Postdoctoral Scholar - NMFS eDNA Integrated Fisheries Survey

at  University of Washington

POSITION OVERVIEW

Organization: Marine and Environmental Affairs
Title: Postdoctoral Scholar - NMFS eDNA Integrated Fisheries Survey

JOB DESCRIPTION

Researchers at the University of Washington and collaborators at the NOAA Northwest Fisheries Science Center (NWFSC) in Seattle seek a post-doctoral researcher to support and foster collaboration among researchers using environmental DNA (eDNA) data for quantitative conservation and fisheries applications.
The PIs work on bringing eDNA to bear on applied questions in marine and freshwater systems. We work on a wide range of ecological communities spanning a wide range of fish and marine mammal species and are seeking a researcher interested in using these samples to understand the distribution and abundance of marine resources.
Past research has focused on applying eDNA data to inform management-relevant questions including the estimating abundance of salmon and Pacific hake from eDNA using qPCR approaches (e.g. Shelton et al. 2019, 2022), the structure of nearshore marine communities from metabarcoding (e.g. O’Donnell et al. 2017, Kelly et al. 2017), and advancing the development of eDNA metabarcoding methods for ecological assessment (Kelly et al. 2019, Shelton et al. 2023).
Researchers at NOAA fisheries science centers across the country are developing eDNA datasets for a wide range of management and conservation purposes. However, most fisheries science centers lack staff with the technical expertise to process and analyze eDNA data and link eDNA data with other biological or oceanographic data. This researcher’s position would include 1) working with the PIs to develop methods and apply for quantitative eDNA applications and 2) collaborating with researchers from across NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) centers to support quantitative eDNA analysis and foster the development of quantitative skills among NOAA science centers.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

• Doctoral degree in Ecology, Fisheries Science, Quantitative Ecology, Applied Statistics or other related field at time of appointment.
• Proficiency in R, Python, or equivalent programming language
• Excellent organizational skills, the ability to work independently, demonstrated foresight and good judgment, the ability to carry out routine troubleshooting
• Effective written and oral communication skills as demonstrated through experience communicating with varied audiences in different settings and in different ways (e.g., presenting at events, email correspondence, one-on-one in-person, etc.)

DESIRED REQUIREMENTS

• Knowledge of, or experience with Stan or related probabilistic programming languages, GitHub for project collaboration, using Markdown or other software to support reproducible workflows.

We encourage researchers with quantitative background in ecology, fisheries, environmental DNA, or conservation biology to apply. We expect candidates to contribute to our team through the collaboration and consultation with other researchers. No prior experience with eDNA data is required, though basic familiarity with the practical aspects of eDNA data production would be helpful.

• Collaborate with NOAA science staff around the country on eDNA projects. Duties may include data management and analysis, close engagement with relevant staff across different skill sets and geographies. (40%)
• Develop statistical methods to combine information from eDNA with more traditional survey data. (40%)
• Write and otherwise communicate results to interested audiences via publications and presentations. (20%

This Postdoctoral Scholar position will focus on modeling and analysis, not the generation of new eDNA data. We are particularly interested in researchers that are keen to work on approaches for combining eDNA data with more traditional survey data (e.g. net-based or acoustic surveys) in a rigorous quantitative framework. Interested applicants must be organized and collaborative as they will likely be interacting with several groups located at different NOAA science centers around the country.

We encourage researchers with quantitative background in ecology, fisheries, environmental DNA, or conservation biology to apply. We expect candidates to contribute to our team through the collaboration and consultation with other researchers. No prior experience with eDNA data is required, though basic familiarity with the practical aspects of eDNA data production would be helpful.

• Collaborate with NOAA science staff around the country on eDNA projects. Duties may include data management and analysis, close engagement with relevant staff across different skill sets and geographies. (40%)
• Develop statistical methods to combine information from eDNA with more traditional survey data. (40%)
• Write and otherwise communicate results to interested audiences via publications and presentations. (20%)

The base salary range for this position will be $6,500 per month, commensurate with experience and qualifications, or as mandated by a U.S. Department of Labor prevailing wage determination.
This position is a full time, 100% FTE position. This is an off-campus, in-person position; the successful candidate will work in Seattle at NWFSC. The post-doc will be supervised by Dr. Ryan Kelly (University of Washington) and will primarily collaborate with Dr. A. Ole Shelton, Dr. Krista Nichols, and Dr. Kim Parsons (all at NWFSC, NOAA).
The anticipated start date for this position is March 1, 2025. The initial appointment period is 12 months, but likely extendable, funding permitting. University of Washington postdoctoral scholar appointments are for a temporary, defined period not to exceed five year/60 months, including any previous postdoctoral experience.
Postdoctoral scholars are represented by UAW 4121 and are subject to the collective bargaining agreement, unless agreed exclusion criteria apply. For more information, please visit the University of Washington Labor Relations website.
Please contact ole.shelton@noaa.gov or rpkelly@uw.edu for more information about this position.