The Sea Watch Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to marine
research, conservation, and public education is seeking applications for
the following:
RESEARCH ASSISTANT/INTERN COORDINATOR IN CARDIGAN BAY 2016
This position is responsible for assisting the Monitoring Officer in the
running of the “Cardigan Bay Monitoring Project” and coordinating the
project interns. The project is based in New Quay, Ceredigion, West
Wales, and takes care of the conservation management of the bottlenose
dolphin, harbour porpoise and grey seal populations of Cardigan Bay,
monitoring their abundance, distribution, reproductive success and
population structure using a combination of line-transect,
photo-identification, land-based and acoustic surveys.
Start Date: April 11th 2016 End Date: November 6th 2016
Responsibilities will include but are not limited to:
• Coordinate between the Monitoring Officer/Sightings Officer and the
project interns – in charge of the intern shared house and the intern
weekly office rota.
• Assisting the Monitoring Officer/Sightings Officer in intern basic
training of land- and boat based surveys, photo ID studies, database
entry and more.
• Assisting the Monitoring Officer in all phases of the research.
• Assisting the Sightings Officer with maintenance of the national
sightings database.
• Optional opportunity to undertake a personal research project
supervised by the Monitoring Officer. Research topic will be chosen
according to Sea Watch Foundation requirements and applicant’s
interests.
Requirements:
The successful applicant is expected to have completed a BSc degree (or
higher) in biology, marine biology, zoology, chemistry, or related field
and able to demonstrate previous experience in marine mammal research. A
strong interest and knowledge of British cetaceans and experience are
beneficial.
The applicant should ideally have some experience using DSLR cameras.
Practical experience of photo-identification (both photography and
matching) is desirable. Experience with other equipment regularly used
by Sea Watch Foundation such as hydrophone, theodolite, digiscope and
camera drone is advantageous.
The applicant must be proficient with database and word processing
software and be willing to learn new software applications. Specific
experience in use of Access and GIS would be advantageous. Knowledge of
other relevant software such as PAMGuard and Raven is useful but not
essential.
The preferred candidate should have a proven track record as a team
player since the project will involve working closely with other
researchers, but also must be able to supervise small groups of people
as they will be coordinating a team of at least 6 interns.
They must be self-motivated, with the drive and determination to work
independently and responsibly. If a personal research project is
undertaken, this brings the opportunity to submit work for scientific
publication, and for presentation at the European Cetacean Society
Conference.
This position is unpaid, but accommodation will be heavily subsidised
and will not exceed £10 per week should a charge be made at all.
The Research Assistant will be responsible for their own travel expenses
to New Quay. Due to the touristic background of New Quay, part-time paid
evening work is generally easy to find if required by the applicant. The
Research Assistant will have one day of every weekend free and may take
a week’s vacation. Dates for this week should be previously agreed if
possible.
International applications are welcome but it is the applicant’s
responsibility to ensure visa requirements are met; Sea Watch cannot
sponsor visa applications.
To apply:
Please send your CV and application form (which can be downloaded from
our website www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk/internships/), with a cover
letter and contact details of two referees, reporting any relevant
experience you have, to Katrin Lohrengel-
katrin.lohren...@seawatchfoundation.org.uk
Deadline: 3rd January 2016.
Please specify RESEARCH ASSISTANT/INTERN COORDINATOR in your subject
title.
Successful applicants will be notified of the outcomes by the 3rd
February 2016.
The Sea Watch Foundation
The Sea Watch Foundation is a registered marine environmental research
charity that aims to achieve better conservation of whales and dolphins
in the seas around Britain and Ireland, by involving the public in
scientific monitoring of populations and the threats they face. At Sea
Watch Wales, we are dedicated to raising awareness, knowledge and
conservation of the marine wildlife inhabiting Welsh seas. Our work in
Wales has been funded over the years by Natural Resources Wales, and we
work closely with the local management authority, Ceredigion County
Council.
Research
The purpose of our research here is to monitor the marine mammal
populations inhabiting Cardigan Bay, so as to gain information to aid
the conservation and long-term well being of these animals and the local
marine environment. This is achieved by conducting various projects
including:
• Estimating the abundance and distribution of bottlenose dolphins,
harbour porpoises and grey seals within Cardigan Bay using distance
sampling and opportunistic boat surveys
• Maintaining and updating a catalogue of photographically identified
bottlenose dolphins in Wales in order to study their abundance, social
structure, movements and life histories, using mark-recapture techniques
• Acoustic monitoring of bottlenose dolphins and harbour porpoises in
the Cardigan Bay SAC using automated click detectors (T-PODs) and
hydrophones.
• Setting up a library of underwater sounds in Welsh waters in order to
develop bio-acoustic research in the area.
We further aim to raise awareness and understanding of the importance of
the local marine wildlife and the habitats supporting them, and to
encourage respect and conservation of the area and its wildlife for
future generations. At the New Quay office, we also run national
training courses in cetacean identification and survey methods for the
general public.
--
[1]
Katrin Lohrengel / Wales Development Officer
katrin.lohren...@seawatchfoundation.org.uk
Sea Watch Foundation
Paragon House, Wellington Place, New Quay, Wales, SA45 9NR
http://www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk/ [1]
[2] [3]
Links:
------
[1] http://www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk/
[2] https://www.facebook.com/seawatchfoundation?ref=ts&fref=ts
[3] https://twitter.com/WelshCetaceans
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