The Institute of Marine Sciences at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC), working in conjunction with the NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service Southwest Fisheries Science Center (NOAA Fisheries), invites applications for the position of Specialist under the direction of Dr. Eric Danner.
NOAA Fisheries is developing an individual-based Particle Tracking Model (PTM) of the seaward migration of juvenile Chinook salmon through the Central Valley of California. This model simulates fish migration through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, accounting for the influences of hydrodynamics, fish behavior, and predation on the paths and fates of individual fish. The PTM will be used to inform water and fisheries management decisions and to further our understanding of the effects of water flows and other environmental factors on the survival of this threatened/endangered species. An essential component of this effort is the calibration of parameters and validation of model predictions using empirical data from fish tagging studies (primarily acoustic telemetry and coded-wire tag data). The calibration methodology combines a multistate mark-recapture framework and Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampling to fit model outputs to travel time and survival data derived from the tag data. The fitting framework relies on a diverse set of computational tools implemented in R, Python, MATLAB, Java, SQL, and C++. Duties will include a variety of computer programming, data manipulation, and statistical analysis tasks related to 1) adapting the calibration framework to additional data sets, 2) performing parameter inference using these additional data, and 3) publishing results in peer-reviewed journals. BASIC QUALIFICATIONS: B.S. degree in computer science, ecology, statistics, or a related field; two years of experience in R, Python, MATLAB, or similar software; experience with Markov chain Monte Carlo methods (implementation and tuning); experience with Bayesian statistics; and experience writing or modifying object-oriented programs. PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS: Familiarity with mark-recapture methods; basic familiarity with SQL; basic familiarity with the Bash shell (Unix command line); experience operating in Mac OS X and Windows environments; familiarity with acoustic telemetry and coded-wire tag data; experience with plotting and presenting scientific data; familiarity with Java; and experience with High Performance Computing (parallel processing, job submission and management, etc.). Familiarity with ecology and/or salmon research is beneficial, but is not necessary. Applicants should also be able to work accurately with close attention to detail; have good organizational, time management, and problem-solving skills; and possesses strong communication and interpersonal skills. APPLY AT: https://recruit.ucsc.edu/apply/JPF00261 <https://recruit.ucsc.edu/apply/JPF00261>
