Coexistence Scientist - Quantitative Ecology

Cincinnati Zoo•Cincinnati, OH

12h•Onsite

About The Position

The Global Conservation Impact team at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden is seeking a full-time Coexistence Scientist with expertise in quantitative ecology to advance our growing portfolio of interdisciplinary conservation work. This scientist will lead and support research on wildlife population dynamics, landscape connectivity, animal movement, and the evaluation of habitat restoration and coexistence interventions. The role bridges rigorous landscape-level ecological analysis with the real-world conservation challenges of our global partners, providing the quantitative backbone for evidence-based decision-making. This position will support both local initiatives, such as evaluating the biodiversity benefits of habitat restoration in the greater Cincinnati region, and a global network of partners working on connectivity, corridors, and coexistence challenges. The scientist will also play a key role in mentoring participants in the Hoffman Coexistence Impact Fellowship program and collaborating across disciplines to integrate ecological and social data into cohesive, impact-oriented research. The Coexistence Scientist will bolster the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden’s ability to achieve our mission of conserving nature and serving community by fostering leadership, storytelling, and action among coexistence Fellows, Zoo staff, and external partners.

Requirements

Ph.D. in ecology, conservation biology, wildlife biology, landscape ecology, or a closely related field is strongly preferred.
Candidates with a Master’s degree and an exceptional record of quantitative research and publication may be considered.
Minimum 3-5 years of experience conducting ecological or conservation research, with demonstrated expertise in at least two of the following areas: population ecology, animal movement and space use, habitat connectivity and corridor science, landscape ecology, or evaluation of conservation or restoration interventions.
Strong proficiency in R and/or Python for statistical modeling and spatial analysis.
Demonstrated expertise in spatial analysis and GIS (e.g., QGIS, ArcGIS, Google Earth Engine).
Experience working with movement data, remote sensing or large ecological datasets.
Ability to design and implement robust ecological analyses (e.g., occupancy modeling, population viability analysis, resource selection, connectivity modeling).
Interest and ability to engage with interdisciplinary datasets that combine ecological, spatial, and social variables, and an ability to communicate across disciplinary boundaries with social scientists, conservation practitioners, and non-specialist audiences.
Strong publication record demonstrating the ability to conduct and communicate rigorous quantitative research.
Strong organizational and project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple research projects and partner relationships simultaneously.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including experience writing for both scientific and non-specialist audiences.
Collaborative mindset and demonstrated commitment to mentorship and capacity building, particularly for early-career scientists from local communities.
Willingness to travel domestically and internationally for fieldwork, partner meetings, and scientific conferences, as needed.

Nice To Haves

Experience working with wildlife in international or cross-cultural field contexts is highly desirable.
Experience with Bayesian inference (e.g., Stan, brms, JAGS) is a plus.
Proficiency in additional language(s) is desirable for our global conservation work.
Prior experience in a zoo, NGO, or applied conservation setting is desirable.

Responsibilities

Lead the design and implementation of ecological research focused on wildlife population dynamics, habitat connectivity, landscape fragmentation, and animal movement across human-dominated landscapes.
Conduct and support rigorous impact evaluation of conservation and coexistence interventions, including habitat restoration, wildlife crossings, corridor recovery, and human-wildlife conflict mitigation measures.
Apply advanced quantitative approaches including Bayesian hierarchical models, occupancy and population models, movement ecology models (e.g., step-selection functions, hidden Markov models), spatial and landscape connectivity analyses (e.g., circuit theory).
Work with diverse ecological datasets including telemetry, camera traps, acoustic monitoring, and remote sensing to generate insights on species space use, survival, and connectivity.
Integrate ecological data with social, behavioral, and land-use variables to address interdisciplinary coexistence questions, contributing to emerging approaches that link human behavior and ecological outcomes.
Contribute to cross-site analyses and comparative studies that generate generalizable insights across species and geographies.
Collaborate with global conservation partners on impact evaluation for interventions in landscape-level and ecological challenges.
Provide technical support in study design, monitoring frameworks, and spatial analysis to strengthen partner-led conservation efforts.
Support funding strategy by contributing ecological expertise to grant proposals and helping identify opportunities where the Zoo’s analytical capabilities can add value for partner organizations.
Help translate ecological findings into actionable recommendations for conservation planning, management, and policy.
Supervise and mentor Coexistence Fellows in ecological research design, quantitative analysis, and scientific writing, particularly those working on landscape-scale and movement ecology questions.
Support the continued development of the Zoo’s conservation impact evaluation frameworks, ensuring ecological metrics are robust, scalable, and integrated with social and human well-being indicators.
Collaborate closely with the broader interdisciplinary team to ensure that ecological and social analyses are co-produced and mutually reinforcing.
Contribute to peer-reviewed scientific publications, technical reports, grant applications, and impact reports for CZBG, partners, and funders.
Participate in conservation conferences, workshops, and stakeholder meetings to represent the Zoo’s scientific work and stay current with advances in landscape ecology, movement ecology, and coexistence research.