Researcher IV

Research IV

Cherokee United Services is seeking a Researcher IV in Gainesville, Florida. This position supports the Benthic Ecology Research Program through food-web research, stable isotope ecology, statistical modeling, data synthesis, laboratory experiments, field sampling, scientific visualization, and publication development.

Compensation & Benefits:

Compensation is commensurate with experience. Full-time benefits include Medical, Dental, Vision, 401(k), and other possible benefits as provided. Benefits are subject to change with or without notice.

Research Scientist IV

Responsibilities Include:

• Serve as a technical resource and point of contact for food-web research projects.
• Design, plan, and execute deep-sea food-web studies involving stable isotope ecology, trophic linkages, and ecological modeling.
• Participate in offshore and nearshore fieldwork, including ocean research cruises, to collect biological and environmental samples for stable isotope and related analyses.
• Design and conduct laboratory and field experiments examining the feeding, growth, reproduction, environmental thresholds, and health of deep-sea corals and associated marine organisms.
• Support research focused on deep-sea coral communities, chemosynthetic environments, and other deep benthic habitats.
• Analyze and synthesize stable isotope data and other ecological datasets to characterize food-web structure, energy flow, and trophic relationships.
• Develop and apply statistical modeling approaches to evaluate environmental drivers affecting deep-sea food webs and benthic community ecology.
• Use R, RStudio, and other approved programming tools to manage, analyze, visualize, and interpret research data.
• Develop and maintain organized, quality-controlled datasets using project-specific Microsoft Access databases and other approved data-management systems.
• Perform data quality assurance and quality control activities before analysis, including validation, documentation, error review, and finalization of project data.
• Integrate multiple data formats and scales into efficient analytical and modeling environments.
• Use Geographic Information System tools, including QGIS, to produce maps, spatial metadata, and visualizations that support research findings.
• Develop clear scientific graphics, data visualizations, model-output summaries, and other products for reports, presentations, publications, and decision-makers.
• Prepare intermediate and final research summaries, technical reports, data files, graphics, and supporting documentation according to project schedules.
• Lead and contribute to peer-reviewed journal manuscripts, including serving as lead author when assigned.
• Mentor graduate and undergraduate students in research methods, data management, stable isotope ecology, modeling, scientific writing, and related technical subjects.
• Train and mentor team members on technical processes, analytical approaches, data visualization, and quality-control practices.
• Coordinate data acquisition, management, analysis, and reporting activities with personnel, project partners, and other stakeholders.
• Maintain complete and organized project records, analytical scripts, metadata, data files, quality-control documentation, and research-product files.
• Meet assigned project milestones, including completion of data QA/QC, data visualizations, model-output summaries, reports, and final deliverables.
• Follow all safety procedures, standard operating procedures, information-security requirements, property-protection requirements, and facility-security requirements.
• Work safely in laboratory, office, field, and shipboard environments.
• Travel periodically to support field activities, ocean research cruises, project meetings, workshops, professional conferences, and other authorized program needs.
• Maintain eligibility to operate government vehicles when required for approved work activities, including providing required liability insurance.
• Perform other job-related duties as assigned.

Experience, Education, Skills, and Abilities Requested:

• Master's degree in biological sciences, environmental sciences, marine sciences, ecology, or a closely related discipline required.
• At least seven years of direct, relevant professional experience in biological, environmental, marine, or ecological science required.
• Demonstrated experience in stable isotope ecology, stable isotope data analysis, and food-web research required.
• Experience designing, conducting, and synthesizing ecological field studies, laboratory studies, or controlled experiments required.
• Experience conducting research involving deep-sea organisms, cold-water corals, benthic communities, or comparable marine ecosystems preferred.
• Demonstrated experience developing and applying statistical models to ecological datasets required.
• Experience integrating data from multiple formats, sources, scales, and study types into a structured modeling or analytical environment required.
• Proficiency using R and RStudio for data management, statistical analysis,…