The Sea Watch Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to marine research, conservation, and public education is seeking applications for the following: RESEARCH ASSISTANT/INTERN COORDINATOR IN CARDIGAN BAY 2016 This position is responsible for assisting the Monitoring Officer in the running of the “Cardigan Bay Monitoring Project” and coordinating the project interns. The project is based in New Quay, Ceredigion, West Wales, and takes care of the conservation management of the bottlenose dolphin, harbour porpoise and grey seal populations of Cardigan Bay, monitoring their abundance, distribution, reproductive success and population structure using a combination of line-transect, photo-identification, land-based and acoustic surveys. Start Date: April 11th 2016 End Date: November 6th 2016 Responsibilities will include but are not limited to: • Coordinate between the Monitoring Officer/Sightings Officer and the project interns – in charge of the intern shared house and the intern weekly office rota. • Assisting the Monitoring Officer/Sightings Officer in intern basic training of land- and boat based surveys, photo ID studies, database entry and more. • Assisting the Monitoring Officer in all phases of the research. • Assisting the Sightings Officer with maintenance of the national sightings database. • Optional opportunity to undertake a personal research project supervised by the Monitoring Officer. Research topic will be chosen according to Sea Watch Foundation requirements and applicant’s interests. Requirements: The successful applicant is expected to have completed a BSc degree (or higher) in biology, marine biology, zoology, chemistry, or related field and able to demonstrate previous experience in marine mammal research. A strong interest and knowledge of British cetaceans and experience are beneficial. The applicant should ideally have some experience using DSLR cameras. Practical experience of photo-identification (both photography and matching) is desirable. Experience with other equipment regularly used by Sea Watch Foundation such as hydrophone, theodolite, digiscope and camera drone is advantageous. The applicant must be proficient with database and word processing software and be willing to learn new software applications. Specific experience in use of Access and GIS would be advantageous. Knowledge of other relevant software such as PAMGuard and Raven is useful but not essential. The preferred candidate should have a proven track record as a team player since the project will involve working closely with other researchers, but also must be able to supervise small groups of people as they will be coordinating a team of at least 6 interns. They must be self-motivated, with the drive and determination to work independently and responsibly. If a personal research project is undertaken, this brings the opportunity to submit work for scientific publication, and for presentation at the European Cetacean Society Conference. This position is unpaid, but accommodation will be heavily subsidised and will not exceed £10 per week should a charge be made at all. The Research Assistant will be responsible for their own travel expenses to New Quay. Due to the touristic background of New Quay, part-time paid evening work is generally easy to find if required by the applicant. The Research Assistant will have one day of every weekend free and may take a week’s vacation. Dates for this week should be previously agreed if possible. International applications are welcome but it is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure visa requirements are met; Sea Watch cannot sponsor visa applications. To apply: Please send your CV and application form (which can be downloaded from our website www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk/internships/), with a cover letter and contact details of two referees, reporting any relevant experience you have, to Katrin Lohrengel- katrin.lohrengel@seawatchfoundation.org.uk Deadline: 3rd January 2016. Please specify RESEARCH ASSISTANT/INTERN COORDINATOR in your subject title. Successful applicants will be notified of the outcomes by the 3rd February 2016. The Sea Watch Foundation The Sea Watch Foundation is a registered marine environmental research charity that aims to achieve better conservation of whales and dolphins in the seas around Britain and Ireland, by involving the public in scientific monitoring of populations and the threats they face. At Sea Watch Wales, we are dedicated to raising awareness, knowledge and conservation of the marine wildlife inhabiting Welsh seas. Our work in Wales has been funded over the years by Natural Resources Wales, and we work closely with the local management authority, Ceredigion County Council. Research The purpose of our research here is to monitor the marine mammal populations inhabiting Cardigan Bay, so as to gain information to aid the conservation and long-term well being of these animals and the local marine environment. This is achieved by conducting various projects including: • Estimating the abundance and distribution of bottlenose dolphins, harbour porpoises and grey seals within Cardigan Bay using distance sampling and opportunistic boat surveys • Maintaining and updating a catalogue of photographically identified bottlenose dolphins in Wales in order to study their abundance, social structure, movements and life histories, using mark-recapture techniques • Acoustic monitoring of bottlenose dolphins and harbour porpoises in the Cardigan Bay SAC using automated click detectors (T-PODs) and hydrophones. • Setting up a library of underwater sounds in Welsh waters in order to develop bio-acoustic research in the area. We further aim to raise awareness and understanding of the importance of the local marine wildlife and the habitats supporting them, and to encourage respect and conservation of the area and its wildlife for future generations. At the New Quay office, we also run national training courses in cetacean identification and survey methods for the general public. -- [1] Katrin Lohrengel / Wales Development Officer katrin.lohrengel@seawatchfoundation.org.uk Sea Watch Foundation Paragon House, Wellington Place, New Quay, Wales, SA45 9NR http://www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk/ [1] [2] [3] Links: ------ [1] http://www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk/ [2] https://www.facebook.com/seawatchfoundation?ref=ts&fref=ts [3] https://twitter.com/WelshCetaceans