Quantitative Ecology and Ecosystem Modeling Position

Postdoctoral and Post-masters
Quantitative Ecology and Ecosystem Modeling Position
NOAA-Fisheries Southeast Fisheries Science Center (Miami)
Sustainable Fisheries Division
Integrated Ecosystem Assessment Team

The Integrated Ecosystem Assessment Team of the Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC) (http://www.sefsc.noaa.gov/) is seeking a QUANTITATIVE ECOLOGISTS OR ECOSYSTEM MODELER to contribute to NOAA's Integrated Ecosystem Assessment (IEA) work in the Gulf of Mexico Large Marine Ecosystem. As part of the IEAs, we will perform single-species and community-level risk assessments, identify ecosystem indicators, test monitoring schemes, and evaluate management strategies. Appointments will be made at the post-doc level with salary commensurate with experience. We seek a postdoctoral or post-masters researcher with strong backgrounds in quantitative ecology, who wish to develop and contribute to cutting-edge statistical and simulation models for marine systems.

Candidates should be interested and qualified in one or more of the following:

Ecosystem modeling: In cooperation with the University of South Florida (USF), we are developing Atlantis ecosystem simulation models (http://atlantis.cmar.csiro.au/) for the Gulf of Mexico (GOM). We will be using the models for simulation testing of alternative ecosystem-based management strategies for this region. Our research includes identifying and testing ecological indicators and monitoring strategies for the GOM, considering potential fishery management options and effects on ecosystem services, and considering tradeoffs or benefits of the interrelated policies of multiple state and federal agencies, in terms of economic, ecological, and social metrics. The new position will largely involve being the scientific liaison between the USF and the SEFSC using the Atlantis ecosystem modeling code to support NOAA's IEA work in the GOM. The new team member primary responsibility will be to learn, apply, and customize Atlantis ecosystem models with help from the USF. Conversely, the candidate will make known to the USF the IEA needs of the SEFSC and help develop the appropriate model modifications to address the GOM IEA needs.

Quantitative ecology: We are seeking team members with strong backgrounds in statistics to contribute to a series of single species and community-level analyses within the IEA framework. These analyses will help define the status, susceptibility, and vulnerability of species, communities, and ecosystem function. The work will make use of existing data sets and expand beyond classic single-species conservation approaches such as population viability analysis.

Population and community modeling: We are seeking team members who are interested in building population or simple community models in the context of Management Strategy Evaluation or Closed Loop Analysis. We envision the development of “minimum realistic models” that could be used to simulate various management strategies. Such models will complement the whole-ecosystem models described above because their relative simplicity will allow for careful consideration of uncertainty. As resource managers develop specific ecosystem-based management schemes, these models will provide a key tool for evaluating specific strategies.

Expectations

For postdoctoral associates, deliverables will include both peer-reviewed publications and white papers for use in management. On a daily basis, the positions will involve computer programming, statistical analyses and parameter estimation, data and output visualization, and writing manuscripts.

About our Integrated Ecosystem Assessment Team

We are part of NOAA’s Southeast Fisheries Science Center, Sustainable Fisheries Division in Miami, Florida. Our team’s goal is to research the ecological interactions and processes necessary to sustain ecosystem composition, structure and function in marine environments. We draw upon expertise from within and outside the SEFSC to address the following five research foci:

· Interactions of target fish stocks with predators, competitors and prey

· The effects of weather and climate on target species and their ecological communities

· The effects of fishing on marine ecosystems and fish habitat

· Interactions between fishes and their habitat

· Marine Protected Areas as a fisheries conservation and management tool

Term: Funding is currently for 1 year with the possibility of future funding

Location: Miami, Florida, USA

Qualifications: Ph.D. or M.S. in ecology, fisheries science, or similar discipline. All candidates should also have a proven track record of collaborative research, and a quantitative background in statistics and computing (languages such as R, Matlab, or Visual Basic). Postdoctoral applicants should have a strong publication record. For the ecosystem modeling position, experience with food web modeling and C/C++ is preferred. Quantitative ecologist and population dynamics applicants should have relevant experience in areas of multivariate statistics, time series analysis, parameter estimation, likelihood methods, stock assessment, and/or differential equation modeling.

Salary: Commensurate with experience and position.

Contact: Please email a cover letter, curriculum vitae, and list of references to Dr. Michael J. Schirripa (Michael.Schirripa@noaa.gov)