(443) 482-2203
Specialty
Marine Conservation Ecologist Principal Investigator
The Fisheries Conservation Lab investigates the ecology, management, and conservation of marine and estuarine fisheries. We depend on fisheries for many things including food, employment, recreational opportunities, and cultural identity, but fishing and aquaculture rank among the greatest human impacts on marine ecosystems. Finding a balance between harvest and conservation of fishery species and mitigating the impacts of fisheries on marine ecosystems will be key to sustaining productive, resilient, and biodiverse coastal and marine ecosystems for future generations.
Our interdisciplinary research focuses on providing the best scientific information available to inform fisheries management and conservation decision-making at scales from local communities to global institutions. We apply field and laboratory experiments, animal tracking technologies, models, long-term observational studies, and historical perspectives to address fisheries issues including sustainability of fished populations, altered food webs and trophic interactions, linkages between habitat and fisheries, invasive species, and climate change. We engage in collaborative research through:
For more information, check out our 2023 annual report.
We're hiring!
Posted by Matt Ogburn on April 22, 2024
Biologist Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Oyster Reef Ecology
Date posted
April 4, 2024
Deadline
May 3, 2024 or upon receipt of the first 100 applications.
Employment type
Full-time
Federal position?
Yes
Salary
$68,405 per year (GS-09) term position plus Federal term employee benefits.
Appointment type
Term - NTE 3 years
Location
Edgewater, MD
Work model
Telework eligible
Application link
https://www.usajobs.gov/job/785151500
Overview
The Smithsonian Institution seeks an energetic, field- and data-oriented Biologist Postdoctoral Research Fellow to help develop and implement projects exploring the key drivers of oyster reef biogeography and ecology and apply that knowledge in conservation and restoration. The postdoctoral research fellow position is a Federal term position with a maximum of three years employment. We especially seek applicants with strong writing skills and experience in field research and data synthesis. The fellow will be hosted in SERC’s Fisheries Conservation Lab, working on projects related to the Our Shared Future: Life on a Sustainable Planet Initiative (https://science.si.edu/) and MarineGEO program (https://marinegeo.si.edu/).
Oyster Reef Ecology
Biogenic reefs, created by living marine organisms, are the foundations of marine ecosystems throughout the world, supporting biodiversity and ecosystem services critical to human health and livelihoods. Oyster reefs have declined by 85% from historical abundances and are functionally extinct in many regions. The causes of these declines are many, including overfishing, habitat destruction, pollution, and disease, but reefs now face additional, increasing pressure from rapid human population growth and development and rapid ocean warming and acidification.
We seek a postdoctoral fellow who will take innovative approaches to exploring how understanding responses of oysters to stressors can inform effective oyster and oyster reef conservation and restoration via ecosystem-based adaptation and nature-based solutions. The fellow will explore this topic working alongside Smithsonian scientists and through a growing oyster reef research network to facilitate comparative studies at large spatial scales.
This position is based at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in Edgewater, MD and requires occasional travel. Research and education at SERC address grand challenges in environmental science by working across ecological scales, conducting long-term field studies, and engaging in comparative, synthetic studies. Our scientists collaborate across the Smithsonian Institution and beyond, with federal and state agencies, universities, and international organizations. We value public engagement and have strong programs in citizen science, science education, and science communication.
This is a full-time, Federal term position with a comprehensive benefits package. The position is open to US citizens only. The Smithsonian Institution is an equal opportunity employer, committed to a policy of nondiscrimination on the basis of race/ethnicity, national origin, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, age, religion, marital/parental/caregiver status and disability. The SERC community recognizes the value of diversity in promoting innovative science and creative solutions, and we strongly encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply.
Qualifications and Requirements
Requirements for these positions include:
- One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least GS-7 level in the federal service or comparable pay band system. This specialized experience is defined as research investigating oyster reef ecology or marine biodiversity conservation or related subject area, or
- Two years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree in the subject area of ecology, environmental science, geography, biology, physical sciences or related subject.
- Your resume must describe your experience and skills in each of the following:
- Research program development and management
- Communication and publication
- Professional service
- Research grant and/or contract proposals
- Your resume must state the start and end dates of each position held (MM/YYYY) and the number of hours worked each week (e.g., 40 hrs/wk). Other tips for applying for Federal positions can be found at https://serc.si.edu/careers/tips-applying-federal-jobs.
- For additional requirements, please refer to the USAJobs advertisement.
How to Apply
Applications must be submitted only through the USA Jobs Vacancy Announcement: 24R-ST-310702-DEU-SERC
Contact
Please address questions about the position announcement to: LSP_Fellow@si.edu.
NO APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED AT THIS ADDRESS.
About SERC
SERC is a research center of the Smithsonian Institution, located in Edgewater, MD on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay, approximately 10 miles south of Annapolis, 40 miles west of Washington DC, and 40 miles south of Baltimore. SERC's 2,650-acre campus is a living laboratory for long-term ecosystem research on forests, farmland, wetlands, shorelines, and estuaries. The SERC campus contains a laboratory and office complex, as well as education and waterfront facilities, dormitories for interns, and guest housing for visitors.
