Animal Telemetry Postdoctoral Fellow

Application Deadline: 20 May 2025

Department: Smithsonian Environmental Research Center

Employment Type: Full Time

Location: Edgewater, MD

Reporting To: Principal Investigator Fisheries Convervation

Compensation: $69,923 / year

Description

OPEN DATE: April 22, 2025          CLOSING DATE: May 20, 2025              POSITION TYPE: Trust FundAPPOINTMENT TYPE: 1 Year NTE (Renewable)SCHEDULE: Full Time DUTY LOCATION: Edgewater, MD

Position sensitivity and risk Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk

Open to all qualified applicants

What are Trust Fund Positions?Trust Fund positions are unique to the Smithsonian. They are paid for from a variety of sources, including the Smithsonian endowment, revenue from our business activities, donations, grants and contracts. Trust employees are not part of the civil service, nor does trust fund employment lead to Federal status. The salary ranges for trust positions are generally the same as for federal positions and in many cases trust and federal employees work side by side. Trust employees have their own benefit program, which may include Health, Dental & Vision Insurance, Life Insurance, Transit/Commuter Benefits, Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance, Annual and Sick Leave, Family Friendly Leave, 403b Retirement Plan, Discounts for Smithsonian Memberships, Museum Stores and Restaurants, Credit Union, Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center (Child Care), Flexible Spending Account (Health & Dependent Care).  Conditions of Employment

• Pass Pre-employment Background Check and Subsequent Background Investigation for position designated.
• Complete a Probationary Period.
• Maintain a Bank Account for Direct Deposit/Electronic Transfer.
• The position is open to all candidates eligible to work in the United States.  Proof of eligibility to work in U.S. is not required to apply.
• Applicants must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement. 

OVERVIEW

The Smithsonian Institution seeks an energetic, field- and data-oriented biologist to support marine animal telemetry research focused on fish migrations in Chesapeake Bay. The position is based in SERC’s Fisheries Conservation Lab, led by Dr. Matt Ogburn, and is based in Edgewater, MD. It is a one-year renewable position with two years of funding anticipated. This is a full-time position with a comprehensive benefits package and requires occasional travel. The fellow will contribute to field research and data analysis for a multi-species acoustic telemetry study of fish and invertebrate ecology and connectivity. In the first year, the postdoc will lead field research capturing and tagging three fish species with different life histories (likely river herring, sheepshead, and Spanish mackerel) and assist with analyses of existing data for other species. Additional opportunities involve engaging in the Smithsonian-led Movement of Life initiative, integrating telemetry studies with habitat restoration in Chesapeake Bay, and long-term monitoring of fish and invertebrate communities. 

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Initiates, develops, and participates in research and fieldwork in area of specialization. Research consists of systematically planned, original studies based on fieldwork in specialty area and other institutional and private collections worldwide, and synthesizing information from the literature.
• Designs and conducts field sampling to measure such variables as species composition and abundance, population size structure, and physiological condition of communities within the incumbent’s area of expertise. Designs and conducts field and laboratory experiments to determine mechanisms regulating species composition, abundance, distribution, sizes, and physiological condition of biotic communities within the incumbent’s area of expertise.
• Uses various analytical chemistry, spectroscopic, and/or infrared analytical techniques to determine the chemical properties of organic materials found in museum objects to assist Smithsonian Institution researchers. These materials include museum objects, their deterioration products, and materials used in conservation treatments, exhibition, or storage.
• Analyzes data from sampling and experiments using computers with statistical and graphics software appl