Coexistence Scientist - Quantitative Ecology

Position: Coexistence Scientist - Quantitative Ecology

Location: Cincinnati, OH

Job : 1421

# of Openings: 1

The Global Conservation Impact team at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden is seeking a full‑time Coexistence Scientist with expertise in quantitative ecology to advance our growing portfolio of interdisciplinary conservation work. This scientist will lead and support research on wildlife population dynamics, landscape connectivity, animal movement, and the evaluation of habitat restoration and coexistence interventions. The role bridges rigorous landscape‑level ecological analysis with the real‑world conservation challenges of our global partners, providing the quantitative backbone for evidence‑based decision‑making.

This position will support both local initiatives, such as evaluating the biodiversity benefits of habitat restoration in the greater Cincinnati region, and a global network of partners working on connectivity, corridors, and coexistence challenges. The scientist will also play a key role in mentoring participants in the Hoffman Coexistence Impact Fellowship program and collaborating across disciplines to integrate ecological and social data into cohesive, impact‑oriented research.

The Coexistence Scientist will bolster the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden’s ability to achieve our mission of conserving nature and serving community by fostering leadership, storytelling, and action among coexistence Fellows, Zoo staff, and external partners.

• Lead the design and implementation of ecological research focused on wildlife population dynamics, habitat connectivity, landscape fragmentation, and animal movement across human‑dominated landscapes.
• Conduct and support rigorous impact evaluation of conservation and coexistence interventions, including habitat restoration, wildlife crossings, corridor recovery, and human‑wildlife conflict mitigation measures.
• Apply advanced quantitative approaches including Bayesian hierarchical models, occupancy and population models, movement ecology models (e.g., step‑selection functions, hidden Markov models), spatial and landscape connectivity analyses (e.g., circuit theory).
• Work with diverse ecological datasets including telemetry, camera traps, acoustic monitoring, and remote sensing to generate insights on species space use, survival, and connectivity.
• Integrate ecological data with social, behavioral, and land‑use variables to address interdisciplinary coexistence questions, contributing to emerging approaches that link human behavior and ecological outcomes.
• Contribute to cross‑site analyses and comparative studies that generate generalizable insights across species and geographies.

• Collaborate with global conservation partners on impact evaluation for interventions in landscape‑level and ecological challenges.
• Provide technical support in study design, monitoring frameworks, and spatial analysis to strengthen partner‑led conservation efforts.
• Support funding strategy by contributing ecological expertise to grant proposals and helping identify opportunities where the Zoo’s analytical capabilities can add value for partner organizations.
• Help translate ecological findings into actionable recommendations for conservation planning, management, and policy.

• Supervise and mentor Coexistence Fellows in ecological research design, quantitative analysis, and scientific writing, particularly those working on landscape‑scale and movement ecology questions.
• Support the continued development of the Zoo’s conservation impact evaluation frameworks, ensuring ecological metrics are robust, scalable, and integrated with social and human well‑being indicators.
• Collaborate closely with the broader interdisciplinary team to ensure that ecological and social analyses are co‑produced and mutually reinforcing.
• Contribute to peer‑reviewed scientific publications, technical reports, grant applications, and impact reports for CZBG, partners, and funders.
• Participate in conservation conferences, workshops, and stakeholder…