Position Titles: Lead Research Technician & Research Technician Employment Term: full-time temporary position, October 1, 2016 - April 30, 2017, with possibility of extension through May 2017
Application Closing Date: Sept 6, 2016 Start Date: Oct 1, 2014 Salary - Lead Research Technician: $2,900/month Salary - Research Technician: $2,400/month PIs: Dr. Corinna Riginos (University of Wyoming and Northern Rockies Conservation Cooperative) and Dr. Marcel Huijser (Western Transportation Institute, Montana State University) Job Description We are seeking two dedicated technicians to assist with a road ecology study in western Wyoming. Western Wyoming is home to significant populations of big game and some of the most intact ungulate migration routes in the United States. Nevertheless, species such as mule deer face myriad challenges as they navigate a landscape increasingly impacted and fragmented by human activities. Roads are one type of barrier that animals must face as they migrate between and move within their seasonal ranges. In partnership with the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT), we will be testing the extent to which lowering nighttime speed limits can reduce the negative impacts of vehicles on mule deer and other large mammals. We will do this by collecting data on vehicle speeds and traffic patterns, working with WYDOT crews to collect carcass data, and collecting behavioral data on deer-road interactions using a nighttime thermal video camera. Field work will involve some direct deer observations and deploying and maintaining automated equipment (radar speed recorders and thermal video camera systems). Office work will require reviewing video footage and collecting deer behavioral data from that footage, managing data, and assisting with report writing as needed. Research technicians, especially the Lead, will have the opportunity to assist the project PIs with study design and data analysis. Out of each month, approximately two weeks will be spent deploying and managing equipment in locations throughout southwestern Wyoming (coupled with some daytime office work), one week of full-time office work, and one week off. Research technicians should be prepared to spend considerable time on the road. Field housing and partial food stipend will be covered. Research technicians will have to supply their own vehicle(s); project-related mileage will be reimbursed. Desired Research Technician qualifications include: BS + field experience in wildlife ecology or related field; experience installing and maintaining electronic equipment; experience working with public agency staff and communicating to the general public; willingness to work hard as part of a team and to spend considerable time in rural Wyoming. Additional qualifications desired for Lead Research Technician: experience leading field research in remote conditions with little day to day supervision; experience with data management; experience with statistical analyses; excellent written and verbal communication skills. To Apply: Send a single PDF document (file name “Lastname_Firstname_LeadTech.pdf” or “Lastname_Firstname_Tech.pdf”) to [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> containing (1) cover letter/statement of interest, (2) CV, (3) copies of undergraduate and any graduate transcripts (unofficial okay), and (4) contact information for three references. *************************** Corinna Riginos, Ph.D. Research Ecologist http://www.corinnariginos.com phone: 307-413-2280
