We've all heard "I'm stuck in traffic" or "I lost my keys", as an exuse as why someone was late for work. But have you ever heard "an opossum climbed into my engine block and refused leave"? Well Elly, one of the Conservation Ecology Lab's newest postdocs, found herself in this exact situation. The opossum was leisurely hanging out under the car when Elly went to leave yesterday morning, it must have gotten spooked and crawled up into the engine block and refused to leave. No better excuse for an ecologist to be late to the office than wildlife stopping your commute before it could even start!

​Wildlife Landscape Ecology
We are seeking a highly qualified and experienced candidate to join our research team and lead research aimed at understanding the dynamic relationships among animal distribution, abundance and landscape structure, composition, configuration and connectivity. Applicants should have strong interest and background in applied ecology, conservation, and spatial analyses. Quantitative proficiency in occupancy, sightability, mark/recapture, connectivity and other relevant quantitative approaches is needed.
 
Seabird Population Dynamics
Southern California is home to some of the largest breeding colonies of seabirds and coastal/wetland shorebirds. In partnership with CDFW, IEMM provides quantitative expertise to support CDFW’s ongoing efforts to monitor and conserve these populations. Applicants should have strong interest and experience in using long-term seabird datasets, analyzing survey data, population analyses, and quantitative approaches to identify trends and relative impact of biotic and abiotic conditions on population dynamics.
 
Qualifications
A PhD is required as well as training or experience in ecology, applied conservation science, or related fields. Candidates must demonstrate scholarship, leadership and have at least 5 years of experience conducting ecological research. Experience in interdisciplinary and innovative, integrated research approaches is a plus. Candidates should be able to work both independently and in a collaborative setting with project team members, stakeholders, and partners at a variety of natural resource management organizations, and community organizations. We are excited to welcome candidates with excellent interpersonal skills, strong writing capacity, and a growing publication record. The researchers will be based at SDSU and will work under the direction of Drs. Megan Jennings and Rebecca Lewison. The positions may require travel within California. 

Appointment: Appointments will be for two years from start date, contingent upon performance. Starting salary is approximately $66,560 a year plus benefits (DOE). There are no requirements for citizenship.
 
To apply:
Application review will begin immediately.
- Wildlife Landscape Ecology: Follow this link to apply
- Seabird Population Dynamics: Follow this link to apply 

​Congratulations to Greta Schmidt and Nima Farchadi on graduating this past spring! Greta is moving to a Wildlife Biologist with the Fish and Wildlife Service at the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge. Nima will be taking a postdoc position at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. Congratulations Greta and Nima!

Congratulations to Troy on being named one of 15 individuals selected as one of The Aquarium of the Pacific’s new Community, Equity, Learning, and Persistence (CELP) scholars! The CELP program is awarded to southern California students in marine science related fields in hopes students can find their own community within STEM and bring a greater variety of lived experience 

If you would like to know more about the CELP program and hear a few words from Troy herself, please visit the link: https://www.aquariumofpacific.org/news/story/aquarium_of_the_pacific_announces_recipients_of_its_new_celp_scholar_program

Troy and Nima tackled Marine Science Day! They performed outreach for Black in Marine Science (discussing the organizations goals and future events being held), played marine heat wave games with kids, and Nima presented his work on marine heat waves and fisheries. Well done both, such a fun day!

If you would like to learn more about Black in Marine Sciences (https://www.blackinmarinescience.org/) or Nima's work on marine heat waves (https://doi.org/10.1111/faf.12828), please visit the links!

Marine science has historically been one of the least diverse disciplines in STEM, with black individuals comprising only 2.3% of the field. However, thanks to Dr. Tiara Moore starting the Black in Marine Science (BIMS) group in 2020, that’s beginning to change. To read the complete version of Troy’s blog, please go to: https://www.scubadiving.com/how-black-marine-science-making-waves-scuba-diving-worl

.The fall semester is here and we're excited to welcome and get to know new lab members! No better way to showcase new graduate students Troy and Daniel than with a brief interrogation! 

Troy Wynne, PhD Student

The Conservation Ecology Lab is part of a recent collaborative paper published in Marine Policy synthesizing best practices for climate-resilient fisheries management. With input from fisheries managers and scientists, eight best practices emerged to facilitate an effective link between climate knowledge and fisheries management action. Please check out this excellent blog post written by the two primary co-authors to learn more about how the puzzle pieces fit together!