Extension Associate - Project FeederWatch - Lab of Ornithology

Extension Associate – Project Feeder Watch – Lab of Ornithology

The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) is a pioneer of purpose-driven science and Cornell University’s second largest college. We work across disciplines to tackle the challenges of our time through world-renowned research, education, and outreach. The questions we probe and the answers we seek focus on three overlapping concerns:
We believe that achieving next-generation scientific breakthroughs requires an understanding of the world’s complex, interlocking systems. We believe that access to nutritious food and a healthy environment is a fundamental human right. We believe that ensuring a prosperous global future depends on the ability to support local people and communities everywhere. By working in and across multiple scientific areas, CALS can address challenges and opportunities of the greatest relevance, here in New York, across the nation, and around the world.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is the world's leading resource for conservation, research, education, and citizen science focused on birds. The Lab is a vibrant unit within Cornell's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Staff at the Lab publish research, teach courses, advise students and postdocs, collect and disseminate world-famous digital resources on biodiversity, and engage with partner organizations and citizens around the world to conduct scientific research and facilitate conservation actions.

The Center for Engagement in Science and Nature at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology provides meaningful opportunities for the public to participate in collaborative scientific research to improve the scientific understanding of birds through collective observation and environmental stewardship. The Engagement Center creatively uses the power of the internet to build science-based conservation communities to tackle the complex issues of how to study and address environmental problems and their impacts on birds.

Further, the Center studies the process of involving the public in scientific research, coupling the ecological and social sciences to better understand how to engage the public in meaningful scientific research. Project goals involve varying blends of research, education and outreach. Project Feeder Watch is a showcase participatory science program demonstrating how to successfully engage the public in scientific research.

With more than 30,000 participants annually, a strong record of scientific publications, and a self-supporting revenue stream, Project Feeder Watch is one of the leading participatory science programs globally.

The Cornell Lab is an inclusive community and we recognize that a diverse workforce creates more innovative and impactful work to address global challenges. We are committed to fostering a healthy workplace that values diverse perspectives and backgrounds as well as supporting growth and advancement opportunities. The Lab welcomes staff who are still learning in their careers and who are motivated to take on new challenges.

• Provide outreach and research direction for Project Feeder Watch ((Use the "Apply for this Job" box below).), a research and education project involving more than 30,000 participatory scientists annually in the U.S. and Canada. Manage all aspects of project delivery in the U.S., collaborate with our partners at Birds Canada, and direct the broad goals of the project.
• Interface with the Center’s tech team to maintain high-quality web and mobile platforms for engaging the public in scientific research.
• Pursue and implement external funding (e.g., National Science Foundation grants) to advance novel research studies and approaches for engaging the public in scientific research.
• Initiate and guide ecological and/or social science research using Project Feeder Watch data. Mentor research students and work with Lab and external scientists to ensure analysis and publication of project results in scientific literature.
• Maintain the Open Access repository of Project Feeder Watch data and analytical code to assist the global research community in successfully accessing and analyzing this unique data resource.
• Serv…