Post Doctoral Associate, Elephant Communication - San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance

San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance • Escondido, CA

1d • $87,264 - $98,172 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Post-Doctoral Associate oversees research projects and performs a variety of assigned research and diagnostic activities, while completing post-doctoral training in a specialized area of scientific research. This position reports to Scientist level or higher in the Conservation Science & Wildlife Health department. The Population Sustainability team at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance has an opening for a full-time, 3-year Postdoctoral Associate to apply machine learning (ML) expertise to investigate the meaning and structure of African savanna elephant vocalizations. The Associate will design and implement research working in close collaboration with Colorado State University (CSU), Save the Elephants, and the Wildlife Care teams at the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park in order to 1) explore individual and environmental variables influencing acoustic properties in elephant communication, 2) describe structural components encoding information and their behavioral context, and 3) explore how vocalizations may be used for applications in elephant conservation and welfare. The Associate will build a behaviorally and individually labelled dataset of elephant vocalizations from elephants at SDZWA using on-animal and array-based passive acoustic recording devices, and will have access to existing elephant vocalization datasets from wild elephants for analyses. The position is co-advised within the Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology at CSU and the Associate will spend time in both locations. The selected candidate will have opportunities to work with a diverse group of collaborators within SDZWA and CSU and with global partners, and will receive training in using the Open Standards for the Practice of Conservation for the planning and adaptive management of conservation projects.

Requirements

• PhD in computer science, ecology, or a related field with a focus in ML
• Background in Python programming
• Background in linguistic analysis
• Advanced work in animal communication
• In-depth knowledge about contemporary methods in machine learning
• Demonstrated ability to work with others in a diverse environment.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in applying ML to acoustic data to develop detection and classification models
• Specialization area preferred (i.e. population biologist, demography, or genetics)
• Knowledge of science communication or interpretation of scientific concepts.

Responsibilities

• Oversee assigned research projects.
• Collect, process, and enters research data.
• Perform experiments and measurements.
• Interpret and analyze research results and revises procedures as necessary.
• Establish and maintain databases.
• Document research methodology and results.
• Prepare progress reports.
• Conduct and oversee investigations of study subjects.

Benefits

• Free admission to the San Diego Zoo and the San Diego Zoo Safari Park
• Family Passes
• Complimentary Tickets
• Free Parking at the San Diego Zoo & San Diego Zoo Safari Park
• Local and In-House Discounts
• Employee Assistance Program
• Wellness Program

What This Job Offers

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