MARINE MAMMAL SCIENTIST

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There are two research projects supporting the Marine Mammal Scientist (Research Scientist/Engineer 1 (NE S UAW RSE)), the main project will investigate the seasonal occurrence and distribution of marine mammals and sea ice in Kotzebue Sound with input from indigenous knowledge. A shorter-term project will investigate the presence of odontocetes in the western Gulf of Alaska.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

70% - Passive Acoustic and Sea Ice Concentration Data Analysis
For passive acoustics, the hire will explore different automated acoustic detectors and evaluate their performance to identify best methods for each species of marine mammal, and apply the ones with best performance for the project data analysis. Several programs will be used, Pamguard, Raven Pro, Ishmael, F-POD, Triton, and other custom written scripts in Matlab. For sea ice concentration, the hire will access different satellite imagery repositories from the National Ice Center and National Snow and Ice Data Center to obtain sea ice concentration (AMSR-E and AMSR2) metrics for the different areas of study in Alaska to summarize in different time units (weekly, biweekly, etc.). The hire will assist in developing the protocols for the analysis methodology for passive acoustics and sea ice concentration, analysis methodology for the relationship between results from the two categories of data, and will summarize and help interpret the results of the analysis.

15% – Reporting and Proposal Writing

The hire will participate in writing progress reports, final reports, conference abstracts, and peer-review manuscripts from the research on marine mammals. The hire will also assist in writing research proposals.

15% - Science Communication

The hire will work with collaborators from different Alaskan tribes involved in marine mammal research communicating the analysis results, and gathering indigenous knowledge to inform the interpretation of scientific results. The hire will participate in roundtable discussions, interviews, or will receive transcripts from interviews to extract and synthetize key information on ecological dynamics of the habitats of marine mammals.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

Bachelor’s degree in a related field and one year of relevant experience OR equivalent combination of education/experience.

Equivalent education/experience will substitute for all minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements, such as a license/certification/registration.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS