Position Summary
The Postdoctoral Geospatial Analyst will be the lead researcher on Manomet’s collaborative project with the Arctic Landscape Conservation Cooperative to assemble shorebird habitat data and design predictive arctic shorebird distribution models. This position is fully funded for two years. The project provides the motivated applicant the opportunity to work independently, applying advanced geospatial techniques to pressing issues related to conservation of declining species, and to publish original research in collaboration with other scientists working on the project. Because this is a collaborative project with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service focused on the Arctic Coastal Plain, the position will be based in Anchorage, AK at the USFWS Migratory Bird Management Division office. For information about the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Alaska, visit http://www.r7.fws.gov. For information about Anchorage go to http://www.dced.state.ak.us/dca/commdb/CF_CIS.htm, select Anchorage, and click on Get Summary.
About Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences
For 40 years, Manomet has worked to build a sustainable world based on healthy natural systems that support human and wildlife populations. We are a trusted leader in the non-advocacy use of science for problem-solving, and have a long history of working collaboratively with entities that have the capacity to leverage change. Manomet’s commitment to achieve a more sustainable world recognizes that humans are not living sustainably—that we are using resources up—and that saving nature can no longer be viewed as somehow separate from saving ourselves. If we can live sustainably, then we have a chance of saving nature as well.
The natural systems that both people and wildlife depend upon are being impacted as never before by climate change, habitat loss, increased consumption of natural resources and other pressing issues. At Manomet, we are facing these challenges with optimism, using sound science, partnerships, and innovative approaches to forge lasting solutions. We are committed to understanding how our economic and social well-being is linked to nature, and we are taking action through our major initiatives to bring hope for future generations.
Manomet plays a special dual role in pursuing a sustainable planet. First, we convene relevant stakeholders with many different interests to chart a vision of the future they seek to create—a sustainable future. Second, we bring technical knowledge to bear on helping people take action on the future they seek to build. This special combination of both “convening” and “solving,” and being respectful of the many diverse and legitimate interests in natural resources, enables us to create enduring solutions to sustainability.
About Manomet’s Shorebird Recovery Project
Shorebirds species are in decline throughout the hemisphere, and halting that decline is an enormous challenge. It means, in large part, protecting and managing a vast constellation of places dotting the hemisphere where shorebirds go for their survival —from northern breeding grounds to southern wintering grounds and all the resting and refueling sites in between. Thankfully, their most challenging characteristic—migration—is also what serves to connect the places and communities that “share” them throughout the year. It also means conducting more advanced and coordinated research to fill the sizeable gaps in our knowledge about the size and trend of individual species’ populations, migration patterns, and other critical information.
The daunting task of recovering species at this scale and scope can only be accomplished by working collaboratively with many partners: academic and agency scientists, individual landowners, corporations, all levels of government, other conservation organizations, schools, community groups, and the funding community. When we work together across the hemisphere to protect shorebirds and their resources, we are in turn protecting and improving the quality of life for ourselves.
The Shorebird Recovery Project is a hemispheric initiative spearheaded by Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences to recover our most imperiled shorebird populations. This partnership-based initiative integrates and builds upon three of Manomet’s long-standing pillars:
- The site-based conservation of the ever-growing Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN);
- The science-based, cutting-edge research on factors limiting shorebird populations; and
- The tools for monitoring and measuring shorebirds’ response to conservation efforts (“success measures”), and adapting our actions or research accordingly.
Essential Functions
To obtain a better understanding of how shorebirds will respond to climate-mediated changes in Arctic Coastal Plain habitats, the Geospatial Analyst will develop a series of scale dependent habitat selection models that predict the contemporary location of shorebird species throughout the Arctic Coastal Plain.
The geospatial analyst will
1) work with an advisory board and other biologists to assemble authoritative, spatially linked (GIS) databases on shorebird presence/absence and nest sites in the Arctic Coastal Plain that are compatible with data layers that describe the physical and ecological parameters that describe habitat characteristics;
2) work with Arctic LCC partners to identify priority physical and ecological parameters needed as input into distribution models, and identify data sources, including both ground and remotely-sensed data;
3) document the association between the presence of shorebird species (individuals and/or nests) and the ground or satellite-based data to document the geographic distribution of shorebird species on the Arctic Coastal Plain using state-of-the-art Resource Selection Function models;
4) conduct a scale-dependent habitat selection analysis that evaluates the presence of shorebird species relative to physical and ecological parameters originating from ground or satellite-based data; and
5) compare the predictive capacity of Resource Selection Function models to assess the scale at which species habitat maps are most reliable.
Qualifications
- Doctoral degree in wildlife ecology or a related field, with emphasis on geospatial analyses and resource selection function model development.
- Experience with ArcGIS (and/or other GIS software) and spatial analyst platforms.
- Proven history of working independently and with a broad range of stakeholders.
- Strong working knowledge of shorebird ecology and management.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills.
How to Apply
Please e-mail a letter of interest and your resume as attachments to jobs@manomet.org. Please reference the job title “Post-doctoral Geospatial Analyst – SRP”, in the subject line. The position is available immediately and applicants are encouraged to submit their materials as soon as possible. The position will be filled as soon as a qualified applicant is selected.
Manomet offers competitive salaries commensurate with experience and a comprehensive package of benefits. Manomet is an equal opportunity employer.