Postdoctoral Research Scientist – Fisher Population Modeling

A postdoctoral position is available in the Fuller Spatial Ecology and Decision Science Lab https://blogs.cornell.edu/fullerlab/ with the New York Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit and the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment at Cornell University to evaluate the effects of harvest on fisher populations.

Historically, fishers were distributed across New York, but the species was nearly extirpated by the 1930s as a result of unregulated trapping. Populations have recovered in many areas, allowing for sustainable harvest opportunities in some parts of the state (e.g., parts of the Adirondacks and eastern New York). The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation recently opened new areas to fisher harvest in central New York with a conservative trapping season as a result of occupancy work in our lab suggesting that specific Wildlife Management Units (WMUs) may be able to support a harvest season. The postdoc will evaluate the effects of the conservative trapping season by comparing fisher density 3 years pre- versus 3 years post-trapping season regulation change (data from >600 sites using camera trapping and hair snares). In contrast to central New York, fishers in the northern zone of New York may be declining in several Adirondack Wildlife Management Units. The postdoc will develop a fisher population model and use a decision science approach to evaluate which harvest management scenario (e.g., variation in trapping season length, timing, bag limits) best achieves biological, social, and agency objectives. The research will provide decision-making guidance for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

Minimum Qualifications:
1. Ph.D. in ecology, wildlife biology, conservation biology, natural resources, statistics, or a related field, with a focus on quantitative methods in population ecology.
2. Strong mathematical and programming skills, demonstrated proficiency in statistical estimation and simulation modeling and use of R.
3. Previous experience with population estimation using (spatial) capture-recapture models.
6. Demonstrated desire and proven ability to publish in peer-reviewed journals.
7. Excellent writing and personal communication skills.
8. The ability to work independently and under limited supervision as well as collaboratively.

Desired qualifications: Competitive candidates will have experience in application of decision science. Experience with spatial capture-recapture and occupancy models; experience with harvest-based models. Successful applicants will possess strong personal communication skills, as well as a desire to conduct quantitative science for applied resource management needs. Applicants should be independent and motivated to work with a broad range of external collaborators, and have experience working with management agencies.

Salary: $57,000/year plus benefits (health and dental insurance, retirement, life insurance,
disability). Appointment end date not to exceed March 31, 2025. There is a possibility of extension, pending additional funding. Prefer candidate to work at Cornell, but remote work option is possible with the ability to travel to New York for at least two decision making workshops with partners.

Start date: As soon as possible.

TO APPLY: Please send a curriculum vitae, a letter of application describing your background and experiences and responding to each of the requirements and qualifications, the names and contact information for three references, and 2-3 relevant papers. Please submit a single pdf document with the subject “Postdoc: Fisher” to Dr. Angela Fuller, angela.fuller@cornell.edu. Applications will be reviewed as received and continue until the position is filled.

Postdoctoral Research Scientist Position – Mobile Acoustics/Bat Monitoring

The Fuller Spatial Ecology and Decision Science Lab at the New York Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at Cornell University is seeking candidates for a postdoctoral research associate position for a bat population monitoring project using mobile acoustic survey data. The project is in support of the North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat), collaborating with partners from the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The project builds on a strong foundation of mobile acoustic work conducted by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), and other state agency partners, and will involve collection and analysis of mobile acoustic survey data from monitoring partners in the northeastern United States. The candidate will help meet partner needs by producing bat species status and trend reports, data visualizations, and data dashboards that readily communicate analytical results to a broad audience.

The candidate will work with state, federal, and non-governmental organizations in the northeast to promote engagement in the North American Bat Monitoring Program and cultivate collaboration on a regional analysis of mobile acoustic data. The candidate will participate in the Northeast Bat Working Group, NABat Community of Practice, NABat Mobile Transect Technical Working Group, and the NABat Analytical Working Group. The candidate will be expected to develop manuscripts for submission in peer-reviewed journals and communicate research to project PIs and partners.

