Spatial Ecologist

CSS, Inc. is seeking Spatial Ecologist(s) with data analysis experience to join NOAA's National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS), Marine Spatial Ecology Division, which is a nationally recognized scientific research program that conducts spatial ecological analysis, statistical modeling, ecological forecasting, and predictive mapping to support marine ecosystem management, conservation, restoration and spatial planning. The candidate(s) will be employed by CSS to work on site at the NOAA National Ocean Service in Silver Spring, MD.

We seek candidate(s) with experience using scientific programming languages (e.g., R, Python) to fit a variety of advanced spatial/spatiotemporal statistical models to ecological data - including both physical and biological aspects of marine and coastal ecosystems. The successful candidate(s) will help support solutions to large, complex spatial and spatiotemporal ecological modeling challenges in the context of a changing climate, such as modeling of species' distributions, marine wildlife survey data, and/or physical, oceanographic, and geological aspects of marine habitat. Examples of potential projects include spatial and spatiotemporal modeling of marine species; benthic, estuarine and coastal habitats; and marine ecosystem structure (e.g., connectivity, biodiversity) in a variety of US jurisdictions.

Core responsibilities

• Provide statistical, computational, and analytical support for projects that use predictive models in conjunction with large ecological survey, habitat, and environmental databases, to provide spatially-explicit maps to address questions of climate change on marine management and conservation:
• Apply mapping, statistical, geospatial, or artificial intelligence techniques to analyze and process large volumes of data;
• Develop work plans and communication of task progress and scientific results in calls, meetings and conferences; and
• Contribute to peer-reviewed publications, presentations, and technical memoranda.
• Travel to federal and state laboratories, academic institutions, and field missions as part of collaborative research projects (

Qualifications:

Minimum requirements

• Minimum of Master's degree or equivalent experience in Biology, Ecology, Oceanography, Quantitative Ecology or similar field;
• Demonstrated ability to perform ecological analyses, including the integration, processing, analysis and visualization of large geospatial datasets;
• Experience with ESRI products, including ArcGIS Pro and ArcGIS Online
• Demonstrated experience working independently and with a team including developing and distributing tasks for other team members to accomplish;
• Ability to work effectively in a dynamic, fast-paced, multi-project, multi-disciplinary environment;
• Ability to work at-sea on small and large research vessels;
• Track record of written and oral scientific communication to diverse audiences;

Preferred Qualifications:

• At least 3 years of professional or academic experience performing ecological analyses for applied applications
• Proficiency scripting statistical and spatial analyses in R and/or Python
• Experience with formulating statistical survey and sampling design supporting spatial predictive modeling
• Experience with marine species, habitats and/or geology
• Familiarity with ecological data science including solving data analysis challenges associated with large data sets and computationally complex processing tasks;
• Experience with High-Performance Computing and parallel programming in the cloud or in virtual environments
• Self-motivated, excited to learn, and willing to tackle technical/conceptual challenges independently as well as in collaboration with team members
• AAUS or equivalent scientific diver with experience in identifying tropical Caribbean fish, corals, and/or benthic communities
• Experience with acoustic telemetry in marine habitats

CSS is predominantly a Federal Contractor and is subject to following the terms of Executive Orders. CSS requires all Employees (Direct, Indirect, government, state, and commercial), including employees working from home/remotely, to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or have an approved exemption. Exceptions to the COVID-19 vaccine requirements may be provided to individuals for religious beliefs or medical reasons. Requests for an exception must be submitted to the CSS HR Department.

CSS is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer who provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regards to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy, national origin, age, disability, veteran status or genetic information. In addition to federal law requirements, CSS complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.