Post-doctoral research scientist – North Dakota

We seek an ecologist/wildlife biologist to be part of the Wildlife and Ecosystems Branch at Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center. The Student Services Contractor will conduct research in collaboration with a team of scientists with USGS, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Canadian Wildlife Service, and various non-governmental organizations. The contractor will be primarily responsible for conducting analyses that quantify cumulative impacts of anthropogenic disturbances encountered by endangered whooping cranes and potentially other species migrating through the Great Plains. These results will be used in an optimization modeling framework to design landscapes that meet multiple objectives. The candidate will work with a GPS spatial dataset and have opportunities to lead or collaborate on other related research efforts at NPWRC. Anticipated products that will be prepared by the candidate include geospatial data sets published as USGS data releases and peer-reviewed publications. The researcher will be supervised by Aaron Pearse and receive significant technical oversight from Max Post van der Burg.

Principal Duty Station: Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center in Jamestown, ND

Required Qualifications:

·         Applicants must have a MA or MS in Biology, Wildlife Ecology, Landscape Ecology, or related fields, or at least 2 years of graduate education towards a Ph.D. plan of study in Biology, Wildlife Ecology, Landscape Ecology, or related fields

·         Must be a current student or within one year post graduation/enrollment

·         Knowledge or demonstrated skills in spatial ecology, optimization modeling, programming in R or other software, and experience using ArcGIS or similar GIS software  

·         Demonstrated ability to disseminate results of investigations by publishing them in peer-reviewed scientific and technical journals

·         Ability to work independently and as a productive member of a research team

Desired Qualifications:

·         A Ph.D. in Ecology, Landscape Ecology, or Wildlife Ecology

·         Experience with resource selection models and large spatial datasets

·         Demonstrated publication record in peer-reviewed journals

Rate of Pay and Work Schedule:

$32.07 /hr. ($65,705.60 annually)

The position is full time (40 hours a week); flexible work schedule is available upon approval.  Contractors are paid for each hour worked. Candidates will be working as independent contractors and do not receive a premium rate for work beyond 8 hours/day or 40 hours/week. Additionally, contractors are paid only for hours worked (with no holiday or personal leave benefits). Contractors do earn 1 hour of sick leave for every 30 hours worked. Pay rate includes cost of self-employment taxes for social security and Medicare. Health insurance is not included.

Duration of work:

August 2019 to August 2020; potentially extendable until August 2021, depending on availability of funding. Start date is negotiable.

Application Deadline:

We will begin assessing candidates 21 June 2019.

How to Apply:

Applications must include a cover letter (optional), CV, at least 3 references, college transcripts, and proof of highest degree awarded.

Email applications to Aaron Pearse at apearse@usgs.gov or mail to the following address:

Aaron Pearse

USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

8711 37th St SE

Jamestown, ND 58401