The postdoctoral scientist will be housed in the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, Cornell University (Ithaca, New York), working with Dr. Angela Fuller, U.S. Geological Survey, NY Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit. The postdoc will work closely with the NABat program, USGS Fort Collins Science Center (Dr. Brian Reichert and Bethany Straw), the National white-nose syndrome coordinators with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Drs. Jeremy Coleman and Jonathan Reichard), Carl Herzog (NYSDEC, retired), and NABat contributing data partners.  There will be opportunities to mentor and collaborate with graduate students.

Applications will be reviewed as received, continuing until suitable applicants are identified. Please do not delay submitting an application based on the deadline stated in academicjobsonline.org.

****************************************************************************************************

POSITION DUTIES:

1) Simulate mobile acoustic data to evaluate statistical power to detect trends in relative abundance through time, 2) Collect acoustic data files and metadata from partners and evaluate methods used to classify acoustic data and provide guidance on sampling design, 3) Develop standard operating procedures/protocols informed by data collection and analysis, 4) Estimate abundance and trends of bats in the northeastern United States.

REQUIREMENTS:

Ph.D. in ecology, wildlife biology, conservation biology, natural resources, statistics, or a related quantitative field.  Strong mathematical and programming skills, experience in statistical estimation and simulation modeling and use of R. Demonstrated desire and proven ability to publish in peer-reviewed journals. Excellent writing and personal communication skills, including with external partners. Proven record of leadership with the ability to work independently and under limited supervision as well as collaboratively. Driver’s license.

Preferred: Competitive candidates will also have one or more of the following qualifications: Experience with analysis of acoustic monitoring data, previous experience with bat population ecology, experience in partnerships/working with stakeholder groups, population modeling, spatial analysis, machine learning, N-mixture models, Bayesian hierarchical models, big data skills, R Shiny App, supervisory experience.

SALARY: $56,484 to $56,813/yr plus benefits. One-year initial appointment with the possibility of yearly extensions not to exceed 5 years.

Start date: As soon as possible.

TO APPLY:

Please apply via Academic Jobs Online https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/27542

Qualified candidates should submit a short cover letter, curriculum vitae, contact information for three references, and a statement of contribution to diversity, equity and inclusion via the website.

QUESTIONS:

Please contact Dr. Angela Fuller, angela.fuller@cornell.edu

PhD Graduate Student Research Assistantship –  Fisher population modeling – Application due Feb 10, 2021 (filled)

A Ph.D. position is available in the Fuller Spatial Ecology and Decision Science Lab  with the New York Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit and the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment at Cornell University to evaluate the effects of harvest on fisher populations. Historically, fishers were distributed across New York, but the species was nearly extirpated by the 1930s as a result of unregulated trapping. Populations have recovered in many areas, allowing for sustainable harvest opportunities in some parts of the state (e.g., parts of the Adirondacks and eastern New York). The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation recently opened new areas to fisher harvest in central New York with a conservative trapping season as a result of occupancy work in our lab suggesting that specific Wildlife Management Units (WMUs) may be able to support a harvest season. The student will evaluate the effects of the conservative trapping season by comparing fisher occupancy and density pre versus post trapping season regulation change. In contrast to central New York, fishers in the northern zone of New York may be declining in several Adirondack Wildlife Management Units. The student will develop a fisher population model and use a decision science approach to evaluate which harvest management scenario (e.g., variation in trapping season length, timing, bag limits) best achieves biological, social, and agency objectives. The research will provide decision-making guidance for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

Please see full announcement here

Postdoctoral Scientist Position –  Camera trap design and occupancy of mammals in NY (filled)

