Joint Postdoctoral Position at NOAA Fisheries and UC Santa Cruz

[jfiechter]

TITLE: Chinook Salmon Ocean Ecology and Management in the California Current

DESCRIPTION: The University of California, Santa Cruz, in collaboration with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Marine Fisheries Services, seeks 1 Postdoctoral Scholar with experience in Marine Fisheries, Marine Ecology, Biological Oceanography or a related discipline to work on a research project aimed at improving Chinook salmon management by quantifying drivers of salmon ocean distribution based on ecosystem information. The candidate will work to align estimates of forage abundance from several ocean ecosystem surveys and use that information to evaluate potential improvements to projections of ocean harvest rates for Klamath River fall Chinook and Sacramento River fall Chinook salmon. A specific objective of this effort will be to align and utilize both trawl and acoustic data collected from two ocean ecosystem surveys to develop estimates of salmon forage abundance and distribution at the appropriate spatial and temporal scales in central and northern California coastal waters. Expected goals of this project include improved understanding of the spatial and temporal patterns of ocean habitat for Chinook salmon stocks, improved fishery assessment and management through incorporation of ecosystem information, and other investigations to support restoration and recovery actions for West Coast salmon stocks. This project is supported by Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funds dedicated to help recover threatened and endangered Pacific salmon in the face of climate change, more details on this and other elements of this project can be found at https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national ... uction-act. The position will remain open until filled. The Initial appointment is for 2 years, with reappointment up to three years total pending performance review and funding availability. To ensure full consideration, applications should be submitted by October 30th, 2024.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS: Ph.D. in Biology, Ecology, Fisheries, Biological Oceanography or related discipline; strong quantitative skills; ability to analyze large oceanographic and biological datasets; willingness to collaborate with other postdoctoral researchers, students, and NOAA and University scientists; demonstrated ability to summarize scientific findings in the form of written manuscripts and oral presentations.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS: Experience in statistics, spatial ecology or spatiotemporal modeling; experience with the processing and application of acoustic data; experience with data-driven process models, proficiency in programming languages such as R, MATLAB, or Python; experience developing and leading research analyses.

LOCATION: The NOAA/SWFSC laboratory in Santa Cruz, California (co-located with the University of California Santa Cruz Coastal Science Campus), with part-time remote work possible.

TO APPLY: Submit a cover letter, CV, and the names of 3 professional references directly to Jerome Fiechter (fiechter@ucsc.edu) and John Field (John.Field@noaa.gov).

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, age, or protected veteran status. UC Santa Cruz is committed to excellence through diversity and strives to establish a climate that welcomes, celebrates, and promotes respect for the contributions of all students and employees.