The Harte lab at the University of California, Berkeley, is seeking a lab technician to contribute to several exciting new projects involving the testing of ecological theory and the development of scientific and conservation-oriented software. The position will be part of a collaborative effort based at UC Berkeley to continue the development of a maximum entropy-based theory of ecology (see Harte 2011, Oxford University Press, for more information) and apply this theory to outstanding problems in ecology and conservation biology.
The technician will have primary responsibility for (1) creating and managing a centralized repository of data sets used for theory testing, (2) developing scripts/software to test theories of species richness, spatial scaling, and energetics using these data, and (3) contributing to the release of scientific software for public use in research and conservation. There may also be opportunities to contribute to the development of new theory. Requirements include (1) an ability and willingness to quickly learn new ecological, mathematical, and computational approaches, (2) an undergraduate or graduate background in ecology, computer science, mathematics, and/or physics, and (3) previous experience with some or all of R, Matlab, Python, C/C++, SQL and Git (or other version control systems). This position is available starting immediately and will be funded for an initial term of one year, with a possible extension for a second year. Salary commensurate with experience. To apply, please send a cover letter, CV, contact information for three references, and a representative publication or writing sample to [email protected], including the phrase “Lab Tech Position” in the subject line. The position is open until filled.
