Coral Reef Ecologist - CSS, Inc

The NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science Marine Spatial Ecology Division Coastal Resilience branch is a nationally recognized scientific research program that conducts spatial ecological analysis, statistical modeling, ecological forecasting, and predictive mapping to support marine ecosystem management, conservation, and spatial planning.

This requirement is for full technical and professional support for projects related to assessing the status of corals in the US Caribbean, including the National Coral Reef Monitoring Program and evaluations of coral restoration.

Required experience:

• Field and analytic experience with Caribbean tropical coral ecology and species identification.
• Advanced beginner to proficient experience in effectively conducting research projects, including planning, execution, data analysis and reporting.
• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail and keeping a detailed laboratory notebook and code suitable for repeating the work.

Highly desirable experience:

• Imagery analysis with software such as TagLab, Viscore, and Agisoft Metashape.
• Advanced beginner to proficient with relevant statistical software (e.g., R, Python, ArcGIS, Shiny) for data analysis and interpretation.
• NOAA dive certification and experience with science diving.
• A master's degree received within the last 3 years in one of the following relevant fields of study: marine science, ecology, biology, data science, statistics.
• Excellent technical writing skills, and evidence of high scholarly activity (e.g., scientific presentations) demonstration of keen written and verbal communication skills.
• Publications in peer-reviewed journals

Responsibilities:

• Analysis of imagery for coral reef ecology projects, including the National Coral Reef Monitoring Program and evaluation of coral reef restoration. Metrics include cover, population demographics, reef complexity. Data are archived following NOAA requirements.
• Statistical analysis, and reproducible open source code to support coral reef ecology projects
• Field missions and resulting data to support coral reef ecology projects in the US Caribbean
• Collaborative Research and Knowledge Exchange: Engage with multidisciplinary research teams to foster collaboration and knowledge exchange. Contribute to scientific publications, conference presentations, and stakeholder workshops aimed at disseminating research findings and informing conservation strategies.
• Reproducible documented workflow of all research and development activities that is readily available for review by the Program PI.

CSS is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer who provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regards to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy, national origin, age, disability, veteran status or genetic information. In addition to federal law requirements, CSS complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.