Position Title: Computational Ecologist

Duties & Responsibilities: Responsibilities: A person with experience or academic training in quantitative ecology, statistical modeling, computational analysis, and scientific programming in Matlab or R; who also has demonstrated interest and experience in advanced spatial analysis, is being sought for a full-time contract position with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS). NCCOS’ Biogeography Branch conducts ecological and oceanographic studies to map, characterize, assess, and model the spatial distributions and movements of estuarine and marine organisms across habitats throughout the United States and Island Territories. We are seeking an individual with a broad suite of quantitative, statistical, and computational skills. A strong background in Computational Ecology with some experience in marine sciences is preferred. The successful candidate will join an experienced scientific team at the forefront of marine ecological predictive analytics. Initial assignments for this position will likely involve spatial modeling of seabirds, deep sea corals, and marine fish species. Future work could involve modeling spatial distributions of other marine species (marine mammals, sea turtles, corals, algae) and marine ecosystem processes.  Core responsibilities Provide statistical, computational, and analytical support to projects that use predictive statistical models, in conjunction with large ecological and oceanographic databases, to provide spatially-explicit maps and analyses that answer questions of marine management and conservation relevance. Design and implement spatial and spatio-temporal predictive models of marine species’ distributions, marine habitat, and marine ecosystem properties Develop and maintain computer code to interface with large oceanographic and ecological databases and mine these databases to improve predictive models Assess model performance and uncertainty in management-relevant scenarios Assist with the technical aspects of risk analyses, scenario analyses, and management strategy evaluations Develop cartographic and analytical products for management audiences with associated metadata Assist with writing technical reports and journal articles and present at scientific conferences Travel to federal and state agencies and academic institutions as part of collaborative research projects Develop, maintain, and grow a codebase for advanced spatial analysis Apply new developments in statistical modeling to a marine ecological context Implement model selection, assessment, inter-comparison, and validation algorithms Develop, maintain, and grow oceanographic and ecological geo-databases Build a database of oceanographic and environmental predictor variables of relevance to marine ecological modeling Analyze satellite and observational datasets and raw ocean model outputs to develop derived products that improve predictive models Automate data acquisition, data mining, model fitting, model assessment, and QA/QC processes

Position Qualifications: Qualifications: Essential Advanced degree (Masters or PhD), or equivalent experience, in Applied Statistics/Math, Computer Science, or similarly highly quantitative field. Ecology and related advanced degrees also acceptable with demonstrated evidence of a strong quantitative focus and statistical and computer programming expertise described below Must be proficient and highly experienced with Matlab and/or R (5+ years experience with one or both of these languages); a code sample may be requested to demonstrate proficiency Experience implementing a variety of spatially-explicit statistical models (including at least 3 of the following: geostatistical models, generalized linear mixed models, generalized additive models, regression trees/forests, advanced machine learning techniques) in Matlab and/or R Ability to independently identify, analyze and solve complex statistical and computational problems Demonstrated written and oral scientific communication skills Able to work effectively in a dynamic, fast-paced multi-project environment Preferred Experience working with ocean remote sensing data, numerical ocean model outputs, and large distributed oceanographic databases Ability to interface with large databases through THREDDS/OpenDAP/ERDDAP servers in Matlab and/or R Experience with ArcGIS 9.3 or later including Geostatistical Analyst and Spatial Analyst extensions and geospatial database management Knowledge of Python scripting for ArcGIS, and/or Scientific Python (SciPy/NumPy or similar) Experience implementing hierarchical Bayesian models in WinBUGS, OpenBUGS, JAGS, ADModelBuilder or equivalent Experience with JMP and/or SAS statistical software including scripting Familiarity with Windows PC and UNIX-emulator environments (e.g., Cygwin or MinGW) Ability to modify and compile C/C++ and Fortran code written by others Knowledge of marine science, oceanography, ecology, or a related field Experience with spatial analysis of marine populations and ecosystems Record of academic publication

Salary Range: Commensurate with experience.

Benefits: Full benefits package. See https://jobs-consolidatedsafety.icims.com/jobs/1380/job

Web Site: http://www.css-dynamac.com/

Application Address: Submit applications online at this link: https://jobs-consolidatedsafety.icims.com/jobs/1380/job

Contact Email: brian.kinlan@noaa.gov

Application Deadline: 04/22/2012