Sea Watch Foundation (SWF) are looking for a Research Assistant / Intern Coordinator to assist with the running of the “Cardigan Bay Monitoring Project”. This position is unpaid but (shared) accommodation will be provided free of charge. The project is based in New Quay, West Wales, and supports 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 vessel-based and land-based surveys. SWF has been monitoring these populations on behalf of the Welsh government (through funding provided by Natural Resources Wales) for two decades. Cardigan Bay contains Britain’s largest coastal population of bottlenose dolphins, for which two Special Areas of Conservation have been established under the EU Habitats Directive. Responsibilities will include, but are not limited to: Coordination between the Monitoring Officer and project interns – in charge of the intern shared house and the intern weekly office rota. Assisting New Quay staff in training interns and other volunteers in land- and boat based surveys, photo ID studies, database entry, and more. Assisting the Monitoring Officer in all phases of the research. Liaising closely with the Education Officer and Education Assistant. 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, or related field and able to demonstrate previous experience in marine mammal studies. 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, polecam, theodolite, digiscope and aerial 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. The preferred candidate should have a proven track record as a team player since the project will involve working closely with other researchers, but must also be able to supervise small groups of people given that they will be coordinating a team of at least 8 interns. The Research Assistant and interns live and work together on a daily basis which requires a high degree of interpersonal skills to maintain relationships and team morale. Previous experience working successfully in similar roles is essential. Applicants must be self-motivated, with the drive and determination to work independently and responsibly without direct supervision. The work load is varied and therefore a high degree of organisation, attention to detail, and ability to prioritise are essential. 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. The Research Assistant is expected to work 5 days a week with office hours running from 9AM to 6PM with an hour lunch break although field work regularly falls outside of office hours. The Research Assistant is also entitled to one week’s holiday during the season, the dates of which should be agreed upon at the start of placement if at all possible. Currently we anticipate the internship to go ahead as planned. However, please note that if new restrictions are imposed in 2022, on-site internships may need to be postponed or suspended, although there are various opportunities to take on home based volunteering roles should this occur. The Research Assistant will be responsible for their own travel expenses to New Quay for the 2022 field season. Due to the touristic background of New Quay, part-time paid evening work is generally easy to find if required by the applicant. There are also a number of external organisations that may offer grants to partially cover living expenses. International applications are welcome but it is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure visa requirements are met and the chosen visa option should be highlighted in the application form. —————————————————————————————————————————————————— To apply: Please send your CV and Research Assistant application form (available on Sea Watch Foundation website), and contact details of two referees, reporting any relevant experience you have, to Katrin Lohrengel- katrin.lohrengel@seawatchfoundation.org.uk Deadline: 17th January 2022.