Postdoctoral Associate - Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Postdoctoral Associate

Cornell Lab of Ornithology

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Cornell University

Ithaca NY

The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University embraces diversity and seeks candidates who will contribute to a climate that supports students faculty and staff of all identities and backgrounds. We strongly encourage individuals from underrepresented and/or marginalized identities to apply.

The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) is a pioneer of purposedriven science and home to Cornell Universitys second largest population of students faculty and staff. We work across disciplines to tackle the challenges of our time through worldrenowned research education and outreach. The questions we probe and the answers we seek focus on three overlapping concerns: natural and human systems; food energy and environmental resources; and social physical and economic wellbeing. CALS is fundamentally invested in improving the lives of people their environments and their communities both in New York state and around the world.

About Us:

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology part of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences is a global leader in ornithological and biodiversity research and conservation and is also known for its vibrant postdoc community. Within the Cornell Lab of Ornithology the K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics (Yang Center) is known for developing and applying novel bioacoustics techniques to biodiversity conservation. The Yang Centers main pillars include ecological research hardware and software engineering and global capacity building. We are an interdisciplinary multiPI research endeavor filled with passionate individuals from various backgrounds dedicated to conserving a wide diversity of marine and terrestrial taxa and ecosystems around the world.

The Cornell Lab is an inclusive community and we recognize that a diverse workforce creates more innovative and impactful work to address global challenges. We are committed to fostering a healthy workplace that values diverse perspectives and backgrounds as well as supporting growth and advancement opportunities. The Lab welcomes staff who are still learning in their careers and who are motivated to take on new challenges.

Position Function

Within the Yang Center the Postdoctoral Associate will work closely with Assistant Director Dr. Laurel Symes and collaborators at the National Park Service (Dr. Aaron Dartmouth College (Dr. Matt Ayres and graduate student Pooja Panwar) University of Windsor (Dr. Hannah ter Hofstede) and Colby Sawyer College (Dr. David Lutz). Across the collaborative group we span expertise in domains including bird and bat ecology forestry and forest stewardship bioacoustics statistics and computer and data science.

The mission of the National Park Service (NPS) is to preserve protect and maintain the integrity of park ecosystems for the enjoyment of future generations and this relies upon sciencebased information on species distributions habitat associations and responses to disturbance. The Postdoctoral Associate will work closely with an established collaborative team to support the mission of the NPS through analysis and interpretation of bioacoustic data.

Since 2006 the NPS Northeast Temperate Inventory and Monitoring Network has annually monitored forest birds using volunteers to assess status trends and drivers of change in breeding populations in forested ecosystems within NPS parks. Point count data are collected annually at roughly 240 permanent forested sites within nine parks. Since 2021 the data collection protocol has been augmented by the deployment of passive acoustic recording equipment providing opportunities to leverage the strengths of each data type and to compare findings.

Bioacoustics approaches have progressed substantially in the past decades with rapid increases in the capacity for data collection and advances in the tools available to process these recordings. The Postdoctoral Associate will work with the research team to implement and evaluate acoustic analysis approaches. Key activities will include:

• Organizing and mentoring undergraduate students to annotate recordings.

• Applying the BirdNET algorithm a machine learning approach that identifies vocalizations of birds and other species.

• Evaluating model performance by species region and time of year and establishing species specific detection thresholds.

In addition to these core functions we anticipate that the Postdoctoral Associate will develop and publish research using these bioacoustics data to answer jointly developed questions. Potential research areas include occupancy modeling refinement of methods of detecting rare species analysis of habitat associations site comparisons phenology and other questions that connect to and build on the expertise and interests of the Postdoctoral Associate.

In addition to working with external collaborators the Postdoctoral Associate will work closely with scientists in the Yang Center and other programs at the Lab. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology also attracts many knowledgeable and passionate undergraduate students. For candidates passionate about student mentorship there are many opportunities to work with students to provide research training and collaborate on projects and publications.

Anticipated Division of Time

• Recruiting training and mentoring undergraduate students to ensure quality of data and student experience 20.

• Applying and evaluating the BirdNET algorithm presenting findings as white paper and/or publication 20.

• Working with project team to propose and conduct data analysis and prepare findings for publication. Presenting results at professional meetings conferences and/or public events 30.

• Developing funding proposals 15.

• Coordinating stakeholders including meeting with collaborators organizing working group meetings and/or workshops 10.

• Participating in career and professional development opportunities. Engaging in the academic and intellectual life at the Lab of Ornithology and Cornell University 5.

Term of position:

This is a oneyear appointment with possible extension depending on available work funding and performance. The ideal start date is February 2024 but applicants available to start as late as Summer 2024 will be considered.

Requirements

• A Ph.D. in biological or ecological sciences statistics or other relevant field

• Capacity and desire to engage in student mentorship

• Ability to conduct research from conception to completion

• Strong writing skills and publication record for the professional stage of the applicant

• Familiarity with the ecology and vocalizations of New England birds

• Ability to work collaboratively and effectively with a distributed team

• Strong communication skills and proficiency in spoken and written English

• Respect for and sensitivity to differences of culture identity and background in the workplace and with external stakeholders

Preferred Qualifications:

• Quantitative skills and experience with terrestrial population modeling particularly in an occupancy framework

• Expertise in New England forest bird identification and ecology

• Strong background in statistical approaches

• Experience conducting simulationbased power analyses

• Experience with grant writing and proposal development

• Other beneficial qualifications include: GIS skills field experience with birds (particularly of Northeastern United States) familiarity with Bayesian statistics experience working with large acoustic datasets experience analyzing remotely sensed data familiarity with machine learning tools

Supervision Exercised

The Postdoctoral Associate will supervise undergraduate students and will have the opportunity to contribute to the informal mentoring of graduate students.

This position is located in Ithaca New York. Local personnel will have the flexibility to work on a hybrid schedule with opportunities to work onsite and from home.

To Apply:

Please apply via Academic Jobs Online https://academicjobsonline/ajo/jobs/27049.

Qualified candidates should submit a short cover letter curriculum vitae research statement contact information for three references and a statement supporting diverse communities (this can be a standalone document (preferred) or the information can be embedded in other parts of the application materials) outlining how through research teaching service mentoring extension and/or outreach the candidate has and will contribute to support Cornells historical mission of any person any study via the website.

Applications will be reviewed as received continuing until a suitable applicant is identified.

CALS hiring range for this position is commensurate with experience from $56484 to $64000 per year and includes benefits.

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

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EEO Statement:

Diversity and Inclusion are a part of Cornell Universitys heritage. We are a recognized employer and educator valuing AA/EEO and we do not tolerate discrimination based on any protected characteristic including race ethnic or national origin citizenship and immigration status color sex/gender pregnancy or pregnancyrelated conditions age creed religion actual or perceived disability (including persons associated with such a person) arrest and/or conviction record military or veteran status sexual orientation gender expression and/or identity an individuals genetic information domestic violence victim status familial status marital status or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal state or local law. We also recognize a lawful preference in employment practices for Native Americans living on or near Indian reservations in accordance with applicable law.

Cornell University embraces diversity and seeks candidates who will contribute to a climate that supports students faculty and staff to all identities and backgrounds. We encourage individuals from underrepresented and/or marginalized identities to apply.