Postdoctoral Associate - Predictive Modeler

Colorado State University • Fort Collins, CO

54d • $65,000 - $70,000 • Onsite

About The Position

We are looking for a highly skilled postdoctoral scientist (postdoc) to lead the development of models for predicting wild bird strikes in and around an airport's airspace in space and time. The objective of the work is to provide risk assessment tools for guiding aviation managers in protecting public safety. The postdoc will collate data and develop predictive statistical models to estimate strike probability, the frequency component of a strike risk metric. This work will eventually be combined with strike severity to compose a strike risk metric and, thereby, provide means to prioritize bird-strike management actions and decision making for civil and military airport managers and wildlife biologists. The postdoc will work at the forefront of human-wildlife interactions with quantitative ecologists and wildlife biologists from USDA-APHIS and Colorado State University (CSU) as well as aviation stakeholders and natural resource economists. They will also work closely with a data scientist to transfer their modeling workflows into a pipeline and dashboard system for real-time risk assessment. The position is co-located at CSU and the National Wildlife Research Center of USDA-APHIS-Wildlife Services in Fort Collins, CO.

Requirements

• Applicants must have defended their Ph.D. in ecology, wildlife biology, conservation, statistics, data science or related fields, and have a strong record of publishing in peer-reviewed journals using ecological statistics or ecological modeling.
• The applicant must also have US Department of Defense security clearance, which requires the job candidate to be a U.S. citizen.
• Must be legally authorized to work within the U.S.

Nice To Haves

• Experience using hierarchical statistical models, spatio-temporal models, machine learning, and developing data pipelines for large datasets.
• Experience with ecological forecasting, decision analysis, and working with natural resource management stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• lead the development of models for predicting wild bird strikes in and around an airport's airspace in space and time
• collate data and develop predictive statistical models to estimate strike probability
• work closely with a data scientist to transfer their modeling workflows into a pipeline and dashboard system for real-time risk assessment

What This Job Offers

• Industry: Educational Services
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees