Assistant Research Scientist in Marine Ecosystem Modeling

Assistant Research Scientist in Marine Ecosystem Modeling

Job no: 540029
Work type:
Non-Tenure-Track Faculty

Location:

Main Campus (Gainesville, FL)
Categories:
Biology/Life Science, Agricultural Sciences
Department:  - AG-NATURE COAST BIOLOGICAL STA

This is a 9‑month non‑tenure‑accruing position that will be 100% research. Duties will include, but are not limited to, updating and maintaining existing ecosystem models; analyzing large datasets on fish, habitat, and water quality; developing new models and statistical analyses; developing web applications (rShiny); maintaining code through Git Hub; presenting results at management meetings and professional conferences; mentoring graduate students; data management;

and preparing scientific publications, grant reports and outreach materials. The faculty member will actively seek contract and grant funding to support their program.

The successful candidate will participate actively in graduate education by chairing and serving on graduate committees, supervising thesis and dissertation research, and publishing results with students.

Develop ecosystem models and analyses to support fisheries management decisions. Work on high‑profile projects such as: assessing ecosystem impacts of red tides on the West Florida Shelf; developing spatially explicit models to support management of Atlantic menhaden; investigating declines in reef fish abundance in the U.S. South Atlantic region; coupling marine ecosystem models with ocean climate models. Collaborate with a multidisciplinary team of marine ecosystem modelers, ecologists, stock‑assessment scientists, physical oceanographers, biogeochemical modelers, fisheries monitoring leaders, and fishery managers and stakeholders.

Recruit and mentor graduate students. Seek and manage external funding.

• Doctorate (PhD or foreign equivalent) in marine science, fisheries, ecology, oceanography, or related fields.
• Interest in fisheries ecology, marine ecosystem modeling, species‑distribution modeling, and mathematical modeling for natural resource management.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively to meet project deliverables.
• Proficiency in R.
• Strong written and oral communication skills demonstrated by publications in peer‑reviewed journals and conference presentations.
• Commitment to foster inclusive working relationships with colleagues from a variety of backgrounds.
• Demonstrated skills in interpersonal relationships and extramural funding acquisition.
• Support of the Land‑Grant mission.
• Knowledge and experience with ecosystem and food web models, fish population dynamics, stock assessment, species‑distribution models, and geospatial analysis of large fisheries and environmental datasets.
• Experience with Ecopath and Ecosim software preferred.
• Experience working in multidisciplinary projects and interacting with resource managers.
• Experience developing R‑shiny apps and open science tools on Git Hub.
• Experience in linear and nonlinear modeling (GLMs, GAMs), spatial‑temporal data analysis, and analysis of spatial data.
• Familiarity with the Gulf of Mexico marine ecosystem.
• Experience in project management and leading interdisciplinary research teams.

Compensation is commensurate with experience and education. Funding is available for 2‑3 years depending on salary.

The University of Florida is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer.