Postdoctoral Fellowship in Ocean Conservation

Project Description: The Davies Lab at the University of New Brunswick in Saint John, Canada, is recruiting a postdoctoral fellow into our laboratory with generous support from the Murphy Family Foundation.  The fellow will conduct research that applies oceanographic principles and tools to advance the conservation of endangered ocean animals, and particularly the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale.  The fellow will work with remote sensing (acoustic, imaging) data sets of whales and associated oceanographic data collected by ocean gliders to study whale & habitat distribution and research applications to dynamic ocean management.  They will have the opportunity to engage in seagoing field work in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Bay of Fundy, Canada, engage their research in policy and management processes and work with partners in industry, government, NGO and academic communities.

Qualifications:  A Ph.D. in oceanography, biology, aquatic conservation science, aquatic environmental studies or a related discipline.  Research areas of the candidate may include but are not limited to foraging ecology, passive acoustic monitoring, remote sensing, satellite detection, dynamic management, distribution and/or habitat use.  Experience with computer programming and publishing research is essential.  Helpful skills include experience working on boats, data science, and numerical modeling.

Setting: The Davies Lab is a dynamic, interdisciplinary laboratory that focusses on oceanography, marine conservation, and top predator ecology.  Visit our website for more information about our lab and ongoing projects: https://davieslab.wixsite.com/davieslab.  The University of New Brunswick Saint John is located on the Bay of Fundy. The Department of Biological Sciences at UNBSJ is a collegial and research-intensive group with a strength in marine biology. Saint John is a vibrant port city with a historical core, great nightlife and restaurants, and access to wilderness and the ocean on its doorstep.

Compensation:  This is a 2 year postdoctoral fellowship position with the possibility of renewal for a third year.  The award includes a salary of $60,000 CAD per year plus benefits, and $15,000 per year for work-related travel costs which include relocation expenses, travel to partner institutions, conferences and workshops.  Postdoctoral fellows are unionized under a collective agreement at the University of New Brunswick. 

To Apply:  Send a cover letter detailing the evidence that you meet the required qualifications, career goals and fit with the project and lab, a recent CV, copies of unofficial graduate school transcripts, and contact information for 3 references to kim.davies@unb.ca.  Review of applications will begin on October 15, 2023 and continue until a suitable candidate is found.