field research.
- Interacting with live turtles or turtle carcasses may include the following: Pursue, handle, collect information, apply tags, necropsy.
- Participate in operations of small boats deployed from land or sea.
- Contribute to the completion of project reports, including taking the lead responsibility.
Support for database management services:
- Provide database management.
- Maintain collection of biological samples.
- Establish and implement an image and video library from existing and new files.
- Update the current webpage as well as develop and implement new pages, possibly containing photographs, video, animations, results of Oracle database queries, and/or R Shiny interactive web apps.
Qualifications
Minimum Requirements for the Turtle Ecologist Support Specialist will include the following:
- Proficient computer skills, including Microsoft Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint, and Excel); some experience with data management, analytical reporting, and environmental and biological data is strongly preferred.
- Must have at least 1+ years of experience successfully performing the tasks mentioned above, OR a
- Master’s degree in relevant field. For positions that require appreciable information management demonstrated proficiency with Oracle, R, and R shiny is also required.
For positions that require appreciable field work, the following also apply:
- Have all necessary medical clearance and required safety training certificates before research activities
- Have corrected 20/20 vision when position is a visual observer
- Have the capability to work outside, including on a small boat, for periods of up to 12 hours at a time
- Be able to safely lift 40 lbs on a rolling vessel
- Have willingness and ability to work far from home (including far from land) for weeks at a time
- Meet the requirements listed under NOAA Small Boat Requirements if small boats are part of the research project.
Salary range: USD $60,000.00 – USD $89,000.00 /Yr.
* This position is advertised through our joint venture, FLOAT—a partnership between Lynker and Fish, serving NOAA ProTech Fisheries
