Acoustic Technician

[Shannon Rankin <>]

The cetacean acoustics lab at Southwest Fisheries Science Center is looking to fill a position for an entry level acoustics technician to work in La Jolla, CA.  The acoustics technician will assist with construction of acoustics hardware, participation in data collection in the field, and data editing/analysis. This position may include extended time working at sea, at times under adverse conditions; applicants must be available for extended field studies (1-4 consecutive months).  The technician will work under the direction of Shannon Rankin and Jay Barlow on projects related to the use of acoustics to estimate cetacean abundance, distribution and population structure and to advance the field of cetacean acoustics.

 Applicants must have an undergraduate degree in biological or marine sciences and have experience working at sea for extended periods of time (> 14 consecutive days).  Applicants must be competent with computers, and experience with Matlab, Pamguard, and R software is a plus.  Applicants must work well as a team, and independently and must have good oral and written communication skills.  A mechanical aptitude and a knack for working with hardware is desired.  Experience with acoustics and/or marine mammals is preferred.

Start dates are no later than June 2012.  A renewable one-year contract is expected, pending funding.   Salary will be commensurate with experience.

Please send a cover letter, resume/CV, and list of references to (email preferred) by March 16:





Shannon Rankin
Wildlife Research Biologist
Southwest Fisheries Science Center
NMFS/NOAA
3333 N. Torrey Pines Ct.
La Jolla, CA 92037
858-546-7072