Postdoctoral Associate (CIMAS)

University of Miami; United States; On-site; USD 52,000 - 72,000; Full time

Job summary

The Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies (CIMAS) at the University of Miami invites applications for a Postdoctoral Associate in Marine Biology and Fisheries in Miami, FL, collaborating with NOAA SEFSC and partners.

The successful candidate will develop and apply passive acoustic monitoring methods to study marine mammal occurrence, density, and noise impacts in the Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic, and Caribbean, contributing to environmental planning and restoration assessments.

Qualifications

• PhD in oceanography, underwater acoustics, bioacoustics, marine biology, engineering, applied mathematics, or related discipline.
• Experience developing automated detection, classification, and localization algorithms for bioacoustic signal analysis.
• Experience with acoustic signal processing and large multis-year passive acoustic datasets.
• Ability to deploy and maintain underwater acoustic hardware.
• Proficiency in Matlab, R, IDL, Triton, Ishmael, XBAT Raven, PAMGUARD.
• Spanish fluency is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Develop signal-processing tools for detection, classification, localization, and density estimation of marine mammal acoustic signals.
• Develop underwater acoustic propagation models to estimate source levels, detection ranges, and noise impacts.
• Quantify absolute noise levels in long-term recordings and analyze spatiotemporal variation in noise sources.
• Project management including field work logistics, communication with project team members and stakeholders, and writing reports.
• Lead and participate in passive acoustic data collection surveys in the Gulf of Mexico, North Atlantic, and Caribbean.
• Present findings in scientific settings including peer-reviewed publications.

Skills

Passive acoustic monitoring

Bioacoustics

Signal processing

Matlab

R

Python

Statistical analysis

Field work

Scientific writing

Education

PhD in oceanography, underwater acoustics, bioacoustics, marine biology, or related discipline

Tools

IDL

Triton

Ishmael

XBAT Raven

PAMGUARD

Raven

Job description

The Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies (CIMAS) of the University of Miami invites applicants for a Postdoctoral Associate position in Marine Biology and Fisheries. This position is situated at the NOAA Fisheries Southeast Fisheries Science Center Marine Mammal and Turtle Division located in Miami, FL and will collaborate with scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Universidad Veracruzana, and Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico.

We seek an experienced and productive researcher to join our group and participate in projects using passive acoustic monitoring to assess soundscapes, anthropogenic noise, and the distribution, occurrence, movements, and density of marine mammals in the Gulf of Mexico, North Atlantic, and the Caribbean. The SEFSC Marine Mammal Branch is conducting broad-scale studies of cetacean occurrence and density in the Gulf of Mexico, North Atlantic, and the Caribbean using vessel-based towed arrays, sparse arrays of moored passive acoustic monitoring units, and acoustic-equipped gliders. This research will improve our understanding of marine mammal ecology and evaluation of restoration projects to address the injury to marine mammal populations that occurred from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

The incumbent will develop methods to use these data to estimate marine mammal occurrence, density, abundance, trends, and noise impacts to support environmental planning and impact assessments by a variety of agencies.

Job duties include developing and implementing signal-processing tools for the detection, classification, localization, and density estimation of marine mammal acoustic signals; developing and implementing underwater acoustic propagation models to estimate marine mammal source levels, marine mammal detection ranges, and anthropogenic noise impacts on marine mammals, and evaluate effect size of modeled parameters and associated uncertainty; quantifying absolute noise levels in long-term acoustic recordings and evaluating spatiotemporal variation in noise sources and levels, including effects of noise-reduction technology implementation; project management including handling field work logistics and communicating with project team members and stakeholders, and writing reports; leading and participating in passive acoustic data collection surveys in the Gulf of Mexico, North Atlantic, and Caribbean; and writing reports and presenting findings in scientific settings including in peer-reviewed publications.

Applicants must have a Ph.D. in oceanography, underwater acoustics, bioacoustics, marine biology, engineering, applied mathematics, or related discipline. The position requires demonstrated experience developing and implementing automated detection, classification, and localization algorithms for bioacoustic signal analysis; developing and implementing underwater acoustic propagation models and simulations using appropriate models and oceanographic and sound source input data; working knowledge of ocean noise characterization and metrics to quantify ocean noise; demonstrated experience working with acoustic signal processing, including demonstrated ability to work with large, multi-year passive acoustic datasets; experience developing and leading research analyses; and demonstrated experience deploying and maintaining underwater acoustic hardware. Necessary skills include proficiency in acoustic analytical techniques and software (e.g., Matlab, R, IDL, Triton, Ishmael, XBAT Raven, and PAMGUARD) and statistical and/or mathematical programming languages (e.g., R, Matlab). Applicants with experience in marine mammal bioacoustics; machine learning; Bayesian statistics; statistical simulations of individual/group behavior; spatially explicit capture-recapture modeling; and/or habitat modeling are preferred. Desire and capability to participate in multi-week deployments on a research vessel and work productively in a field/shipboard research environment is required. Spanish fluency is a plus.

The University of Miami is recognized as one of the nation’s premier research institutions and academic health systems and is among the largest employers in South Florida.

With more than 20,000 faculty and staff, the University is committed to excellence and guided by a mission to positively impact the lives of students, patients, and communities locally and globally.

We are dedicated to fostering a culture where every individual feels valued and empowered to contribute meaningfully. United by shared values, the University community works together to build an environment defined by purpose, collaboration, and service.

The University of Miami is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Applicants and employees are protected from discrimination based on certain categories protected by Federal law.

Job Status:
Full time

Employee Type:
Staff