Association ELI-S is a small nonprofit organization based in France that was created in 2013. Our organization aims at promoting, protecting and conserving cetaceans in Central America. We are running the Cetacean Conservation Project of Nicaragua since 2016. This pioneer project aims to generate knowledge on cetacean presence, population size, distribution and habitat use patterns. The expected output is to generate:1) scientific data on cetaceans in Nicaragua, 2) environmental awareness to the local communities in order to create a socio-economic relevance in conserving and protecting their natural environment and 3) responsible eco-tourism. Association ELI-S is recruiting volunteer research assistants for field work, photo-identification and data entry from between July and September 2022 in San Juan del Sur. All team members will have training beforehand on field methodologies and protocols as well as data entry and data management. Research assistants should expect to spend time on the computer for data analysis but also to spend some days on the field to gather data during the 12-week field study. The Research Assistant has a unique opportunity to participate in a pioneer research project under the supervision of experienced marine biologists, which gives the opportunity for the assistant to develop both professionally but also personally thanks to the unique experience to live within local communities. A commitment of minimum 1 month is expected. *Location: *San Juan del Sur South-West of Nicaragua *Period: *Between July and September with a start on the first of each month (min. 1 month commitment) *Type of agreement: *Full time. *Duties:* - Assist in Boat based and land based surveys in collecting data on cetaceans - Photo-identification of whale and dolphin species - Update photo-ID catalogue - Data entry of collected data - Participate to public outreach and events *Desirable Knowledge* - Enthusiastic, conscientious and hard working (!)* - Experience of working in developing countries - Proactive with ability to work unsupervised - Interest in wildlife and conservation - Being comfortable on a small boat and spend long hours on a boat in the sun - Being able to work in a small team - Being able to live in basic living conditions - An interest and knowledge of marine life - Be able to swim *Successful candidate will:* - Gain valuable experience in cetacean survey techniques including behavioral studies, biopsy sampling procedures and acoustic data collection - Work in a very dynamic environment - Get insight in running a research project in developing countries A participation of 250 euros per week covers accomodation in a shared room, meals, water and electricity, filtered water, training, research materials, boat based surveys, membership to Association ELI-S for a year. Fee does not include: Travel to the study site (international flight and national transportation) and Personal expenses: restaurants, bars, telephone, internet, cleaning clothes, etc. *To apply:* Please email your CV and cover letter outlining your experience and motivations. Send this to eliscientific@gmail.com in copy with"Research assistant 2022" in the subject line. Interviews via Skype. *Joëlle De Weerdt* *Become a donor of our project o <https://www.helloasso.com/associations/association%20eli%20s/collectes/conservation-of-humpback-whales-through-community-engagement-and-policies-2022>n our Patreon Page <https://www.patreon.com/AssociationELIS>* PhD Candidate Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) Project director of Cetacean conservation of Nicaragua --------------------- www.eli-s.com Find us on : Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/AssociationELIS>, Instagram <http://www.instagram.com/association.elis>, Twitter <http://twitter.com/ELI_Scientific>, Youtube <https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjeseHPDvE6pq-MmoZXWNkg> Use lilo as research engine and support our project here <https://www.lilo.org/fr/eli-scientific/>