Undergrad Marine Ecology Research Assistant

New College of Florida; Sarasota (FL); On-site; USD 17,000 - 25,000; Part time

Job summary

New College of Florida in Sarasota seeks an Undergraduate Research Assistant to support an investigation of predator-prey interactions between lightning whelks and southern hard clams on a restoration lease in Sarasota Bay. You will conduct field surveys, collect shells, and assist with tagging and telemetry work, feeding trials, and data management.

The position offers hands-on training and contributes to thesis projects, conference presentations, and potential grant proposals.

Qualifications

• Currently enrolled undergraduate student.
• Keen interest in marine ecology, fisheries, shellfish restoration/aquaculture, or a related field.
• Willing to learn field surveys, telemetry/tagging, mark-recapture methods, shell-damage assessment, experimental animal husbandry, and quantitative data analysis; willing to participate in outdoor/boat-supported fieldwork and laboratory work.
• Must be able to provide proof of SCUBA certification.
• Prior coursework or research experience in marine biology/ecology, fisheries, field sampling, animal husbandry, or quantitative data analysis.
• Familiarity with spreadsheets, PIT tags, acoustic telemetry, or mark-recapture methods is helpful but not required.

Responsibilities

• Conduct field surveys on the Sarasota Bay Watch clam lease and nearby control/reference sites; locate and count lightning whelks and collect empty clam shells for predation-damage assessment.
• Assist with PIT tagging, paint marking, acoustic transmitter attachment, mark-recapture sampling, and receiver/detection data collection to evaluate whelk abundance, residency, and movement.
• Maintain lightning whelks in 300-L mesocosms; measure and stock hard clams and monitor and record predation events, prey-size use, shell-growth stage, and gear-effectiveness trials.
• Process collected clam shells for characteristic chipping damage; enter, organize, quality-check, and maintain field and laboratory data.
• Analyze mark-recapture, telemetry, shell-damage, and feeding-trial data and assist with figures, summaries, thesis/conference materials, publications, and future grant products.
• Other duties as assigned

Skills

Field surveys

Data analysis

Quantitative analysis

PIT tagging

Acoustic telemetry

Mark-recapture methods

Shell-damage assessment

Education

Undergraduate student status

Tools

PIT tagging equipment

Acoustic telemetry equipment

Mesocosm setup

Job description

New College of Florida in Sarasota seeks an Undergraduate Research Assistant to support an investigation of predator-prey interactions between lightning whelks and southern hard clams on a restoration lease in Sarasota Bay. You will conduct field surveys, collect shells, and assist with tagging and telemetry work, feeding trials, and data management.

The position offers hands-on training and contributes to thesis projects, conference presentations, and potential grant proposals.