Dear colleagues, Biomathematics & Statistics Scotland (BioSS) seeks to appoint two permanent positions at a statistician grade, who have an interest in working on interesting applied and methodological research relating to the impacts of offshore renewable energy on seabirds and marine mammals.
The Offshore Renewables Group<https://www.bioss.ac.uk/collaborate-us/offshore-renewables> (OSR) in BioSS carries out quantitative research on the impacts of offshore renewable energy on seabirds and marine mammals in collaboration with the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH) and many other organisations. These positions offer the opportunity to work in a friendly, inclusive team (currently up to 15 staff + 5 PhD students) within three consortia on interesting and innovative long-term projects, which have substantial statistical and software development components. This is an opportunity to be involved in developing interesting statistical approaches using novel ecological data to solve real-world problems relating to the impacts of offshore renewables on seabirds, and contribute to an extensive research portfolio. 1. Funded by the Offshore Wind Evidence and Change Programme (OWEC<https://www.thecrownestate.co.uk/en-gb/what-we-do/on-the-seabed/offshore-wind-evidence-and-change-programme/>), Predators and Prey Around Renewable Energy Devices (PrePARED<https://owecprepared.org/>) is providing critical insight into cumulative effects from large scale developments for key species. Surveys are collecting concurrent data to characterise and quantify relationships between predators and prey in the context of a changing environment. Spatial and movement models have been developed using Hidden Markov Models, Generalised Additive Mixed Models, and Bayesian approaches to investigate broad-scale movements of seabirds and prey, and species distributions with uncertainty. 2. Funded by the Scottish Government Offshore Wind Directorate, the Foraging Ecology of Guillemots and Razorbills in the Non-Breeding Season (Aukestra) project seeks to understand interannual variation in seabird foraging behaviour and energetics. Data collection is being carried out using geolocator tags and the collection of moult feathers for isotope analysis. We will be constructing spatial models and integrating isotope information to investigate variation in seabird distribution and foraging areas in the non-breeding season. 3. Funded by the Scottish Government Offshore Wind Directorate, the Seabird Foraging and Avian Flu (BRAIDS) project is examining the effects of reductions in seabird populations due to the recent Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) outbreak. We are continuing to develop Hidden Markov Models along with spatial metrics of foraging to determine how foraging distributions and ranges may change within a hierarchy of different scales. The research will be used to strengthen the evidence base for environmental impact assessments. These positions will also have links to the Statistical Methodology Theme<https://www.bioss.ac.uk/our-expertise/statistical-methodology> group in BioSS, and the roles will provide the opportunity to work with scientists developing novel statistics approaches. We would also encourage successful candidates to build their own research profiles, linked to the research themes within the OSR Group and wider BioSS. For further details, please refer to the full job advert, available here: https://www.bioss.ac.uk/vacancies/ecological-statisticians-2-vacancies Potential applicants are encouraged to contact Dr Esther Jones (esther.jo...@bioss.ac.uk<mailto:esther.jo...@bioss.ac.uk>) to discuss these positions. The closing date for applications is March 27th 2025 (23:59 UK time). Best wishes, Phil ------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Phil Bouchet | Senior Statistician Biomathematics and Statistics Scotland (BioSS) The James Hutton Institute, Craigiebuckler, Aberdeen AB15 8QH, Scotland, UK Email phil.bouc...@bioss.ac.uk<mailto:phil.bouc...@bioss.ac.uk>
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