The Smithsonian Institution is an equal opportunity employer, committed to a policy of non-discrimination on the basis of race/ethnicity, national origin, sex, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, age, religion, marital, parental, or caregiver status, and disability. The SERC community recognizes the value of workforce diversity, and we strongly encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply. We recognize that each applicant for this role will bring unique skills, knowledge, experiences, and background to this position.
Fisheries Ecology and Conservation
Understanding the ecology of fisheries is critical to maintaining resilient, productive and biodiverse coastal and marine ecosystems. Fishing is an important sector of coastal economies, provides an important supply of food for human societies, and is an activity of great cultural and historical importance. But fisheries have also contributed to the decline of coastal and marine ecosystems through changes in biomass and community structure, disruption of food webs, and alteration of habitats. Using the Chesapeake Bay as a model system, we are addressing fisheries issues including the impacts of harvest, restoration, and conservation on populations, communities and ecosystems, habitat use, migrations and connectivity with other coastal ecosystems. To learn more about our fisheries ecology and conservation research, please visit the following webpages:
Long-Term Studies of Nearshore Ecosystems
Our long-term studies of fish and invertebrate communities in the Rhode River, Maryland study site offer a window in the community structure and population dynamics of fish and invertebrate communities in one of the most productive ecosystems on earth, the Chesapeake Bay. Spanning more than three decades, this research tracks seasonal, annual, and decadal variation in species composition and abundance of fishes and macro-invertebrates. Sampling methods include trawling, seining, a fish weir, benthic infauna cores, and tethering experiments. The long-term descriptive data, in combination with our experimental studies, provide an unusual database for exploring populations, communities, predator-prey relationships, impacts of fisheries, and impacts of environmental variability and climate change, and other ecological processes. To learn more about our long-term research, please follow the links below:
Movement of Life Initiative
Many species on the planet migrate during their lifetime, using different habitats during specific life stages. What habitats are most important and why? How will climate change affect migrations? What are the benefits and costs of migration to individuals? How can we best manage fisheries for migratory species? How do migratory species affect community structure and ecological processes? To learn more about our Movement of Life Initiative research, please visit our Movement of Life Initiative webpage:
Welcome to the Educator Resources page-- below are a collection of lessons, web resources, and videos arranged by subject to help you quickly find resources in your interest area to create lesson plans or activities. Maryland follows the Next Generation Science Standards for K-12 science content standards. Access the Next Generation Science Standards broken down by topic at the National Science Teachers Association website.
Are you a teacher visiting SERC? Click here to learn more about how to prepare for your field trip to our campus and other general resources!
Discover, create, and share more resources and educational experiences on the Smithsonian Learning Lab!
Sharks, rays, and whales
Lesson: Movement of Life Initiative: Protecting Whales
Grade 3
NGSS, Computer Science Teachers Association Standards, ISTE Student Standards
https://ssec.si.edu/whales
Lesson: Movement of Life Initiative: Discover What Makes Sharks Move
Grade 4
NGSS
https://learninglab.si.edu/collections/movement-of-life-initiative-discover-what-makes-sharks-move/74MV9mDjnp7PvG9k#r
Lesson: Sharks and Shorelines
Grades 6-10
NGSS
https://natureworkseverywhere.org/resources/sharks-shorelines/
Activity: Ecosystem Explorer | EARTH A New Wild
Grades 5-8
NGSS
https://www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/5aeed659-7f0b-417f-81d9-5f2e9c...
Reading/ Video: SERC’s Shorelines Blog "Following the Movement of Life: Tagging Sharks and Rays"
Grades 5-7
https://sercblog.si.edu/?p=8571
Reading/ Video: SERC’s Shorelines Blog "Tracking the Bay’s Cownose Rays"
Grades 5-7
https://sercblog.si.edu/?p=6254
For more information about shark migration, check out Smithsonian's Movement of Life Initiative!
Blue Crabs
Lesson: The Blue Crab's Chesapeake Journey
Grade 9-12
http://www2.vims.edu/bridge/DATA.cfm?Bridge_Location=archive1102.html
Video: SERC Scientists Video from the Smithsonian Science Education Center, “How do Scientists Track and Monitor blue Crab Populations in the Chesapeake Bay?
Grades 3-8
https://ssec.si.edu/explore-smithsonian-how-do-scientists-track-and-moni...
Video: SERC Ecosystems on the Edge video by one of our scientists, called “Blue Crabs: Top Predator in Peril”
Grades 3-8
https://ecosystemsontheedge.org/top-predator/
Oysters
Lesson: Juvenile Oyster Disease: A Growing Problem
Grade 9-12
https://masweb.vims.edu/bridge/datatip.cfm?Bridge_Location=archive0103.html
Video: Determining the Resiliency of Juvenile Oysters in the Chesapeake Bay
Grade 3-8
Activity Book: The World is Your Oyster: Activity and Coloring Book
Grade 2-5
https://serc.si.edu/sites/default/files/website-gen/fish_con_coloring_booklet_final.pdf
