Scordato Lab, Cal Poly Pomona · California · assistantship · posted today
The Scordato Lab at Cal Poly Pomona invites applications for a Master’s student to study avian ecology in a Southern California agroecosystem. The Scordato lab is part of the SPACES Institute, a NASA-funded initiative aimed at integrating remote sensing data into on-the-ground assessments of biodiversity and ecosystem services. The SPACES Institute includes faculty from Cal Poly Pomona, UC Santa Barbara, and the UC Agriculture and Natural Resources extension. We work closely with farmers and conservation non-profits throughout our study region with the overall aim of improving biodiversity in complex agricultural landscapes. We are recruiting a Master’s student to study how native plant restoration and landscape-level vegetation structure affect avian communities across spatial scales. There is broad scope for the student to develop independent lines of inquiry, but any project will involve point counts in the field and use of remote sensing products. The student will have access to >4 years of longitudinal data on bird community structure, data on arthropod communities, newly collected high-resolution lidar and hyperspectral data, as well as existing NASA remote sensing products. The Master’s student will be expected to work on all aspects of the research project, collaborate closely with other members of our interdisciplinary research team, participate in public outreach, and lead the preparation of at least one peer-reviewed manuscript. This position is funded for two years with the possibility of a third year. The expected start date is Summer 2027. Required qualifications: 1) a Bachelor’s degree in biology, ecology, environmental science, wildlife biology, or similar field; 2) strong writing and quantitative skills; 3) a valid US driver’s license. Preferred qualifications (but do not hesitate to apply if you do not have these): 1) experience with avian point counts and/or strong identification skills for Southern California birds; 2) experience conducting field research, particularly in challenging conditions; 3) familiarity with R and/or Python; and/or 4) experience working with geospatial data. Read more about the project here: https://www.scordatolab.com/ and the SPACES Institute here: https://www.spacesinstitute.org/ Please reach out to Liz Scordato at escordato@cpp.edu with any questions. To apply, please send the following to escordato@cpp.edu by November 13th: Cover Letter (max 1 page) CV with academic and professional experience The names and contact information for 2-3 references Review of applications will begin November 13th, and interviews will be scheduled for mid to late November.
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