Stranding Coordinator
The Institute for Marine Mammal Studies (IMMS) is located in Gulfport, MS and was established in 1984 for the purposes of studying marine mammals in the northern Gulf of Mexico. IMMS is also the only rehabilitation facility for marine mammals and sea turtles in Mississippi.
The Stranding Coordinator will be responsible for overseeing the daily aspects of the Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle stranding department at IMMS including logistical support for the veterinary department, daily husbandry for marine mammals and sea turtles in rehabilitation, reporting to government agencies, assisting with permit applications and reports as requested, assisting with post-release monitoring of marine mammals and sea turtles through satellite telemetry, assisting in lab necropsies of dolphins and sea turtles, as well as conducting marine mammal field necropsies. The stranding coordinator will also oversee the IMMS 24-hour stranding hotline and oversee the training of volunteers and staff regarding marine mammal and sea turtle response.
Primary Duties and Responsibilities:
* Assist in regular veterinary exams for marine mammals and sea turtles in rehabilitation
* Conduct field necropsies on marine mammals
* Coordinate the response for live and dead strandings along the Mississippi Gulf Coast and in Mississippi territorial waters
* Coordinate with the Sea Turtle Stranding and Salvage Network as well as the Marine Mammal Stranding Network to coordinate response.
* Assist in the tagging (PIT, Flipper, Satellite) of marine mammals and sea turtles prior to release
* Prepare grant/permit applications and reports as needed
* Oversee the maintenance of water quality for marine mammals and sea turtles in rehabilitation
Desired Qualifications:
* MS or PhD in Ecology, Marine Biology, or related field
* Experience with ArcGIS, and R
* Experience with GulfMAP a plus, but not required
* Experience supervising staff/interns in the field and office settings
* Familiarity with the reporting process for marine mammal and sea turtle strandings
* Experience with marine mammal necropsies
* Experience assisting in veterinary procedures for marine mammals and sea turtles
* Experience with marine mammal and sea turtle rehabilitation
To Apply:
* In order to apply please send your CV, cover letter, 1-2 copies of recently published works, and contact information for 3 references to moby(a)imms.org<mailto:moby@imms.org>. Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled. Start date is flexibly, and salary is commensurate with experience.
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Population Ecologist
The Institute for Marine Mammal Studies (IMMS) is located in Gulfport, MS and was established in 1984 for the purposes of studying marine mammals in the northern Gulf of Mexico. IMMS is also the only rehabilitation facility for marine mammals and sea turtles in Mississippi.
The Population Ecologist will be responsible for overseeing the daily aspects of the IMMS bottlenose dolphin Photo ID program, including boat trips, data analysis and evaluation, and the preparation of manuscripts for publication in peer-reviewed journals. Applicants must have experience in boat-based marine mammal photo-ID and behavioral observations. Candidates should be familiar with Darwin and FinBase programs as well as ArcGIS. Applicant should be legally able to work in the United States and fluent in written and spoken English.
Primary Duties and Responsibilities:
* Conduct regular photo-identification surveys of the Mississippi Sound and surrounding areas, examining the population structure and ecology of the Mississippi Sound, Lake Borgne, Bay Boudreau bottlenose dolphin BSE stock
* Develop new lines of inquiry, building upon core research activities at IMMS
* Assist in project oversight and reporting
* Management of Darwin and FinBase databases
* Prepare grant/permit applications and reports as needed
* Assist with marine mammal and sea turtle rescue, rehabilitation, and release as needed
* Assist in the post-release monitoring of sea turtles and marine mammals through use of satellite tags
* Prepare manuscripts for publication in peer-reviewed journals using new and existing data sets
* As needed, assist in lab-based marine mammal and sea turtle necropsies as well as field necropsies of marine mammals.
Desired Qualifications:
* PhD in Ecology, Marine Biology, Biology, or related field
* Ability to manage large databases such as FinBase (experience with Access a plus)
* Experience with ArcGIS and R
* Experience with satellite telemetry
* Knowledge of, and experience maintaining and applying for, federal and state permits
* Experience supervising staff/interns in the field and office settings
* Familiarity with the reporting process for marine mammal and sea turtle strandings
* Experience with marine mammal necropsies
* Experience assisting in veterinary procedures for marine mammals and sea turtles
* Experience with marine mammal and sea turtle rehabilitation
To Apply:
In order to apply please send your CV, cover letter, 1-2 copies of recently published works, and contact information for 3 references to moby(a)imms.org<mailto:moby@imms.org>. Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled. Start date is flexibly, and salary is commensurate with experience.
Mystera M. Samuelson, PhD
Behavioral Ecologist
The Institute for Marine Mammal Studies
10801 Dolphin Lane Gulfport, MS 39503
(228) 896-9182 Ext. 1766
msamuelson(a)imms.org
