GIS SPECIALIST/RESEARCH ASSISTANT 

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service seeks a research assistant/GIS analyst. We are developing tools to model and map the distribution of biodiversity and the flow of multiple ecosystem services across land- and seascapes, with a focus on Chesapeake Bay on the U.S. east coast, Galveston Bay, Texas, and Puget Sound, Washington.

We seek an imaginative individual for a 1-year research assistant/GIS analyst position to support further development and application of the InVEST (Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs) models*. 

The successful applicant will help program, maintain, improve, document and implement Arc toolbox elements to run biophysical and economic models created by postdoctoral researchers and other project collaborators. The successful candidate will collect and format data from global datasets, satellite sources, and the three systems (Chesapeake Bay, Galveston Bay, and Puget Sound). Working with the project team, the research assistant/GIS
analyst will apply these models in ArcGIS in all three systems. Together, these models will provide a spatially explicit tool that tracks the production and valuation of ecosystem services.The models will be used to assess the importance of including the effects of watershed-based
activities in managing marine coastal resources.

The position will be located in Seattle, WA at NOAA’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center and will require extensive interaction with interdisciplinary teams and travel to facilitate collaboration among team members. The person would be part of a team that includes Mary Ruckelshaus, Gretchen Daily, Phil Levin, Mark Plummer, and Howard Townsend.

Preferred Qualifications
.
M.S. in geography, natural resources, earth sciences, environmental/landscape planning, oceanography, GIS certificate program, ecology or a similar field
.
Adept skill with all major functions in Arc software, especially model builder and Python scripting (ArcGIS 9.2) as well as with open source GIS packages (GRASS)
.
Experience acquiring, analyzing and using a variety of types of oceanographic, ecological and remotely sensed data
.
Experience executing grid and vector analysis, and automating spatial and tabular algorithms
.
2-3 years of relevant experience in modeling and computer programming in an environmental science field
.
Experience working with collaborators from diverse backgrounds and capacity and interest to work with interdisciplinary teams
.
Excellent written and oral communication skills

How to Apply: For full consideration, please submit a cover letter, CV, and the names of three references to judith.toft@noaa.gov <mailto:judith.toft@noaa.gov> with “GIS SPECIALIST/RESEARCH ASSISTANT” listed in the
subject line. 

We will begin reviewing applications June 15th 2010 and the position will remain open until filled. The position has the possibility for a second year of funding, to be determined based on project and NOAA team needs.
 


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