Quantitative Ecologist - Biostatistician - 2 Year Term
Overview
The National Ecological Observatory Network
(NEON) is a $430 million dollar observatory
project dedicated to understanding how changes in
climate, land use and invasive species impact
ecology. For the next three decades NEON will
collect a comprehensive range of ecological data
on a continental scale across 20 eco-climatic
domains representing US ecosystems. NEON will use
cutting edge technology including an airborne
observation platform that will capture images of
regional landscapes and vegetation; mobile,
re-locatable, and fixed data collection sites
with automated ground sensors to monitor soil and
atmosphere; and trained field crews who will
observe and sample populations of diverse
organisms and collect soil and water data. A
leading edge cyber-infrastructure will calibrate,
store and publish this information. The
Observatory will grow to 300+ personnel and will
be the first of its kind designed to detect and
enable forecasting of ecological change at continental scales.
Summary:
Working closely with NEONs TOS scientists, the
quantitative ecologist/biostatistician will
provide guidance and statistical support in
developing approaches to optimize ecological
sampling designs and data analyses. Particular
emphasis will be on assisting with evaluation of
spatial sampling designs and temporal sampling
strategies for a wide range of ecological taxa
and environmental processes. These evaluations
will include identifying metrics to assess
confidence in density estimates and optimizing
the spatiotemporal sampling approach using
initial and prototype datasets from Observatory
sites. The ideal candidate will also have the
capability to develop approaches for quantifying
and tracking uncertainty, calculating error
budgets, and developing models for trend
detection. This position reports to the Assistant
Director of the Fundamental Sentinel Unit.
Must have permanent authorization for US employment.
Term:
This position will be a two year term assignment.
Location:
This position will be located at NEON Headquarters in Boulder, CO.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
Develop, test and assist in the implementation
of statistical and modeling applications used by TOS staff.
Play a key leadership role in utilizing
statistical and modeling strategies to optimize
TOS sampling designs and in developing integrated statistical analyses.
Provide critical input to field protocol development and QA/QC plans.
Conduct statistical analyses and modeling in
collaboration with science staff and external experts.
Participate in the development and approval of
standardized documentation for these processes,
following documentation standards.
Collaborate with NEON Cyber-Infrastructure,
Data Products and Science teams as well as external users.
Provide training to users on specialized applications as needed.
Communicate efforts to the ecological community
(e.g. presentations, reports, publications).
Required Education:
PhD in biology, ecology, statistics, applied
mathematics, or related field or MS plus 2 or
more years experience as a quantitative
ecologist supporting biostatistical and
ecological modeling tools and applications.
Required Experience, Knowledge, Skills:
Strong record of achievement in the areas of
quantitative ecology, ecological modeling and
analysis, and/or statistical applications in ecological investigations.
Strong analytical and creative problem skills
demonstrated ability to successfully apply
experience and judgment to both short- and long-term challenges.
Ability to effectively explain complex
statistical approaches to individuals from different disciplinary backgrounds.
Demonstrated ability to interact effectively
with a wide range of scientific, technical, and
management staff, stakeholders, and vendors.
Demonstrated ability to collaborate with
employees from a variety of scientific
backgrounds and degrees of interest/skill in
ecological modeling and statistical approaches.
Ability to work independently and as part of an active science team.
Experience using hierarchical Bayesian methods.
Expertise with common statistical software packages (e.g., R, Matlab).
Scientific writing and review.
Open to undertaking responsibilities beyond
those associated with individually assigned projects.
Preferred Experience, Knowledge, Skills:
Knowledge of field biology protocols and practices
History of active engagement with the
ecological and broader natural sciences communities.
Experience with large scale inventory and monitoring programs.
Proficiency with RDBMS-based (MySQL, Oracle)
applications, database concepts, major
programming languages (e.g. C/C+), and scripting languages (e.g. Python).
Experience using Monte Carlo modeling techniques.
Experience with software, models, and methods
for animal occupancy and density estimation.
Self-starter who can create new opportunities
and use novel quantitative methods to enable continental-scale research.
APPLY AT: WWW.NEONINC.ORG
NEON Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Women, Minorities, Veterans and Disabled Persons are encouraged to apply.
Bridget A. Sorget
Sr. Recruiter
NEON, Inc.
(National Ecological Observatory Network)
1685 38th Street, Suite 100
Boulder CO 80302
www.neoninc.org
Phone: 720.330.1570
Cell: 720.839.5016
