Green Sturgeon Census Specialist

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 Green Sturgeon Census Specialist. Under the direction of Dr. Peter Dudley, the specialist will develop a habitat selection model for spawning green sturgeon and will organize the green sturgeon spawning population annual census. The specialist will be encouraged to use established or novel techniques with large data sets of sturgeon presence data and physical habitat modeling data to model spawning habitat use. This is an exciting opportunity to work on a threatened species in a system of national importance. The work is both fundamental and applied and the applications of this work will inform official NOAA policy and will have a direct effect on management issues on the system. Historically, the Southwest Fisheries Science Center has conducted a multiyear survey of spawning green sturgeon in the Sacramento River using DIDSON and Side-Scan Sonar to estimate local abundances using statistical tools. This work is to continue that effort and investigate green sturgeon habitat use and response to environmental drivers.

The specialist will work under the supervision and direction of Dr. Peter Dudley (UCSC) and will collaborate with other NOAA Fisheries Scientists and UCSC researchers. The position will be based at the Southwest Fisheries Science Center in Santa Cruz, CA, and will be part of the Fisheries Collaborative Program.

Applicants with expertise in any of the following areas are strongly encouraged to apply:

• Overseeing the logistics of ecological fieldwork.
• Conducting animal censuses.
• Habitat selection modeling.
• Programming languages commonly used for statistical modeling (R, or others).
• Demonstrated record of scientific publishing and oral presentation.

Applicants with one year of research experience in relevant fields are encouraged to apply. A preference is given to those with 3 or more years of research experience in relevant fields.

A strong preference will be given to candidates who have overseen or actively participated in field work logistics such as organizing multi-day field campaigns involving the deployment and use of scientific instruments, following field safety protocols, and executing field campaigns.

The Institute of Marine Sciences (IMS) is an organized research unit whose mission is to increase knowledge of the world's oceans and inhabitants to better understand their economic importance and the impact people have on them. Through this effort, IMS maintains the responsibility to encourage, develop, and support marine research and education and does this by providing research opportunities, resources, facilities, and support for scientists within the institute and with other marine research institutions.

As part of its mission's efforts, IMS launched the Fisheries Collaborative Program (FCP) to help foster research collaborations between NOAA scientists, UCSC faculty, IMS researchers, and students. The FCP's research activities include field and laboratory experiments, modeling, and computational studies and they involve marine and freshwater species and habitats where comprehensive studies are being conducted on the ecology and life history of Pacific salmonids and other fishes. FCP serves to support resource managers (e.g., Pacific Fisheries Management Council), fisheries, and resource science in general. More information can be found at https://fisheries.ucsc.edu

The hiring unit will not sponsor employment-eligible immigration statuses for this position.

Fisheries Collaborative Program: https://fisheries.ucsc.edu/

Master's degree or a baccalaureate degree and a minimum of two years of post-baccalaureate research experience. Degree must be in fisheries sciences and management, marine biology and biological oceanography, ocean/marine sciences, oceanography, ecology, evolutionary biology, environmental science, biology, or a related field. Foreign equivalent degrees will be considered.

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, or protected veteran status. UC Santa Cruz is committed to excellence through diversity and strives to establish a climate that welcomes, celebrates, and promotes respect for the contributions of all students and employees. Inquiries regarding the University's equal employment opportunity policies may be directed to the Equity and Equal Protection Office at the University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064 or by email at equity@ucsc.edu.

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