Bioacoustic Research Analyst

AIS•Honolulu, HI

21h•Onsite

About The Position

A.I.S., Inc. (AIS) is seeking a Bioacoustic Research Analyst to support the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center’s (PIFSC), Protected Species Divisions’ Passive Acoustic Studies of Cetaceans program. This role will assist senior researchers with passive acoustic monitoring data analysis and data management. The position contributes to cetacean detection and classification, data processing and archiving, acoustic metadata database maintenance, soundscape analysis support, fishery vessel acoustic analysis, and the preparation of scientific reports and presentations. The role requires foundational expertise in bioacoustics, programming, and data management within an applied marine science context.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in statistics, marine science, or a related field with at least 2 years of relevant experience.
Working knowledge of underwater acoustic theory and practice.
Experience using, testing, or validating automated detectors and classifiers for passive acoustic datasets.
Ability to assist with the execution and interpretation of statistical analyses of acoustic data.
Prior experience contributing to the drafting of technical reports and presentations on project results.
Proficiency in at least one of the following: MATLAB or R, including familiarity with MATLAB-based acoustic analysis software (Triton).
Familiarity with open science practices and version control systems (e.g., GitHub) for managing analysis code.
Familiarity with passive acoustic metadata databases such as TETHYS and Makara.
Current MS Office skills.
Ability to obtain Public Trust background investigation clearance prior to beginning performance.
Must be able to work in the U.S.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree in marine science, bioacoustics, statistics, or a related field.
Proficiency in Python in addition to MATLAB or R.
Experience with cloud-based data processing workflows.
Familiarity with NOAA Fisheries data archives (NCEI, InPort).
Prior experience with acoustic data from autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) or gliders.
Experience with fisheries acoustics or cetacean call library datasets.

Responsibilities

Assist with passive acoustic data analysis tasks under direction of senior analysts, including cetacean detection, classification, and localization using MATLAB, Python, R, and PAMGUARD.
Support analysis of archived passive acoustic datasets from stationary recorders, towed hydrophone arrays, drifting acoustic recorders, Seagliders, and other platforms.
Use and validate automated detectors and classifiers for cetacean species in passive acoustic datasets; perform manual review to validate classifier outputs.
Assist with data processing efforts: convert RAW acoustic files to WAV format using MATLAB routines, conduct QA/QC, and prepare datasets for archiving at NCEI and partner institutions.
Support maintenance of PIFSC acoustic metadata databases (TETHYS, Makara, NCEI), including data entry, quality checking, and uploading detection and classification data.
Assist with soundscape analyses computing ambient noise metrics and automating measurement routines at hourly to annual timescales.
Support analysis of fishery vessel acoustic recordings (underwater and in-air) and assist with acoustic propagation analyses.
Contribute to the drafting of technical reports, manuscripts, and presentations on project results.
Maintain analysis code in publicly accessible repositories (GitHub / NOAA Fisheries GitHub Enterprise) consistent with open science practices.
Maintain dataset logs, including analysis method, outcomes, and location of derived products; submit monthly progress reports to Project Lead.
Assist with preparation for and participation in working group meetings and scientific conferences as directed.