Post-Doctoral Research Associate, Staff Associate (Grant Funded)

Bridgewater Bagel & Coffee; Bridgewater (MA); On-site; USD 65,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

APA union representation

Job summary

Bridgewater State University invites applications for a Grant Funded Post-Doctoral Research Associate to coordinate field and analytical components of a multi-year wildlife project in southeastern Massachusetts. The role includes fieldwork, data integration, and development of occupancy and geospatial models; position is exempt and funded for up to five years.

Responsibilities include multi-site field visits, camera-trap work, small-mammal surveys, tissue collection, training students, and

Qualifications

• PhD in ecology, wildlife biology, epidemiology, quantitative biology, biostatistics, or closely related field.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct field work and coordinate multi-site sampling.
• Evidence of independent research productivity and scientific writing.
• Experience with wildlife field research, study design, data collection, biosafety.
• Strong organizational skills and meticulous data management.

Responsibilities

• Plan and conduct repeated field visits to multiple sites in southeastern Massachusetts.
• Deploy and maintain automated trail cameras; conduct small-mammal surveys.
• Collect ticks and small-mammal tissue samples following approved protocols.
• Train and co-supervise graduate and undergraduate students in field methods and safety.
• Develop and implement multi-species dynamic occupancy and geospatial models; establish reproducible data pipelines.
• Disseminate results through national conferences and co-author peer-reviewed manuscripts.

Skills

Field work

Data management

Scientific writing

Oral communication

Multi-site coordination

Education

PhD in ecology or wildlife biology

Tools

R

Python

GIS

Job description

Post-Doctoral Research Associate, Staff Associate (Grant Funded)

Title: Post-Doctoral Research Associate, Staff Associate (Grant Funded)

Department: Biological Sciences, Bridgewater State University.

Position Summary: The Post-Doctoral Associate will coordinate and participate in integrated field and analytical components of a multi-year project in southeastern Massachusetts. The role includes seasonal field implementation (automated trail cameras, small‑mammal surveys, tick collections), data integration, and development of multi‑species, dynamic occupancy and geospatial models for wildlife hosts. The position is an exempt APA unit position supported by a grant for up to five years.

Appointment Terms: Grant‑funded APA professional position (five years, potential renewal). Duties Monday–Friday 9:00 AM–5:00 PM with on‑site/field work as needed. Field‑intensive from May to July; remainder flexible for data processing, modeling, writing, and mentoring.

Responsibilities

• Plan and conduct repeated field visits to multiple sites in southeastern Massachusetts.
• Deploy and maintain automated trail cameras; conduct small‑mammal surveys.
• Collect ticks and small‑mammal tissue samples following approved protocols.
• Train and co‑supervise graduate and undergraduate students in field methods and safety.
• Develop and implement multi‑species dynamic occupancy models and complementary statistical/geospatial models of host distributions; establish reproducible pipelines for open‑source biodiversity data.
• Disseminate results through national conference presentations and co‑author peer‑reviewed manuscripts.

Required Qualifications

• PhD in ecology, wildlife biology, epidemiology, quantitative biology, biostatistics, or a closely related field.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct field work in variable conditions, coordinate multi‑site sampling, and train/supervise students safely and effectively.
• Evidence of independent research productivity (peer‑reviewed publications), effective scientific writing, and oral communication skills.
• Experience conducting field research in wildlife ecology, including study design, data collection, and adherence to biosafety and animal handling protocols.
• Strong organizational skills and meticulous data management practices; ability to coordinate multi‑site research activities.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in camera‑trap study design and analysis, small‑mammal/bird live‑trapping, handling, biosafety, tick collection and identification workflows.
• Spatial analysis, GIS, Bayesian hierarchical modeling, advanced occupancy modeling.
• Experience accessing biodiversity data via APIs and integrating heterogeneous open datasets while meeting attribution/terms requirements.
• Experience mentoring graduate or undergraduate students in research.

Benefits

• Grant‑funded position with salary range $65,000–$70,000.
• APA union representation; exempt APA position with benefits per collective bargaining agreement.
• Opportunities to mentor students and publish research.

Bridgewater State University is an equal employment opportunity employer and counts as an E-Verify employer.

Position is not eligible for H-1B sponsorship.

Bridgewater State University is an equal opportunity employer and considers all qualified candidates without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability status, veteran status, gender identity, sexual orientation, genetic information, pregnancy or pregnancy‑related condition or any other characteristic protected by law.