Term position:  Five year term position with the possibility of renewal

Located on the Oak Ridges Moraine in King Township, north of Toronto, the Koffler Scientific Reserve (KSR) at Jokers Hill is an internationally recognized site for cutting-edge research and education in biodiversity, ecology and conservation biology.  The KSR seeks a full-time Station Manager who will report to the Director and will provide leadership for the administrative, and operational management of the KSR.

The incumbent will, with the Director, develop and implement short and long-term plans for KSR; develop and implement frameworks to support research and other initiatives of KSR, implement operational and administrative structures within legislative, business and policy frameworks. The incumbent develops and implements effective administrative protocols and processes to ensure efficiency and effectiveness of KSR activities.  The incumbents’ responsibilities will include: ensuring administrative infrastructures are in place to support the objectives and mandate of KSR, ensuring the effective use of information technology, legislative and policy compliance (e.g. OHSA, procurement policies etc.), managing events/programs/initiatives and data administration. The incumbent will manage a small staff and be responsible for the full scope of management responsibilities including work allocation and building a strong team to meet the objectives of KSR.

The ideal candidate will have, as a minimum, a Master’s degree in biology or a related field or equivalent experience; a minimum of 4 years of experience in program/project administration in private sector or in an education environment; experience working at or knowledge of a biology field station operations and activities; experience in the field of student learning and development; demonstrated management or leadership experience; proven record of professional leadership and experience working in collaboration with academic and community partners; proven ability to develop innovative and concrete administrative solutions to respond to organizational needs; demonstrated commitment to creating a positive student experience and supporting principles of equity and inclusively; experience identifying operational needs; experience with identifying and trouble-shooting equipment and infrastructure needs in a rustic setting.

The Station Manager will be required to live on-site and serve as the on-site representative of the Reserve, available to attend to emergencies and to participate in activities outside of normal office hours.  The incumbent will be provided with a residence on the Koffler Scientific Reserve and the cost of the housing will be applied as a taxable benefit.   Salary will be based on experience and education.  The incumbent will be employed by Jokers Hill Estates.

Further information on the Reserve may be found on the Koffler Scientific Reserve website at http://ksr.utoronto.ca.  Please submit your resume and cover letter to Human Resources at fas.hr@utoronto.ca

Position will remain open until filled.

Jokers Hill Estates and the Koffler Scientific Reserve are strongly committed to diversity within its community and especially welcomes applications from visible minority group members, women, Aboriginal persons, persons with disabilities, members of sexual minority groups, and others who may contribute to the further diversification of ideas.

Hiring Organization:

Dr. Peter Fashing & Dr. Nga Nguyen (California State University Fullerton)

TWO field assistants are needed for a study of the behavior, ecology, and conservation of wild gelada monkeys (Theropithecus gelada) at a remote, long-term field site in north-central Ethiopia called Guassa. Field research assistants will participate in data collection during an intensive 13-month long field season as part of this study, now in its second decade. Assistant duties will include (but are not limited to) carrying out behavioral observations, fecal sample collection, and vegetation monitoring. Work will begin in mid-May 2019 and last until the end of June 2020. Applications will be accepted until both positions are filled.

POSITION DESCRIPTION
Two field assistants are needed for a study of the behavior, ecology, and conservation of wild gelada monkeys (Theropithecus gelada) at a remote, semi-permanent field site in north-central Ethiopia called Guassa. The study is being carried out by Dr. Peter Fashing and Dr. Nga Nguyen, professors of Anthropology and Environmental Studies at California State University Fullerton. The field assistants will be responsible for (a) collecting basic demographic and reproductive data as part of routine monitoring of the well-habituated study population, (b) conducting focal animal samples (c) recording GPS readings of gelada ranging locations, as well as (d) conducting vegetation monitoring and (e) walking census transects. The two field assistants will share a camp and research responsibilities while at Guassa.

The study area consists of 111km² of hilly Afro-alpine grassland situated at 3,200-3,600 meters above sea level along the eastern edge of the Ethiopian highlands and affords spectacular views out over the Great Rift Valley nearly a mile below. A number of animals endemic to the Ethiopian highlands occur at Guassa including geladas, the critically endangered Ethiopian wolf (the world’s rarest canid), the blue-winged goose, and the thick-billed raven. Notable mammals not endemic to Ethiopia but also present at Guassa include hyenas, leopards, serval cats, and the recently discovered cryptic African wolf. The gelada population at Guassa has been studied on a near-daily basis since January 2007 and nearly all individuals in the main ~200-member study band are habituated to observers at distances of a few meters.

For more information on the project, please see the following website:
http://anthro.fullerton.edu/gelada/

QUALIFICATIONS/EXPERIENCE

Applicants should have a B.S. or B.A. in Biology, Biological Anthropology, or a related field. Good physical fitness and a willingness to walk long distances (6-12 km) each day are essential to working at Guassa where the terrain is hilly, the air thin (due to the high elevation), and the geladas wide-ranging. Experience with winter camping and life in cold climates is preferred since the successful applicants will be living in (spacious) tents at a location where nights are sometimes below freezing (as low as 19ºF though 33-36ºF is more typical) and days are often chilly (45-60ºF) and windy (10-40 km/hour) as well. Our campsite is situated on an isolated patch of ecologically pristine alpine grassland far from human habitation and applicants must be highly self-sufficient (the nearest town, Mehal Meda, is 22 kilometers away from camp, we do not own a vehicle, and contact with other English-speakers is rare). Field assistants will live in a semi-permanent campsite with 2 Ethiopian staff members with limited English language skills. Prior travel and/or field experience in Africa or mountainous regions of Asia or South America preferred. Applicants must be fluent in English and eager to learn Amharic (the national language of Ethiopia).

After Guassa, former field research assistants have all (n=22) co-authored one or more peer-reviewed journal articles with us. Most have gone on to pursue graduate studies (Ph.D. and/or Master’s, including at Yale, Dartmouth, Penn State, Minnesota, Massachusetts-Amherst, Toronto, Saskatchewan, UC Santa Barbara, Oxford, UC London, and Georg-August [Göttingen], among others) or additional research opportunities in biological anthropology, animal behavior, or ecology. Several assistants have returned to Guassa to conduct graduate or postdoctoral research.

For an example of media coverage of a recent (February 2017) scientific paper (in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology) involving past and current Guassa Gelada Research Project assistants, please see…

http://www.npr.org/sections/13.7/2017/02/02/512990553/a-new-view-into-the-primate-birthing-process

Our research site was also recently featured in the April 2017 issue of National Geographic magazine. The article featured stunningly beautiful photographs of Guassa and its geladas made by Jeff Kerby, a former GGRP field assistant who subsequently earned his PhD at Penn State and is now a postdoctoral researcher at Dartmouth. For more details, please see…

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2017/04/gelada-monkeys-grass-eating-guassa-ethiopia-bleeding-heart/

SALARY/FUNDING
None.

SUPPORT PROVIDED FOR INTERNSHIP/VOLUNTEER POSITIONS

Research assistants will be provided with basic accommodation, food and other basic supplies while at the field site. In addition, we will pay each assistant’s $1,000USD research fee (directly to the Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority) for permission to conduct research in Ethiopia. However, applicants must pay their own international travel to Addis Ababa ($1,500-$2,000USD from the USA, less from Europe), including the cost of a tourist visa (~$70USD), and are responsible for any additional expenses incurred while traveling in Ethiopia, including travel to and from the field site and Addis every few months (to buy supplies, see a movie, etc.). Buses to Addis (300 km from Guassa or 6-8 bumpy hours travel) are inexpensive ($10 each way) and run almost daily from Mehal Meda. Camp is located a few miles walk from the road where you can catch the bus after a one or more hour wait. Luxury food items such as chocolates, cookies and canned tuna may be purchased in Addis at the volunteer’s expense. Our semi-permanent camp is remote but comfortable, with large walk-in tents with beds, solar electricity for the lights, a laptop computer, and small electronics, as well as mobile telephone service for international calls and calls within Ethiopia, and regular email service. Travel health insurance is strongly recommended; volunteers are required to acquire the necessary vaccinations prior to entry to Ethiopia. Volunteers are required to provide their own winter/alpine condition clothing, footwear and sleeping bag. Advice about what items are necessary for life at Guassa will be provided upon request.

TERM OF APPOINTMENT
13 months beginning mid-May 2019 and ending late June 2020. Because the training process requires ~2 months, assistants must be willing to work for a minimum of 13-months. We work in teams of twos and each researcher typically spends two to three days in the field with the geladas and one day at camp helping with camp chores and data entry and checking (we download and proof each day’s data onto the camp computer at the end of each field day). We expect successful applicants to be keen observers and diligent and conscientious students of animal behavior. Volunteers must be willing to work in a small team setting and have demonstrated a willingness to follow instructions/protocols closely in the past. We expect detailed updates from the field at least twice each week by email to keep us updated on conditions/progress in the field.

APPLICATION DEADLINE
Positions will remain open until filled.

COMMENTS
To apply, please submit (1) a letter of interest stating how and why this position satisfies your interest and future educational or career goals, explaining your suitability for this project, plus a time frame during which you are available to work, (2) a CV or resumé detailing relevant experience, (3) a summary of college courses taken and the grades received, to be followed later by an official transcript, and (4) contact information for at least two references, preferably at least one academic reference as well as one person who has worked closely with you or who has closely supervised your work. The subject heading of the email message should read: “Application for field research position”. Please email the application materials to Dr. Peter Fashing at peterfashing@gmail.com. 

Contact Information:
Peter Fashing, Ph.D.
Dept. of Anthropology
California State University, Fullerton
800 N. State College Blvd.
Fullerton, CA  92834-6846
USA
Phone: 657-278-7144

Email
peterfashing@gmail.com

Website:
http://anthro.fullerton.edu/gelada

For more information about the project directors:
http://anthro.fullerton.edu/pfashing/
http://anthro.fullerton.edu/nganguyen/

The Limnology Laboratory  at the University of Regina is seeking motivated students to sample lakes in the Qu’Appelle Valley, SK, as well as process samples in the laboratory.  This project is part of a long-term effort to quantify the effects of land use, urbanization, and climate change on aquatic ecosystems in the northern Great Plains.

Term:    May 1 to August 31, 2019

Salary:   $1900.00 per month

Closing Date:    March 10, 2019

Some experience within the field of aquatic biology, chemistry, or geography is preferred, but not essential.  Applicants should possess a valid driver’s license, and be comfortable working on open water from small boats.  You will be required to work outside and under adverse weather conditions.  Experience with analytical laboratory procedures and numerical analysis would be an asset.

Research will involve comprehensive weekly sampling of chemical and biological parameters of the lakes within the Qu’Appelle Valley as well as fossil analyses (paleoecology) of lake sediments.  Opportunities exist for independent research and honours projects.

Interested applicants should submit a CV/resume, cover letter, list of relevant courses taken, as well as the names and contact information of two references.  Applications should be submitted to deirdre.bateson@uregina.ca by the end of the closing date.

For more information about the Limnology Lab, please see @UofRLimno and www.iecs-uregina.ca.