Pollinator Biologist, Student Service Contractor Duration: September 01, 2018 to September 01, 2019 (with possible extension)
Salary: $31.54/hour (~$65,600/year) Description: The position is in support of a USGS research project at the Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center (NPWRC) in Jamestown, North Dakota. The applicant will be part of a multidisciplinary science team that studies how land-use change affects the health and productivity of managed honey bees and native bees. The duty station for this position is Jamestown, ND. Major Duties: Serve as a member of a multidisciplinary research team conducting an empirical evaluation of floral resources used by bees, and the relative contribution of those resources to honey bees and native pollinator health and productivity. Responsible for managing field crew and field operations including obtaining, cataloging and processing honey and native pollinator health and foraging data throughout the Upper Midwest. Conduct GIS analyses of pollinator habitat and threats. Manipulate and analyze large field and GIS datasets. Identify fieldwork priorities and coordinate schedules to ensure timely delivery of research products. Manage and organize datasets related to pollinator health, forage, and spatially explicit land use information surrounding each study location. Manage the collection and preparation of pollen, nectar, and bee tissue samples for analyses conducted at off-site laboratories. Install honey bee hive and native bee monitoring equipment at remote field sites in the Upper Midwest. Contribute to the development of research study plans, and peer-reviewed publications Preferred Skills/Qualifications: Ability to create maps, quantify landscape attributes, and present field data in a spatially explicit manner using QGIS, ArcGIS, or R. Skilled in managing, manipulating, and analyzing datasets in software such as Access, R, and Excel. Demonstrated ability at implementing field studies with an applied science focus and leading groups of technicians. Use of dichotomous keys to identify native bee specimens and flowering plants. Skilled in identifying plants including native and non-native forbs, invasive plants, and agricultural crops to document pollinator forage. Demonstrated ability to analyze ecological datasets and contribute to publications in peer-reviewed journals. Required Criteria: All applicants must be a current student or a recent (12 month) graduate from a university. The position is open to U.S. citizens. Qualified applicants are required to have a Masters or Ph.D. in ecology, entomology, restoration ecology, wildlife science, or a related field of study. To Apply: Please send your cover letter, resume, three professional references, and unofficial student transcripts to Clint Otto (co...@usgs.gov). Review of applicants may begin immediately, but the positions will remain open until a suitable candidate is selected. Applications received by August 06, 2018 will be provided full consideration. Please state your current academic status and available start and end dates (if applicable) in your cover letter.