Research Scientist I - Marine Bioacoustics

New England Aquarium•Boston, MA

26d•Remote

About The Position

We seek to hire a Research Scientist 1 to join and grow with the long-standing right whale research team as part of the Kraus Marine Mammal Conservation Program. Our team has developed a low-cost, open-source, customizable smart acoustic recorder that can be deployed in different configurations to monitor signals and noise levels at sea and in New England Aquarium (NEAq) exhibits. This scientist will continue developing these systems, utilize them to make inferences about the effects of noise on marine species in different environments, and help make them broadly available to the greater research and conservation communities. This is a full-time (35 hours per week) position with a comprehensive benefits package. This is a two-year, grant-funded position with the possibility of extension depending on funding. Work will be conducted primarily remotely with occasional in-person meetings at both our workspace in Portland, ME and NEAq in Boston, MA. Occasional international travel may be required. Typical work hours are flexible with remote meetings occurring between 9 am – 5 pm EST Monday – Friday. A laptop will be provided, but an adequate workspace and high-speed internet connection are required as well as residence in one of the following states: MA, RI, NH, ME, NY, or VT.

Requirements

PhD. in marine biology, oceanography, bioacoustics or related field or a MS with 3 additional years of relevant experience is required.
Record of successful collaboration, fundraising and publishing is required.
Experience with ocean acoustics, including acoustic monitoring, instrumentation, and data analysis is required.
Highly collaborative with excellent organizational and communication skills.
Skilled in acoustic data analysis, especially in making calibrated noise measurements.
Proficiency in coding in Python, R or a similar language.
A genuine interest in, and passion for, the important ocean and marine animal conservation mission of the Aquarium.

Nice To Haves

Expertise in observational and statistical approaches to quantifying impacts of noise on animal health preferred.
Experience with building and using acoustic data collection systems preferred.
Experience with project management, including budgeting, tracking, and reporting preferred.

Responsibilities

Upgrade the software and hardware in our drifting recorders to facilitate real-time data streaming and localization, and test at-sea performance using a known sound source.
Deploy multiple drifting recorders at sea during North Atlantic right whale surveys and characterize their use for applications such as: real-time whale detection and localization, assessing the impact of vessel noise on whale behavior, combining visual and acoustic survey results to associate calls with specific individuals, characterize calling rates, and explore other aspects of fine-scale acoustic behavior.
Develop and optimize the system for remote and automatic monitoring of noise levels in NEAq exhibits.
Work with NEAq Animal Care specialists to develop a pilot study to quantify the impacts of noise in exhibits of interest. This will include overseeing experimental design (replicates, covariates, etc.), data collection, analysis, and dissemination.
Contribute to funding proposals to expand at-sea data collection and/or noise monitoring within NEAq and other institutions.
Analyze results and publish as peer-reviewed manuscript(s).
Develop and strengthen relationships between NEAq departments to enhance our collective scientific goals and mission. This includes actively integrating with the Anderson Cabot Center and broader NEAq community.
Represent NEAq at public events and in the media.