Postdoctoral Researcher

About the California Academy of Sciences

The California Academy of Sciences is a globally renowned scientific and cultural institution located in the heart of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. Home to a world-class planetarium, aquarium, research center, and natural history museum—all under one living roof—our mission is to regenerate the natural world through science, learning, and collaboration.

Our extensive collections span plants, animals, fossils, and cultural artifacts from across the globe and throughout history. We are a diverse team of leading biodiversity scientists, educators, storytellers, designers, and communicators who work collaboratively to advance knowledge and inspire action through science and storytelling.

When you join the California Academy of Sciences, you become part of a mission-driven community that values curiosity, collaboration, and innovation. Whether you're working behind the scenes in research or engaging the public on the museum floor, your work will help connect people to the natural world and empower them to protect it.

About The Opportunity

The ARMS Postdoctoral Researcher works under the mentorship of Dr. Luiz Rocha, the Curator and Follett Chair of Ichthyology, to conduct novel research on shallow coral reef and mesophotic Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structures (ARMS) deployed across the biodiversity gradient of the Indo-West Pacific. The researcher will also co-mentor graduate students and summer interns. 

The Postdoctoral Researcher will: co-lead marine field expeditions to Guam, Palau, French Polynesia and the Marshall Islands, generate and analyze biodiversity genomic data of tropical coral reef organisms, and implement models that translate these data into insights relevant to research and management of natural resources. In addition, the Postdoctoral Researcher collaborates on the development of innovative tools to mobilize, analyze, and visualize biodiversity data from genomic and natural history collections aimed at informing critical science, conservation, and decision making.

Organizational Culture
Join a team dedicated to the Academy’s mission, vision and values! Currently, the Academy has a new strategic plan including three initiatives – Hope for Reefs, Thriving California, and Islands 2030 – that leverage biodiversity science, environmental learning, and collaborative engagement to regenerate fragile ecosystems around the world. Learn more at https://www.calacademy.org/about-us/major-initiatives.

We hope you are inspired by what we do and are excited to contribute to our mission. The mission of the California Academy of Sciences is to regenerate the natural world through science, learning, and collaboration. The Academy is looking for candidates who do great work, and we know they may come from a number of different backgrounds and experiences. We encourage you to apply even if you do not believe you meet every qualification for the position.

About the ARMS Project

The Academy’s ARMS are the key to documenting coral reef biodiversity. During Phase I of Hope For Reefs, we deployed 108 ARMS units in four locations along the Indo-Pacific gradient of biodiversity: Palau, Guam, Marshall Islands, and French Polynesia. Now we are preparing to retrieve these ARMS, and they will provide new data not only for a plethora of ecological and evolutionary biology experiments but also will stand as the first and most complete standardized baseline dataset for mesophotic reefs worldwide. 

ARMS, coupled with modern metabarcoding techniques, provide one of the most complete and advanced ways of sampling the coral reef’s biodiversity. ARMS are 23cm x 23cm artificial structures that are left on the reef for multiple years and provide surfaces and spaces for mobile and sessile organisms to settle on or shelter within, as well as accumulate DNA from nearby organisms. When the ARMS are recovered, they are home to as much as 10x more species diversity than what could normally be detected by specialists through standard sampling, and most of this diversity is unknown. Larger organisms associated with the ARMS are photographed, vouchered, and identified by specialists. Smaller mobile and sessile organisms scraped off the plates are homogenized, and identified via DNA metabarcode protocols using High Throughput Sequencing (HTS). This approach not only gives us precise presence-absence information for thousands of species but also allows us to estimate how much biodiversity is unknown by comparing our data to public DNA sequence databases. Furthermore, we are able to estimate relative abundances more precisely, providing essential data for ecological studies and environmental monitoring. 

Key Responsibilities

• Conducts original biodiversity science research of coral reef taxa in collaboration with Academy scientists and external partners.
• Collaborates on data collection, analysis, and visualization of biodiversity data
• Provides mentorship to undergraduate and graduate students
• Provides regular updates on project progress to funders and partners
• Dedicated to and supports the training of scientists and building capacity in developing countries and to increasing participation of groups historically underrepresented in systematics, evolutionary biology and regeneration. 
• Disseminates findings in written technical reports and academic publications, as well as oral presentations at scientific conferences and public meetings
• Provides specimen identification in areas of expertise as appropriate
• Participates in the Academy's fieldwork, as needed
• Follows all Academy safety regulations
• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications: A successful candidate will have the following:

Experience And/Or Education:

A qualified candidate will possess a combination of the following experience and/or equivalent education:

• Ph.D. degree in evolutionary biology, ecology, statistics, bioinformatics, data science, or related fields. 
• 5 years or more of research experience in biodiversity science, including doctoral work. 
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills (English) and experience in communicating research findings. 
• Strong interest in biodiversity and ability to communicate that passion. 

Knowledge, Skills, And Abilities:

• Expertise in biodiversity data analysis and/or modeling.
• Experience in reproducible workflows, code version control, and management 
• Works as a part of multi-disciplinary teams and diverse stakeholder groups
• Committed to working on a team that is striving to be inclusive in work, interactions, systems, and tools
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail
• Ability to work independently, and as a member of interdisciplinary teams on cross-cutting issues
• Flexible and creative
• Expertise in R programming and statistical environment for the integration, manipulation, and analysis of big data, preferred.
• Experience in geo-spatial analysis and data visualization 
• Experience collecting data while SCUBA diving, with AAUS and rebreather training preferred
• Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals

Physical Environment:
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential job duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to stand, sit, walk, use a computer, and communicate on the phone, in person, and online meetings/calls.  The employee will spend time out-of-doors at events and programs, occasionally in hot or inclement weather. Must be able to transport 30 lbs. Must be able to perform repetitive motions 50% of the time.

Compensation and Benefits:
The salary range for this position is $82,202.00. Actual compensation will be commensurate with the final candidate's qualifications and experience, including skills, knowledge, relevant education, certifications and aligned with the internal peer group. We believe in fair and equitable compensation practices and are committed to providing competitive salaries within the industry and market standards. The Academy offers a total compensation package that emphasizes both base salary and comprehensive benefits based on the hours per week worked. Further details regarding compensation and benefits will be discussed during the interview process.

Schedule: Full-Time, 40 hours per week

How To Apply:

Interested candidates should submit a resume and application through our Careers Page portal.

The California Academy of Sciences will give full consideration for employment to all qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance (SF Police Code, Article 49).