Acoustic Data Scientist

Job Title: Active-Acoustic Data Scientist

Location: Remote, in the New England Area for occasional field work opportunities

Clearance Required: Public Trust Eligible

Regular rate: $40-$45/hour

OT rate: $60-$67.50/hour for qualifying pre-approved hours worked in excess of 40 hours in a calendar week

Final date to receive applications: October 30, 2026

IBSS is hiring an Active Acoustics Data Analyst to support the Northeast Fisheries Science Center's Atlantic Mackerel Cooperative Research Initiative. The analyst will work collaboratively to develop a robust active acoustic target strength for Atlantic mackerel of the northwest Atlantic Ocean for application in stock assessment. The analyst will support paired sampling of Atlantic mackerel catch and active acoustics aboard industry vessels, use these data to groundtruth Atlantic mackerel acoustically, and assist with developing automated detection models for mackerel from acoustics data.

• Assist with active-acoustic data analysis on data collected by the NEFSC and/or academic, governmental, and industry partners.
• Assist with managing and organizing active-acoustic data collected by the NEFSC and or academic, governmental, and industry partners.
• Assist with collating and managing supplemental data (e.g., oceanographic and biological) collected by the NEFSC and or academic, governmental, and industry partners.
• Assist with collating and managing metadata from data collected by the NEFSC and or academic, governmental, and industry partners.
• Assist with preparing data for analysis using advanced analytical methods such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and other analytical techniques.
• Assist with report, manuscript, and presentation preparation.
• Communicate analyses and results at scientific conferences and meetings with academic, governmental, and industry partners through presentations, posters, or other digital media.
• Opportunities to perform tasks on sea-going vessels may be available. If feasible and warranted,
• Participate on research cruises when acoustic data management is required at sea.
• Serve as a member of the scientific party standing watch for up to 12 hours per day when acoustic data management is required at sea.
• Assist with general shipboard sampling activities, organization, and clean-up.

• A college/university post‑graduate degree (PhD or equivalent) in the sciences or computer science, or equivalent work experience of at least five years.
• Proficient with custom‑written and commercially‑available data analysis software.
• Proficient with programming in open‑source computer software, such as Python 3, Perl, and R.
• Significant experience with post‑processing active‑acoustic data.
• Proficient with machine learning, artificial intelligence, and/or advanced analytical methods.
• Proficient with working in the cloud (e.g., Google Cloud Workspace).
• Proficient with Echoview post‑processing software.
• Current MS Office and Google Workspace skills.

• First Aid CPR AED (Red Heart Association or equivalent)
• Bloodborne Pathogens Training
• NOAA Safety I, II and/or III Advanced Marine Safety Training

Since 1992, IBSS, a woman‑owned small business, has provided transformational consulting services to the Federal defense, civilian, and commercial sectors. Our services include cybersecurity and enterprise information technology, environmental science and engineering (including oceans, coasts, climate, and weather), and professional management services.

Our approach is to serve our employees by investing in their growth and development. As a result, our employees bring greater capabilities and provide…