MSc student- Marbled Murrelet at-sea population monitoring

Cal Poly Humboldt is searching for a graduate student (MSc) for a partially funded research
project conducting at-sea population monitoring of threatened Marbled Murrelet
(Brachyramphus marmoratus) and other seabirds in California and Oregon. This work is part of
a long-term monitoring project mandated by the Northwest Forest Plan, and is in collaboration
with Oregon State University.

Organization: Department of Wildlife, Cal Poly Humboldt

Position description: The position will begin in May 2027. The successful candidate will
participate in at-sea surveys for Marbled Murrelet and all other marine birds in near coastal areas
throughout northern California and southern Oregon during the breeding season (May 15-July31). The candidate will be mentored by Drs. Daniel Barton and Frank Fogarty (Cal Poly Humboldt), and Dr. Rachael Orben (Oregon State). There is the opportunity to investigate research questions related to population trends for other species in a long-term data
set. The successful candidate is also expected to participate in at-sea surveys throughout the Oregon coast in 2027, contingent on funding. The position includes field travel and housing, tuition, full-time summer salary and part-time academic year salary ($20/hr), with the possibility of additional salary support from teaching assistant positions.

Required qualifications:
– BSc in biology, zoology, wildlife ecology, fisheries, or a related field
– Strong oral and written communication skills
– Ability to work both independently and as part of a team to achieve research goals
– Willingness to travel and collect data in challenging conditions on small boats
– Bird identification experience (especially PNW seabirds)
– Interest in developing advanced quantitative skills
– The selected candidate will need to successfully apply to Cal Poly Humboldt’s Master of
Science in Natural Resources program.

Preferred qualifications:
– Experience using GIS and R to manage and analyze wildlife data
– Experience collecting field data, including conducting point counts or other distance
sampling methods
– Familiarity with working on small boats in ocean conditions.

Interested candidates should submit the following to all three PIs ( faf7@humboldt.edu,
db1876@humboldt.edu, Rachael.Orben@oregonstate.edu ) by Dec 1 st for full consideration: Copy of unofficial transcripts, A letter of research interests that includes relevant skills and experiences, CV or resume including contact information for at least two references