Ocean Career: Antarctica Program Biologist at Point Blue Conservation Science

Program Biologist

We have been assessing changes in our environment and advancing conservation through bird and ecosystem studies since our founding as Point Blue in 1965. Point Blue's 140+ staff work to maximize nature's benefits for wildlife and people in our rapidly changing world.

Individuals from underrepresented communities in science and conservation are strongly encouraged to apply. Increasing diversity, equity and inclusion at Point Blue and in our partnerships, is essential for the success of our mission, vision, and strategy. The work of diversity, equity and inclusion is not separate from our programmatic work or how we work at Point Blue; it is an integral part of our work every day.

This position will be based at Point Blue in the Antarctica Program and will be part of a multi-institution team that has been studying penguins and the Antarctic ecosystem for many decades. This productive collaboration between Point Blue, H.T Harvey, Oregon State University, and Arizona State University has led to the publication of more than 100 scientific journal articles; several of these articles were instrumental in justifying the need for the Ross Sea Marine Protected area, established in 2017 as one of the largest marine protected areas in the world.

We continue to investigate questions such as: why are some colonies bigger than others, why do they occur where they do, what sort of environmental changes impact populations the most, and what is "normal" variability, with the goal of developing better understanding and sustainable management of the Antarctic ecosystem.

The Program Biologist will be part of a team that studies Adélie penguin breeding and wintering ecology with the objective of increasing our understanding of population structuring of this and other species through time. Emphasis during the Biologist's term will be on the long-term effects of early life conditions on individuals as they mature and use of devices deployed on penguins to monitor environmental change.

Please see the research page here for more specifics about the current project. Field work will involve a deployment of ~4 months (October-February) in Antarctica (pending approval of NSF and medical clearance). While in Antarctica, the Biologist will be stationed at a small field camp (2-5 people) at one of the penguin colonies on Ross Island. The field crew works out of a small hut, sleeping in tents, accessible in good weather conditions only by helicopter from McMurdo station, which in turn is only accessible by military aircraft from New Zealand.

Living conditions in the field are rustic, communal space is cramped, there is no running water (no showers). Temperatures range from
-20 to +10 °C, with intermittent severe wind and snowstorms. The Biologist will participate in several unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) surveys and will be required to obtain FAA certification as a remote pilot prior to deployment to Antarctica. The remainder of the position will be based out of Point Blue headquarters in Petaluma, California. Working remotely outside the field season is supported.

The Biologist will benefit from exposure to key concepts and skills in the following areas:

• Field methods in ecology and conservation biology
• Broader context of polar biology and climate changes
• Safety and logistical challenges of working in Antarctica
• The scientific process and the role of natural history observation in guiding meaningful research and conservation
• Critical thinking and evaluation of research and conservation
• Climate-smart conservation
• Science communications
• Data management and analysis

This position will participate in all aspects of the project from field work and field-logistics, data management and analysis, literature review, and preparing manuscripts for publication.

Responsibilities while in the field (up to 4 months of the year):
Collect data on many aspects of the species' breeding and wintering ecology. Including:

• Searching for banded (known-age) penguins and recording their nesting status
• Deploying and maintaining automated scale and PIT-tag readers
• Deploying biologging devices on individual penguins to track movement and behaviors
• Measuring chicks and recording observations of chick diets
• Surveying for whales and pinnipeds
• Conducting UAV surveys to photograph and census nesting adults and chicks
• Data entry and proofing

Non-field responsibilities:

• Data management (50%)
  -Data quality assurance
  -Annual summaries and reports
  -Maintain existing long-term databases
  -Develop and maintain data collection and entry protocols
• Additional projects and activities as developed with supervisor (40%)

• A college degree by the time of employment
• An interest in the field of conservation
• At least one season of field biology experience, seabird experience preferred
• Effective written and verbal communication skills
• An eagerness to learn
• Attention to detail and patience
• Teamwork skills- ability to communicate…