Field Data Modernization Scientist – Marine & eDNA

Jobtailor; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Jobtailor in Seattle seeks a field ecologist to lead biological and environmental data collection in estuarine and marine environments, advancing from analog recording to digital data platforms and rugged tablets.

You will develop eDNA protocols, manage data pipelines from ship to shore, and produce preliminary data products, cruise summaries, and visualizations, guiding interdisciplinary teams and delivering high-quality, reproducible results.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in fisheries, ecology, natural sciences, mathematics, statistics, oceanography or hydrology.
• Three or more years of related field and data analysis experience.
• Familiarity with marine and anadromous species and NOAA West Coast habitats.
• Proficiency with R, Python, and GIS; strong statistical capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Lead field data collection of biological and environmental data in estuarine and marine environments.
• Support transition from analog to digital data collection platforms (e.g., electronic measuring boards, ruggedized tablets).
• Evaluate and implement new field technologies to improve at-sea efficiency.
• Develop rigorous eDNA protocols and oversee field-based sampling and chain-of-custody.
• Ensure adherence to anti-contamination protocols for eDNA sampling.
• Coordinate with lab personnel to prepare field samples for bioinformatics processing.
• Design and implement automated data pipelines from ship to shore.
• Produce data products, cruise summaries, and visualizations after field operations.
• Maintain project databases for interdisciplinary team access.
• Standardize datasets for analysis and enable easy data retrieval.

Skills

R

Python

Geographic Information Systems

Education

Bachelor's degree in related field

Advanced degree substitution (experience)

Job description

Jobtailor in Seattle seeks a field ecologist to lead biological and environmental data collection in estuarine and marine environments, advancing from analog recording to digital data platforms and rugged tablets.

You will develop eDNA protocols, manage data pipelines from ship to shore, and produce preliminary data products, cruise summaries, and visualizations, guiding interdisciplinary teams and delivering high-quality, reproducible results.