Project Scientist in Ecological and Climate Data Analysis and Visualization

The Institute of Marine Sciences [https://ims.ucsc.edu/] 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 Project Scientist to develop climate-ready management tools and data streams to improve fisheries sustainability and manage protected resources in the North Pacific. The candidate will work with ecological models built upon and tied to global climate and earth system models, regional ocean models, and observational datasets, and should have strong skills in accessing, downloading, analyzing, and visualizing large data sets. The candidate will operationalize ecological models to produce daily and forecasted outputs, e.g. EcoCast (https://coastwatch.pfeg.noaa.gov/ecocast/map_product.html); WhaleWatch (https://coastwatch.pfeg.noaa.gov/projects/whalewatch2/whalewatch2_map.html), and should have a robust analytical skillset and strong skills in computer science, coding, and data management. The individual will participate in research projects to understand how climatic information can support management decision-making across multiple time-scales, e.g. historical predictions, seasonal forecasts, climate projections. Specific research areas may include fisheries bycatch, whale entanglement in fishing gear and ship strike, the effects of short-term and long-term warming on human-wildlife risk, and the design of climate-smart spatial closures and protected areas. These efforts are part of broader interdisciplinary projects aimed at developing improved fisheries management strategies for the California Current System. 

Initial appointments are typically for a period of two years. Reappointment may be considered contingent upon the availability of work and appropriate funding. The positions will be based in Monterey, CA and supervised by Barbara Muhling in the Fisheries Collaborative Program at the University of California, Santa Cruz and will work closely with NOAA staff at the Southwest Fisheries Science Center in Monterey.

Please see the ad here for more information and to apply. 

Applications are due by November 29th. If you have any questions, please reach out to Barbara Muhling (barbara.muhling@noaa.gov), Heather Welch (heather.welch@noaa.gov) and/or Elliott Hazen (elliott.hazen@noaa.gov).