Data Scientist

The researchers and support staff who work at BRI all have one thing in common—their passion for helping create a healthier environment. That passion translates into a myriad of interests and projects. Core values stand at the heart of our staff: commitment, creativity, collaboration, integrity. We are always looking for candidates who embody those core values and who can bring their special talents and skills to the job at hand.

Human Resources, Insurance, and Office Manager: Bridget Bowden

Now hiring: Data Scientist

Biodiversity Research Institute (BRI) seeks a conscientious and detail-oriented data scientist to support a variety of ecological projects involving data management, data visualization, research, and decision-making for our non-profit organization in Portland, Maine. Dedicated to assessing emerging threats to wildlife and ecosystems through collaborative research, BRI uses scientific findings to advance environmental awareness and inform decision-makers. This position will be an appointment to the Quantitative Wildlife Ecology Research Lab (QWERL). This research group conducts work on complicated ecological questions and works with all BRI’s programs to produce high quality science to address real-world problems and policy. The data scientist will work on a range of projects, including but not limited to, quantifying the relationships between wind energy and wildlife, species responses to management actions, assessment of contaminant exposure and its impacts on wildlife, and describing animal distributions and movements. They will implement data management, analysis, and visualization tasks via computer programming in multiple programming languages and assist in preparing BRI reports and publications.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Managing, visualizing, and synthesizing ecological data, such as at-sea boat or aerial survey data, point count data, imagery, and acoustic records from structured surveys or semi-structured citizen science efforts;
• Managing, visualizing, and synthesizing animal tracking and flight height data, including geolocator data, Motus data, ARGOS satellite tracking data, GPS satellite tracking data, and barometric pressure data;
• Incorporating large public data sources into data visualizations and analyses;
• Developing scripts for streamlining the production and presentation of scientific results;
• Supporting analysis of ecological data to generate and answer scientific questions to support a variety of scientific products;
• Creating online applications to synthesize and visualize information. For example, creation of a tool with a graphical user interface to explore data from a long-running monitoring project or to assist in decision-making;
• Documenting metadata for various ecological data types;
• Facilitating work across multiple project teams;
• Working with a collaborative team of colleagues to achieve project objectives, where this position will often play the role of analysis lead or support;
• Ability to work a flexible schedule, including occasional weekend work or overnight travel; and
• All other duties as directed or assigned.

Qualifications:

The successful candidate will be an independently motivated, highly organized scientific communicator and creative analytical thinker. Other essential qualifications include:

• A MSc or higher degree in wildlife ecology, data science, or a related field;
• Experience managing, visualizing, and analyzing ecological data, particularly animal survey or movement data. Additional experience with other data types is also valued, but not essential.
• Experience creating maps and figures for scientific reports and publications and/or online resources using ArcGIS or other similar spatial mapping and analysis platforms;
• Fluency in R and Python programming;
• Experience developing web applications (e.g., RShiny apps, Tableau Dashboards);
• A scientific publication record that shows how their technical work has been incorporated into reports, journal articles, data sets, or other science products;
• Strong work ethic and ability to effectively prioritize and address needs as they arise;
• Capacity to work independently as well as with a collaborative project team;
• Intellectual curiosity paired with the ability to integrate new information into logical or statistical frameworks;
• A valid US driver’s license and proof of eligibility to work in the United States is required.

Other desired characteristics or skills include:

• Experience managing large databases with SQL or other data management languages;
• Proficiency in other programming languages like MATLAB, C , Java, and HTML;
• Leading or contributing to working groups, stakeholder engagement activities, decision science efforts, and other collaborative efforts focused on coordinating individuals to achieve specific goals;
• Familiarity with conservation threats to wildlife in terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems;
• Ability to design surveys and sampling protocols, and to conduct field research.

Work schedule and location: This is a full-time (40 hrs/week), salaried position based at BRI offices in Portland, Maine. Travel for work is expected.

Compensation: Salary dependent on education and experience. BRI offers a fully paid employee health insurance premium, plus optional dependent coverage, dental, short-term disability, and life insurance, 401k with match, and generous paid PTO and holidays. Costs associated with work travel are reimbursed.

To Apply: Please send a cover letter, CV, three references, and an example script of data analysis coding work such as R or Python or a link to your GitHub repository or another location of completed work to jobs@briwildlife.org with ‘QWERL Data Scientist Application 2025’ in the subject.

Biodiversity Research Institute is an Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/D/V.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status.