*Fisheries Research Technician Position in the Department of Biology at
East Carolina University *
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_Position Description_: The Asch Fisheries Oceanography Lab
University (ECU) is seeking to hire a research technician for a
full-time, temporary position. The technician will be involved in two
research projects. Approximately, 75% of the technicianâÂEURÂ(tm)s time will be
spent on a project funded by the North Carolina Division of Marine
Fisheries focused on identifying the offshore migration corridor and
spawning grounds of southern flounder (/Paralichthys lethostigma/). A
team of researchers at ECU, along with collaborators at the University
of North Carolina-Wilmington and North Carolina State University, will
undertake a multi-pronged approach to answer this question. The
technician will play a lead role in aging larval southern flounder based
on daily otolith growth increments. The technician will work closely
with other Asch lab personnel to utilize data on larvae ages to run a
larval dispersal model to back calculate the potential spawning
locations from which these fishes originated. The technician will also
work with a team of ECU researchers from multiple labs to tag adult
southern flounder prior to the start of their offshore migration. The
technician will be involved in fieldwork deploying and maintaining
acoustic receivers to track tagged fishes and utilizing a wave glider
equipped with additional acoustic receivers to follow the location of
tagged fishes. If candidate spawning grounds are successful located, the
technician will assist this research team in conducting surveys to
confirm spawning activity. Using data from these surveys, the technician
will sort plankton samples and use DNA barcoding to confirm the
occurrence of southern flounder eggs and will use histology to assess
the reproductive state of fishes caught near the potential spawning
grounds.__
Approximately 25% of this technicianâÂEURÂ(tm)s time will be spent on a second
project where the Asch Lab is partnering with the Beaufort, North
Carolina branch of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA) to expand the Beaufort Inlet Ichthyoplankton Sampling Program
(BIISP). BIISP has been collecting weekly ichthyoplankton samples at
Beaufort Inlet during fall through spring months since the year 1987,
making it the longest continuously operating ichthyoplankton time series
on the east coast of the U.S. This time series has the potential to
provide valuable information on how local fish communities are
responding to climate variability and climate change. We have expanded
the BIISP time series by lengthening the duration of the sampling season
so that it is year round, as well as by collecting weekly
mesozooplankton samples and conducting YSI profiles of temperature,
salinity, dissolved oxygen, pH, and fluorescence. Together with other
members of the Asch lab and NOAA, the technician will be responsible for
traveling to Beaufort once a week, collecting the enhanced BIISP
samples, and recording and transcribing YSI water quality measurements.
Since larval fish are capable of avoiding capture by plankton nets
during the day, all sampling will be conducted at night and will be
timed to coincide with tidal fluctuations. During time periods when
fieldwork is not underway for the southern flounder project, this
technician will help process ichthyoplankton and zooplankton samples
collected by BIISP. Mesozooplankton samples will be analyzed using a
software, which is used to image a subsample of zooplankton and then
apply a machine learning algorithm to semi-automatically identify taxa.
The technician may also help sort and identify species from BIISP
samples of larval and juvenile fishes collected during summer months.
Lastly, it is expected that this technician will take on some duties
associated with lab management including training students in lab
protocols, helping to order lab supplies, assuring compliance with lab
safety regulations, and maintaining the lab in clean and functioning
order. The successful candidate for this position will also be
encouraged to take on additional roles associated with statistical
analysis of data, preparation of manuscripts for publication, and the
presentation of results at scientific conferences.
This will initially be a one-year position, with the potential for
renewal contingent upon available funding and satisfactory performance.
We aim to have the selected candidate start work in early June. However,
given the COVID-19 pandemic, the starting date for this position is
flexible and may depend on university priorities for critical and
non-critical research during the pandemic.
Located in Greenville, North Carolina, ECU seeks to create an
environment that fosters the recruitment and retention of a diverse
student body, faculty, staff and administration and works to increase
diversity and access to higher education for groups underrepresented in
the sciences by building an environment that welcomes, celebrates, and
promotes respect for diversity. East Carolina University is an equal
opportunity and affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants
will receive consideration for employment without regard to their
race/ethnicity, color, genetic information, national origin, religion,
sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, political
affiliation, or veteran status.
_Minimum Education/Experience_*:*
Ò·B.S. degree in marine science, biology, ecology, oceanography, natural
resource management, or similar fields. Must have taken at least some
coursework in marine ecology.
Ò·Ability to drive state owned vehicles, conduct ecological fieldwork in
wet and occasionally uncomfortable conditions at night-time, and carry
field equipment weighing up to ~30 lbs.
Ò·Independent self-starter who is excited to learn new skills and has the
ability to problem shoot technical challenges.
_Preferred Experience, Skills, Training/Education:_
Ò·Masters of science degree in marine science, biology, ecology,
oceanography, natural resource management, or similar fields.
Ò·1-2 years of experience at the post-baccalaureate level working in a
lab focused on conducting marine ecological or fisheries research.
Ò·Previous experience examining fish otoliths, tagging fishes, collecting
and processing ichthyoplankton and zooplankton samples in marine and
estuarine environments, operating a ZooScan, and/or modeling larval
dispersal.
Ò·Experience operating small boats.
Ò·Experience analyzing data with MATLAB or R.
Ò·Has written and published scientific manuscripts and has presented
scientific results at conferences.
_Salary_: While this is an hourly position, we anticipate that the
salary for this hire will be approximately $31,200 per year. The exact
annual salary will vary depending on the level of experience and hours
worked.
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_Application Instructions_: The full job announcement and instructions
for applying to this position are available:
letter, and list of references to Ms. Jennifer B. Jacobs at
jacobsje15@ecu.edu . This position will be
open for applications through April 30, 2020. Please contact Dr. Rebecca
Asch (aschr16@ecu.edu) regarding any questions
that you may have about this posting.