Graduate Position: Monitoring Seabirds Using Acoustics (Canada)
Carleton University is searching for a graduate (MSc) student to collaborate with the British Antarctic Survey. The student will lead a study funded by the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP), analyzing 8 years of white-chinned petrel audio recordings and burrow surveys at Bird Island, South Georgia. Deadline to apply: March 15, 2024.
Agency/Organization: Carleton University
Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Website: Click here
Job Description: Many populations of albatrosses and petrels have declined dramatically, primarily due to bycatch in commercial fisheries or predation at nesting sites by invasive species. Understanding the outcomes of management actions is challenging because most petrels are nocturnal at colonies and nest in burrows. Advances in passive acoustic recording could offer the opportunity for cost-effective population monitoring even at remote archipelagos.
We are looking for a MSc student to join our team at Carleton University in collaboration with the British Antarctic Survey. The student will lead a study funded by the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP), analyzing 8 years of white-chinned petrel audio recordings and burrow surveys at Bird Island, South Georgia. The project will involve the development of tools to help determine the ability of acoustic monitoring to detect changes in attendance patterns and numbers of nonbreeding and breeding white-chinned petrels. The results will help inform development of methods for measuring recovery and recolonization of petrels after rodent eradications, including on the main island of South Georgia. The position start date is September 2024. The student will be supervised by Dr. Rachel Buxton (https://www.biodiversityconservationsolutions.com/) in collaboration with Prof. Richard Phillips.
Qualifications: BSc degree in ecology, conservation science, data science, geography, applied statistics, or a related field; strong research, leadership, and communication skills; enthusiasm and kindness; experience managing and analyzing data.
Desirable Skills: GIS/mapping; coding in R; bird identification; experience of analyzing acoustic recordings.
Wage: N/A
To apply: Applicants should send the following to Rachel Buxton (Rachel.Buxton@carleton.ca) and Richard Phillips (raphil@bas.ac.uk) by March 15, 2024: 1) Letter of interest summarizing your experience; 2) Curriculum Vitae; 3) Contact details for three references; and 4) University transcripts (unofficial are fine). Note that existing funding is only sufficient to cover Canadian citizens. Please use the subject line: Seabirds and acoustics application.
Application Deadline: March 15, 2024
Start Date: September 2024
Contact: Rachel Buxton (Rachel.Buxton@carleton.ca)
