Research Scientist, Ecology

Atlanta Botanical Garden Inc • Atlanta, GA

4d • Onsite

About The Position

The Atlanta Botanical Garden seeks a Research Scientist, Ecology to join the Southeastern Center for Conservation (SECC) within the Department of Conservation & Research. The Research Scientist will lead applied ecological research that advances the conservation and recovery of rare and imperiled plants and the restoration of their habitats, with particular emphasis on the Southeastern United States. Working within the SECC and Garden’s strategic plans, the successful candidate will develop and lead collaborative research focused on priority areas such as restoration ecology, especially research integrating fungal and other microbial interactions, conservation translocations and reintroductions, adaptive management, demography and population dynamics, and/or population viability. The scientist will translate research findings into practical conservation strategies while contributing to the Garden's leadership in plant conservation science. This position combines research leadership with field-based conservation, grant development, scientific publication, collaboration with conservation partners, and mentorship of staff and emerging scientists.

Requirements

• Ph.D. in ecology, conservation biology, plant biology, botany, restoration ecology, natural resources, or a closely related discipline
• Demonstrated record of designing, conducting, analyzing, and publishing original ecological or conservation research
• Expertise in one or more areas relevant to rare-plant conservation, such as population ecology, demography, restoration ecology, reintroduction biology, conservation translocations, or population viability
• Strong quantitative and analytical skills and experience working with ecological or biological datasets
• Demonstrated ability to develop and manage collaborative research or conservation projects
• Experience obtaining or contributing substantially to externally funded research or conservation programs
• Record of peer-reviewed scientific publication appropriate to career stage
• Excellent scientific writing, presentation, and interpersonal communication skills
• Ability to collaborate effectively with researchers, agency personnel, land managers, conservation practitioners, students, and other partners
• Experience supervising or mentoring research staff, students, technicians, or interns
• Ability to work independently while contributing effectively to interdisciplinary teams and institutional research priorities

Nice To Haves

• Research experience with rare, threatened, or endangered plants
• Experience with plant reintroduction, conservation translocation, population augmentation, or adaptive management
• Experience with demographic monitoring, population modeling, or population viability analysis
• Experience in ecological restoration, particularly wetland, grassland, woodland, or other Southeastern ecosystems
• Strong plant identification skills, particularly with flora of the Southeastern United States
• Experience collaborating with state and federal natural-resource agencies
• Experience with GIS, spatial analysis, species distribution modeling, or statistical programming
• Experience working in a botanical garden, nonprofit conservation organization, university, government agency, or comparable research setting

Responsibilities

• Conduct and oversee research in areas such as restoration ecology, especially research integrating microbial interactions, conservation translocations and reintroductions, adaptive management, rare-plant demography and population dynamics, and/or population viability.
• Develop research questions, experimental designs, monitoring approaches, and analytical frameworks that inform species recovery and habitat restoration.
• Develop science-based strategies for establishing, augmenting, managing, and monitoring populations of conservation concern.
• Translate ecological analyses into indicators, monitoring approaches, prioritization frameworks, and other decision-support tools for conservation, restoration, and adaptive management.
• Analyze ecological and biological datasets using appropriate quantitative and statistical methods, and contribute to spatial analyses using GIS and related tools.
• Develop an externally and internally funded research program.
• Identify funding opportunities and lead or contribute to competitive proposals to foundations, government agencies, and other funding organizations.
• Manage grant-supported projects, including research activities, partnerships, budgets, milestones, reporting, and deliverables.
• Disseminate research through peer-reviewed publications, technical reports, professional conferences, stakeholder meetings, workshops, Garden outreach, and other appropriate venues.
• Develop and maintain collaborations with universities, state and federal agencies, conservation organizations, botanical gardens, land managers, and other partners, including participation in regional, multi-institutional research and conservation networks.
• Work across interdisciplinary and multi-institutional projects, collaborating with specialists in fields such as hydrology, soil science, geospatial analysis, conservation genetics, horticulture, and land management to address complex conservation questions.
• Collaborate with field biologists, technicians, interns, and other project personnel to support research implementation, data collection, and conservation outcomes.
• Provide scientific guidance and mentorship to interns and undergraduate and graduate researchers participating in related projects and collaborate with field biologists, technicians, and other project personnel in the implementation of research.

Benefits

• Equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law.
• Reasonable accommodations will be made for qualified individuals with disabilities.

What This Job Offers

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