Postdoctoral Research Associate

The Koger Lab is hiring a postdoctoral researcher for 1 to 2 years depending on interest. The lab specializes in studying natural systems with the aid of novel imaging and image processing techniques. We use a combination of drone, satellite, and ground-based imagery paired with deep learning detection and tracking algorithms to investigate how animals’ behaviors are influenced by their social and physical environments. The prospective postdoc will join a research program centered on Pacific salmon ecosystems in the Bristol Bay watershed of Alaska in close collaboration with Dr. Andrew Berdahl at University of Washington and Albert Kao at UMass Boston. An ideal candidate for this postdoc position could be an ecologist with an interest in analyzing novel, fine-scale ecological data, or a researcher with a computational background who is interested in further developing ML-based data generation algorithms. The recruited postdoc could work on any of the follow research projects: 1) investigating salmon sensing and navigation from the individual to the collective level at stream confluences during migration; 2) hunting and collective evasion dynamics during brown bear hunts of nesting salmon; 3) ecosystem scale description of salmon and bear landscape use over the nesting season from individuals to populations; 4) building ML powered pipelines for efficient image processing. The successful applicant should have a strong interest in either the biological questions or the imaging methods. While interest or experience with both is valued, it is not a requirement.  

Example of expertise that would be helpful, but is not required (Only expected to have experience in one or some of these things)

• Experience working with animal movement or sociality data
• Experience working with high dimensional ecological datasets
• Experience working on applied machine learning projects 
• Experience working with high resolution remote sensing data
• Field experience

ESSENTIAL DUTIES:  

• Lead research projects in the group of Dr. Koger
• Publish work in peer-reviewed journals and present at conferences  
• Interact with faculty, research staff and students to contribute to a vibrant, interdisciplinary, computing community at the School of Computing 

Minimum Qualifications:

Applicants are required to have (or expected to receive) a PhD degree or equivalent terminal degree in a suitable discipline and have the demonstrated ability, experience, and record of scholarship appropriate to carry out the functions of the position. Applicants who value working with and in diverse communities are particularly encouraged to apply. 

• PhD in an appropriate field before the start of appointment. 
• Programming experience in Python and/or R

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS: 

• Interest in pursuing research at the intersection of ecology and computing 
• Demonstrated ability to communicate scientific findings through publications and presentations 
• Experience and/or interest in working collaboratively in an interdisciplinary research team.