We are seeking candidates for a postdoctoral position to estimate occupancy of mammal species in New York and to design a state-wide camera trapping study utilizing community science (possibly paired with systematic sampling) and integrating existing camera trap efforts within the state. The work is in cooperation with the New York Mammal Survey (NYMS), the first statewide assessment of the distribution and status of New York’s terrestrial and freshwater mammals. The NYMS will guide environmental planning and conservation for mammals in New York, some of which are endangered or declining. The candidate will work to extend the iSeeMammals project https://iseemammals.org/ to collect data on terrestrial and freshwater mammals in New York to support the NYMS. Depending on expertise, the candidate will work with a team currently developing a machine learning model to classify camera trap images. Occupancy models will be developed using two existing camera trap datasets at >1,000 sites (i.e., >600 sites surveyed 6 years + >450 sites surveyed 4 years). The candidate is encouraged to develop additional research questions using the camera trap data sets. There will be opportunities to mentor and collaborate with graduate students in the lab. The candidate will be expected to develop manuscripts for submission in peer-reviewed journals and communicate research to project partners. The candidate will be supervised by Dr. Angela Fuller, U. S. Geological Survey, NY Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, at Cornell University (Ithaca, New York). The postdoc will work closely with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and project leads of the NYMS at SUNY ESF and the New York Natural Heritage Program.

Please see full announcement here

PhD Graduate Student Research Assistantship –  Solar energy-wildlife interactions in the Sonoran Desert – Application due Feb 1, 2021

A Ph.D. position is available with the New York Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit in the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment at Cornell University. We will collaborate with BLM California to evaluate regional trends in responses of wildlife and their habitats to solar energy development before, during, and after construction of photovoltaic solar facilities in the Riverside East Solar Energy Zone. Specifically, we aim to evaluate the spatiotemporal response of wildlife species, including indicator species and special status species, wildlife habitats, “bottom-up” ecological interactions, and ecosystem services to variable site preparation, management, and siting densities of photovoltaic facilities throughout Riverside East. The research will inform applied, solutions-oriented wildlife management.

Position announcement can be found here

PhD Graduate Student Research Assistantship –  Moose Juvenile Survival and Parasitic Threats – Application due May 1, 2020 (filled)

A Ph.D. position is available with the New York Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit in the Department of Natural Resources at Cornell University. The candidate will investigate factors influencing juvenile survival of moose. The student will conduct field work to capture and fit juvenile moose with GPS radiocollars to estimate survival and collect tick density data, will implement a camera trapping study to monitor winter tick prevalence, will conduct white-tailed deer pellet surveys to estimate deer density, will collect gastropods and deer pellets to test for brainworm and liver fluke, and will develop a risk model for parasitic threats to moose in the northwestern Adirondacks. The student will be advised by Dr. Angela Fuller, Dr. Krysten Schuler, and Dr. Jacqueline Frair.

Please see the full announcement here

Postdoctoral Scientist Position – Integrated Population Model for Black Bears – Application due June 3, 2019 (filled)

We seek a postdoctoral scientist to develop an integrated population model for black bears in Maine. The postdoctoral scientist will work closely with scientists and managers at the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, in addition to the principal investigators at Cornell University and University of Washington.The postdoc will be supervised by Dr. Angela Fuller, New York Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Cornell University and Dr. Sarah Converse, Washington Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, University of Washington. The postdoc will be located at either Cornell University, Ithaca, New York or University of Washington, Seattle, Washington – to be negotiated. Please see the Full Position Announcement here.

Postdoctoral Scientist Position Opening (filled)

We are looking for a postdoctoral scientist to join our lab group focused on density estimation of American marten in the Adirondacks and occupancy modeling for a suite of carnivore species across New York. Marten are a harvested furbearer species in New York, but are known to be sensitive to fragmentation. We have data from across New York to evaluate co-occurrence dynamics of marten and fisher as well as other carnivore species. We have some very large data sets and are looking for a motivated postdoc with strong quantitative skills. Ithaca, New York is a beautiful part of the state and Cornell is amazing!  Work with Fuller Lab, Dr. Paul Jensen of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and Dr. Daniel Linden. Download Announcement Here