Assistant Professor-FixedTerm

MSU Careers Details • East Lansing, MI

50d • Onsite

About The Position

The Quantitative Fisheries Center (QFC) within the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife at Michigan State University invites applications for a full‐time, 12-month fixed-term Assistant Professor position with an expected assignment of 25% research, 35% outreach, 35% education (QFC training programs and workshops, no departmental teaching), and 5% service. The outreach component of this position centers on technical consultation and collaboration with management partners and agencies for stock assessment model development and harvest policy evaluation. The position start date is anticipated to be January 2027. Competitive applicants will have experience in quantitative fisheries stock assessment and harvest simulation modeling. Statistical catch-at-age (SCAA) models are used widely throughout the Great Lakes for management purposes, including setting recommended harvest levels for important commercial and recreational fisheries (e.g., lake trout, lake whitefish, walleye) and for determining appropriate stock levels to maintain predator-prey balance in Lakes Michigan and Ontario. The primary responsibility of this position is to develop educational materials (printed materials, in-person and online short courses) on introduction to RTMB, fish population dynamics, stock assessment methodology, and harvest policy methodology to ensure Great Lakes assessment biologists are able to maintain assessment models for management purposes. The hired scientist will work alongside other QFC stock assessment scientists in this curriculum development effort. Other responsibilities of this position will include modernizing SCAA assessment models and evaluating sustainable harvest policies for key managed species. Applied work will include involvement with the bi-nationally managed Lake Erie walleye and yellow perch fisheries, valued at more than $1 billion USD/yr and which presently are the only Marine Stewardship Council certified fisheries in the Great Lakes, in close collaboration with the Lake Erie Committee (LEC), Standing Technical Committee (STC), Lake Erie Walleye Task Group (WTG) and the Yellow Perch Task Group (YPTG). This position offers meaningful research opportunities, including exploration of state-space modeling frameworks, hierarchical approaches to stock assessment, and simulation-based evaluation of harvest policies. This researcher will join an engaged team of fisheries scientists working at the Quantitative Fisheries Center tasked with improving fishery stock assessments throughout the Great Lakes. This is a fixed-term position with annual renewal, contingent on satisfactory performance and continued support from Great Lakes fishery agencies. As an institution of higher learning, Michigan State University is committed to providing a safe environment for its students, faculty, and staff in support of its educational mission. With this commitment, the University conducts criminal background checks and professional misconduct reviews of all applicants for employment in faculty, academic staff, and executive management searches A professional misconduct review is a prerequisite for a candidate to be selected for this position. Applicants will be asked to disclose whether they are subject to any pending investigation, findings or sanctions related to professional misconduct. Professional misconduct includes misconduct related to a person’s employment, including, but not limited to, theft, embezzlement, research integrity, discrimination, or harassment under civil rights laws and policies, including protected identity harassment, sexual harassment, sexual misconduct (sexual assault, sexual exploitation, dating violence, domestic violence, stalking, etc.), and retaliation. All applicants will be asked to sign an authorization and release, which authorizes the University to contact the candidate’s current and former employers, for a period of 7 years prior to the date of application, related to any pending investigations, findings of responsibility and/or sanctions related to professional misconduct. Nothing will be sent to current or former employers unless the candidate reaches the semi-finalist stage. The existence of professional misconduct history does not automatically exclude a candidate from employment. The University will assess the history, including any information provided by the candidate, in determining whether it is compatible with the position. The University may decline to hire a candidate based on the professional misconduct review. All records obtained from external employers will be kept in a secure location, separate from personnel files. If an applicant fails to sign the authorization and release, the application will be deemed incomplete and will be withdrawn. Equal Employment Opportunity Statement All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, age, disability or protected veteran status.

Requirements

• Ph.D. in fisheries science, quantitative ecology, or a closely related field.
• Demonstrated expertise in fisheries stock assessment, population dynamics, quantitative ecology, or related analytical disciplines.
• Demonstrated experience developing, applying, or evaluating quantitative models used to support fisheries assessment, management, or conservation decisions.
• Demonstrated experience working directly with fisheries management agencies, biologists, or resource managers to address applied stock assessment or harvest policy questions.

Nice To Haves

• Strong quantitative and computational skills, including experience with statistical analysis and programming environments commonly used in fisheries science, including state-space modeling, integrated assessment models, management strategy evaluation, simulation modeling, Bayesian methods, or related quantitative approaches.
• Experience leading or contributing to stock assessments for exploited, threatened, or invasive fish populations.
• Demonstrated ability to work both independently and collaboratively as part of a multidisciplinary team.
• Commitment to conducting applied science that supports fisheries management and conservation.
• Familiarity with fisheries management processes and inter-jurisdictional fisheries management environments used by state, provincial, Tribal/First Nations, or federal fisheries agencies.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, including the ability to communicate complex quantitative and technical information to both scientific and management audiences
• Strong organizational, project management, and problem-solving skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and meet project deadlines.
• Experience facilitating technical discussions, workshops, or collaborative processes involving agency personnel and scientific partners.

Responsibilities

• Develop educational materials (printed materials, in-person and online short courses) on introduction to RTMB, fish population dynamics, stock assessment methodology, and harvest policy methodology.
• Modernize SCAA assessment models.
• Evaluate sustainable harvest policies for key managed species.
• Involvement with the bi-nationally managed Lake Erie walleye and yellow perch fisheries.
• Exploration of state-space modeling frameworks, hierarchical approaches to stock assessment, and simulation-based evaluation of harvest policies.
• Improve fishery stock assessments throughout the Great Lakes.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree