Graduate Research Assistant (Wildlife) – Common Raven Movement and Foraging Behavior:
Description: Funded masters position for Fall 2023 in Wildlife at Cal Poly Humboldt studying the movement and foraging behavior of common ravens in relation to nest predation of the federally threatened western snowy plover in Humboldt County, California. The abundance of common ravens has been increasing in northwestern California and this has been linked to increased access and availability of anthropogenic food sources.
This ongoing project seeks to better understand raven movement and foraging behavior to provide wildlife and land management agencies information for snowy plover conservation. Ravens are tracked using GPS units to collect spatial information about their habitat use in dune ecosystems and to locate anthropogenic food sources in surrounding areas. Behavioral surveys of marked and other unmarked ravens are also conducted throughout the year to gain a better understanding of their specific foraging behavior during the winter and breeding seasons.
The successful candidate for this position will assist in data collection and management for the project and will develop research questions to address for a masters thesis. In addition to the above-mentioned aspects of the project, there are opportunities to include human dimensions components to the MS thesis. This position will also provide experience collaborating with state and federal wildlife and land management agencies.
Qualifications: Seeking a student interested in conservation, animal behavior and geospatial data analysis. Preferred Qualifications: -Undergraduate BS degree in Wildlife Biology, Conservation Biology, Natural Resources, Biology or related discipline -Good time management and organizational skills -Experience working with avian species -Experience with or interest in learning geospatial data analyes -Experience conducting behavioral surveys -Experience working in various field and weather conditions -Interest in learning quantitative skills.
To apply, please email barbara.clucas@humboldt.edu with the subject line “Raven graduate assistantship” and attach:
- A cover letter describing your interest in the position and your qualifications (in particular previous work with avian species and/or geospatial analyses)
- A CV summarizing your educational and work experience
- Undergraduate degree transcript (a copy and/or unofficial transcript)
*Note: Applicants do not need to apply to the graduate program at Cal Poly Humboldt to be considered for this position. If selected, you would then apply to the graduate program at that time. Contact Person Barbara Clucas Contact eMail barbara.clucas@humboldt.edu
Start Date 08/14/2023 Last Date to Apply March 01/2023
More information about the Wildlife program in the College of Natural Resources and Sciences at Cal Poly Humboldt can be found here: https://cnrs.humboldt.edu/programs/graduate/natural-resources