Opportunities | Max Planck - Yale Center for Biodiversity Movement and Global Change

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are core values in our group. We aim to promote the success of traditionally underrepresented groups in science because we believe not only in the importance of increasing equity across academia, but also that a diverse team will enable a broader perspective and enhance creativity.

Postdoctoral Associate Positions

Two relevant postdoc positions are available (due early March 2022):

Quantitative Ecology - https://bgc.yale.edu/opportunities/pd-quantitativeecology

Animal Movement and Global Change - https://bgc.yale.edu/opportunities/pd-mpyc

Research Associate - ESRI Technology

Reporting to the Program Manager, the Research Associate will work with a team of researchers and informaticians to build, manage, and analyze biodiversity datasets. The candidate will be responsible for maintaining rigorous data standards and retaining the scientific integrities of data being uploaded to the Map of Life database. The candidate will generate new data products, prepare and upload data from different sources, liaise with data partners and experts, and work with the data mobilization team to oversee the digitization of spatial biodiversity information. They will work closely with the other team members to make sure that data products are being delivered in a timely and efficient manner. They will document procedures and communicate progress in an organized and logical manner.

Tasks specific to this role include:

Tracking and executing all project tasks that relate to and are completed using ESRI products such as ArcOnline and the Living Atlas and working closely with project partners at ESRI to ensure timely completion of deliverables.
Supporting the visualization and analysis of spatial biodiversity data using Esri’s ArcGIS suite of software (ArcMap, ArcGIS Online, ArcPro). This includes the use of desktop programs and web development.
Using the ArcGIS software suite, including its extensions (ArcMap: Geostatistical Analyst, Spatial Analyst. ArcPro: Raster Functions, Geostatistical Wizard) in raster and vector data processing workflows.
Using GIS and technical programming with Python, and various other languages (Arcade, R, SQL). Creating workflows using model builder and python scripts (including Jupyter notebooks and the ArcPro Python Interface).
Managing and manipulating data and data products for the Half Earth website; working closely with researchers and other team members to ensure timely publication of layers using ArcOnline and other tools.
Working closely with researchers and team members to prepare and publish data in ESRI’s Living Atlas.
Preparing metadata and maintaining tracking sheets and managing the ArcOnline account.
Using and combining knowledge from geography, ecology, biodiversity and environmental science to spport the mission of Map of Life and the Half Earth Project.
Using different coding platforms and languages (such as R, SQL, and Python) to perform analyses, clean and manipulate data, prepare data for uploading, and upload data to databases.
Quality controlling datasets ready for upload to the database.
Instructing and supporting student assistants and post grad associates with their regular tasks and providing technical and data support to researchers.

Map of Life aims to support effective global biodiversity education, monitoring, research and decision-making by assembling and integrating a wide range of knowledge about species distributions and their dynamics over time. Built on a scalable web platform geared for large biodiversity and environmental data, MOL provides the best-possible species distribution information together with a range of information and biodiversity indicator products. MOL leads the data integration and mapping efforts of the Half-Earth Project that aims to identify and prioritize target areas for global biodiversity conservation. To apply click here

Undergraduates

The lab hires a handful of undergraduates each year to work on projects related to the Map of Life. Unfortunately, we are not currently hiring undergraduate research assistant. If you are a Yale undergrad interested in the pursuing an independent research project, email alexander.killion@yale.edu to learn more about opportunities in the Center.

Graduate Students

New opportunities are ongoing, some of them in the context of the Center for Biodiversity and Global Change and the Max Planck - Yale Center for Biodiversity Movement and Global Change. Focal areas of recruitment will likely include biodiversity and remote sensing, animal movement, and spatial biodiversity change assessment.

Research Assistants

We regularly have open positions for research assistants with the Map of Life project. These positions will be closely involved with the Map of Life and the new Max Planck-Yale Center, utilizing GIS tools and ecological understanding to map species distributions worldwide.

Working at Yale and the Department for Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

The positions will be based at Yale University, with close collaborative links to our partners worldwide. The Yale Center for Biodiversity and Global Change connects biodiversity scientists from across campus and hosts a range of speaker and workshop events. It supports research and training around the use of new technologies and data flows for model-based inference and prediction of biodiversity distributions and changes at large spatial and taxonomic scales. Flagship Center projects include Map of Life and associated activities supporting the Half-Earth Map and the development of the GEO BON Species Population Essential Biodiversity Variables. For animal movement data we are partnered with the Icarus Initiative, a space station-based near-global GPS animal movement observation system, and Movebank, which supports the management and integration of movement data. For camera trapping data we are members of the Wildlife Insights initiative. Other Center initiatives include the integration of phylogenetic information with spatial distributions (e.g., VertLife), and the NASA-supported development and application of remote sensing-informed layers for biodiversity modelling (EarthEnv).

Much of the technical development work in the Center connects to Map of Life . Map of Life aims to support effective and global biodiversity education, monitoring, research and decision-making by assembling and integrating a wide range of knowledge about species distributions and their dynamics over time. Built on a scalable web platform geared for large biodiversity and environmental data, Map of Life provides best-possible species distribution information together with a range of data and biodiversity indicator products. These products in turn underpin analytics and mapping for the Half-Earth Project.

Yale University offers researchers and staff competitive salaries and a generous package of benefits. Yale has a thriving and growing community of young scholars in ecology, evolution and global change science in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, the Yale Institute for Biospheric Studies, the Peabody Museum, and the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. The town is renowned for its classic Ivy League setting, 75 miles north of New York City.

Resources @Yale:

For more information about diversity and inclusion efforts in the broader university community, here are some potentially relevant resources on campus:

Office of Diversity and Inclusion (https://your.yale.edu/community/diversity-inclusion/office-diversity-and…)

Office of Institutional Equity and Access (https://equalopportunity.yale.edu/)

Office for Graduate Student Development and Diversity (https://gsas.yale.edu/diversity/office-graduate-student-development-dive…)

Yale Women’s Center (https://womenscenter.yale.edu/)

Women in Science at Yale (https://wisay.sites.yale.edu/)

Working Women’s Network (https://wwn.yale.edu/)

Office of LGBTQ Resources (https://lgbtq.yale.edu)

Yale LGBTQ Affinity Group (https://lgbtqaffinity.yale.edu/)

Afro-American Cultural Center (https://afam.yalecollege.yale.edu/)

African American Affinity Group (https://yaaa.yale.edu/)

Asian American Cultural Center (https://aacc.yalecollege.yale.edu/)

Asian Network at Yale (https://asiannetwork.yale.edu/)