Turtle Conservation Research Associate

American Turtle Observatory (http://americanturtles.org), a non-profit organization focused on the conservation of North American freshwater turtles, is seeking a contract biologist to coordinate and supervise elements of regional conservation research and planning initiatives for Spotted and Blanding’s Turtles in the eastern US. The contract will involve primarily office (analytical and administrative) work and some field responsibilities and will begin ~Dec. 1, 2019 and run for approximately 15 months (start and end dates are negotiable). Responsibilities will include careful management of sensitive data; spatial and quantitative data analysis including distribution, occupancy, and population modeling; coordinating conference calls for regional projects; preparing reports and technical papers; preparing outreach/technical assistance materials; and working collaboratively with biologists from ATO, Antioch University, UMass Amherst, and state and federal wildlife agencies. Field responsibilities may involve visual encounter surveys, trapping, and telemetry for Spotted and Blanding’s Turtles; entering and proofing field data; and following decontamination procedures to minimize the spread of pathogens. All data collected and shared under this position will be protected by data-sharing agreements with ATO and various state agencies, and cannot be retained by the biologist after the end of the contract. The biologist must adhere to all state and federal environmental laws in the course of their employment.

Qualifications

Applicants must have an undergraduate degree in a relevant field relevant, a graduate degree is preferred. Desired qualifications include extensive experience with capture-recapture and occupancy-based quantitative models, habitat modeling and conservation area planning, R, ArcGIS and GoogleEarth, and ecological experience with Spotted and Blanding’s Turtles. Applicants should be enthusiastic, collaborative problem-solvers and be ready to independently prioritize research-related decisions based upon a strong grasp of project objectives. 

To apply, email a cover letter, resume/CV, and contact information for three references as a single Word or PDF document to: lisabeth.willey@gmail.com. Review of applications will begin November 1, 2019.