Ocean Career: Georgia Sea Grant Coastal Ecology Research Staff

Staff Researcher in Coastal Ecology Lab

By serving as a bridge between scientists, local governments, and marine industries, we help communities protect coastal resources through sustainable, science-based solutions. Our extension specialists connect university expertise with local needs to strengthen the economic vitality and resilience of coastal communities. Education staff enhance environmental literacy and inspire stewardship by engaging the public, teachers, and students in programs that highlight the importance of Georgia's coastal ecosystems.

We also prepare the next generation of educators and marine scientists through workforce development opportunities for college students. Meanwhile, our research program supports applied studies across Georgia that expand understanding of coastal and estuarine systems and address pressing environmental challenges.

Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant is managed through a federal-state partnership between the University of Georgia (UGA) and the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Sea Grant College Program, a network of 34 Sea Grant programs located in coastal and Great Lakes states and territories.

This position is for a staff researcher in the Coastal Ecology Lab with Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant office and will be located fully at the off-campus UGA facility in Brunswick, Georgia. The responsibilities will be diverse and dynamic across multiple projects in the lab as the lab is funded extramurally. This staff position will play a large role in project execution and management and may also be involved with the design and implementation of novel research projects in the field.

Projects will focus on ecological surveys and research primarily on wildlife, and reptiles, in particular, along with general assessments of habitat health and change in the Coastal and Coastal Plain regions of Georgia. As the lab has field sites in multiple counties within these regions, overnight travel for fieldwork ranging from 1-4 nights/week is expected, particularly during September – April.

The primary responsibilities of this position will be to conduct and assist with the coordination of surveys for gopher tortoises and indigo snakes (but extends to other animal and plant species), specifically line transect distance sampling and burrow scoping. We use pre-development data to project impacts and collaboratively develop plans for the avoidance or relocation of impacted species on industry lands (e.g., utility-scale solar, mineral surface mining) with project sponsors and natural resource agencies.

This position will also be involved in executing mitigation actions, such as relocations and exclusion fence/recipient pen monitoring.

We further work with project sponsors to develop and implement the local stewardship, habitat management and restoration, and staff/contractor education and awareness initiatives. We also conduct research on the post-translocation status of gopher tortoises, including vegetation assessments using transects and UAVs/drones in the recipient habitats. We use these data to engage adaptive management and process improvement for wildlife and habitat. The researcher will conduct field work at multiple field locations that includes, but is not limited to, radio tracking, checking game cameras, and the seasonal trapping of tortoises to swap equipment and download data.

Other grant opportunities will certainly arise during the course of employment so some new projects will come online and others will wrap up. Staff will have opportunities for input on both new and on-going projects and can participate in the proposal process as needed and as time around primary responsibilities allows. The staff will undergo and maintain specific task training for compliance with UGA protocols, including safe venomous snake handling, state vehicle and computer use, and working with minors in education programs.

Training and compliances for access to some of our field sites, such as MSHA certification and refreshers, will be provided as part of the initial training and onboarding as it is required as a condition of…