Two-year Grasslands position at Audubon
Position Title: Research Scholar
Employment Status: Full-Time, Regular
Overview:
Now in its second century, Audubon is dedicated to protecting birds and other
wildlife and the
habitat that supports them. Audubons mission is engaging people in bird
conservation on a
hemispheric scale through science, policy, education and on-the-ground
conservation action. By
mobilizing and aligning its network of Chapters, Centers, State and Important
Bird Area programs in
the four major migratory flyways in the Americas, the organization will bring
the full power of
Audubon to bear on protecting common and threatened bird species and the
critical habitat they
need to survive. And as part of BirdLife International, Audubon will join
people in over 100 in-country
organizations all working to protect a network of Important Bird Areas around
the world, leveraging
the impact of actions they take at a local level. What defines Audubons
unique value is a powerful
grassroots network of nearly 500 local chapters, 22 state offices, 41 Audubon
Centers, Important
Bird Area Programs in 50 states, and 700 staff across the country. Audubon is
a federal contractor
and an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE).
Position Summary:
The National Audubon Society seeks a postdoctoral Research Scholar to join the
National Science
Division and work on grassland birds and effects of global change (land-use,
land-cover and climate)
on hemispheric full-annual-cycle conservation. The project will be integrated
with Audubons Climate
Initiative (www.audubon.org/climate) and ongoing development of Audubon
Sciences Avian Climate
Response (ACR) models in which the Research Scholar will play an integral role.
Reporting to the Director of Bird Conservation, the Scholar will work closely
with Division team
members over the course of two years, beginning in October 2015, although
additional funding may
extend the position through October 2019. S/he will ideally be located with
other National Science
staff, which are embedded within the San Francisco or Sacramento offices of the
Audubon California
state program, or work remotely from a mutually agreeable location.
Candidates should include a cover letter, resume, contact info for three
references and also be
prepared to provide examples of two first-authored papers.
Essential Functions:
· Effectively work with Audubon Science climate modelers, International
Alliances Program staff,
and regional conservation staff to synthesize existing avian datasets for
grassland birds across
annual cycles, including information on key habitats and threats including
tillage, energy
development, and woody encroachment, in order to support regional landscape
conservation
planning and design.
· Incorporate connectivity across the annual cycle through marking
projects on selected species
conducted with Audubon Science scientists or partners with expertise in
telemetry and tracking
studies.
· Responsible for coordinating project logistics, including: raising
grants; hiring, training, and
supervising temporary staff; traveling to conduct field work; compiling
datasets; analyzing data; and
writing and disseminating results in scientific publications.
· As needed, conduct fieldwork for studies of wild birds (such as
capture, marking, and
sampling) and ecology studies (bird surveys, land-use change studies,
population monitoring, and
use of advance technologies such as GSM telemetry).
· Assist with setting up contracts, ordering supplies, communicating
with collaborators, and
other logistical tasks as requested by the Director of Bird Conservation.
Qualifications and Experience:
· Ph.D. in Wildlife Sciences, Ecology, or related discipline required,
as well a proven track record
in scientific publication and grant writing.
· Knowledge of experimental design, field methods, and statistical
analyses for waterbird and
wetland ecology research, including occupancy or hierarchical modeling,
mark-recapture, and agent-
based modeling.
· Computing skills, including statistical software such as R; spatial
software such as ArcGIS,
Spatial Analyst.
· Strong quantitative/analytical skills, as well as excellent
communication, interpersonal, writing
(scientific and general), and organizational skills.
· Professional competence in planning, designing, executing, and
coordinating research.
· Expertise in grassland birds is required, as are solid mist-netting
and banding skills.
· Previous experience with managing telemetry and supervisory field
crew is preferred.
· Willingness and ability to perform field work, often occurring under
difficult environmental
conditions (heat and humidity, rain, etc.).
· Experience in capture, handling, marking, sampling and tracking
methods is desired.
· Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously, applying good
judgment used to determine
the order of completion of work, within a fast-paced environment. Comfort
taking initiative and
working both independently and with a team also necessary.
· Fluency or proficiency with Spanish language a plus.
· Demonstrated interest in conservation and the mission of the National
Audubon Society.
Interested applicants please submit application material online.
Contact [email protected] for more information.
