Research Associate, Research Scientist, Biology

Research Project Large Whale Foraging Ecology & Conservation

Department/Unit

Oceanography

Location

Posting Number

S207-26

Employee Group

Grant-Paid (PSAC Local 86001)

Position Type

Term

Duration of Contract (if applicable)

8.5 months

Employment Type

Full Time

Full-time Equivalency (FTE)

1.0

Salary $32.64 - $41.33 per hour ($59,403 - $75,221 per annum based on 35 hours per week)

Classification

Provisional Statement

Dalhousie University is Atlantic Canada’s leading research-intensive university and a driver of the region’s intellectual, social and economic development. Located in the heart of Halifax, Nova Scotia, with an Agricultural Campus in Truro/Bible Hill, Dalhousie is a truly national and international university, with more than half of our almost 21,000 students coming from outside of the province. Our 6,000 faculty and staff foster a vibrant, purpose‑driven community, that celebrated 200 years of academic excellence in 2018.

The Whale Ecology and Conservation lab is focused on understanding the impacts of environmental variability on large whales and their prey. The research is highly interdisciplinary and combines biological and physical oceanography with ecology and physiology to answer conservation‑oriented questions. Reporting to the Principal Investigator, the Research Associate will work on a number of projects within the lab, particularly investigating humpback whale foraging ecology in the Bay of Fundy and modelling the risk of ship strike to bowhead whales in the Arctic.

They will lead on project planning, data collection, data analysis and reporting of project results.

• Plan and prepare for project fieldwork. Identify research questions and ensure data collection protocols will meet project objectives. Prepare project reports, manuscripts and conference presentations to share project results widely.
• Collaborate with project team to test and pack research equipment and manage fieldwork logistics. Support students and team members on interdisciplinary research projects and supervise students as required.
• Maintain and prepare whale tagging equipment for deployment. Record data on tag deployment efforts and keep detailed field notes. Work with project team to deploy and retrieve suction cup bio‑logger tags on humpback whales.
• Lead analysis of bio‑logger kinematic and camera data. Calibrate, clean, and process bio‑logger tag data. Annotate video data to identify whale behaviours. Develop models to identify humpback whale foraging and link to prey field characteristics.
• Model the risk of ship strike to bowhead whales under future shipping scenarios. Create species distribution model using historic satellite tag data to predict future whale locations under changing environmental conditions.
• Generate realistic future shipping scenarios using relevant literature and AIS ship location data. Develop models of ship strike risk using generated shipping scenarios and whale locations.

The role requires work in the field. This will require working from a research vessel and a shared house for a period of at least two weeks. While in the field, work will include evenings and weekends. Compensation and scheduling will be in accordance with the collective agreement. The successful applicant will be eligible for hybrid work (combination of in‑person work on campus and remote work from within Nova Scotia) as agreed by all parties based on operational requirements and university guidelines.

• PhD in Marine Ecology or related field of study with at least three years’ relevant postdoctoral experience (or equivalent combination of training and experience).
• Demonstrated understanding of whale ecology and the impact of human activities on marine mammals.
• Experience administering large research projects and planning fieldwork, including experience undertaking at‑sea fieldwork in rugged conditions.
• Experience analysing data from animal telemetry tags, specifically Argos/ GPS satellite tags and tri‑axial inertial sensing bio‑logger tags (e.g., Customized Animal Tracking Solutions Tags), and AIS ship location data, along with strong mathematical and modelling skills with…