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Project Scientific Officer Hours Job role: Project Scientific Officer Hours: 15 hours per week Contract type: Fixed Term (4 years) Salary: £11,153 - £12,926 (pro rata £27,511 - £31,886) depending on experience Job purpose: To provide scientific support to the P.I. of OCEAN DEOXYFISH for delivery of project objectives in areas of research, publications, communications and outreach Background The Marine Biological Association (www.mba.ac.uk) is an independent research institute carrying out leading-edge research in fundamental and strategic areas of marine biology. As one of the world’s longest running Learned Societies (founded in 1884), the MBA is dedicated to promoting research into our oceans and the life that they support. Many eminent scientists, including twelve Nobel Prize winners, have conducted their research at the MBA’s Citadel Hill laboratory in Plymouth, UK. With our Royal Charter and over 1,900 members in 40+ countries worldwide, we have the mandate to provide an authoritative and independent voice for the international marine biological community. The role A new opportunity has arisen for a part-time Project Scientific Officer to join a large, dynamic team of researchers to undertake high-quality basic research to meet the scientific objectives of the OCEAN DEOXYFISH project (Ocean deoxygenation effects on threatened top predators: New understanding and predictions from novel bio-logging instruments and data). OCEAN DEOXYFISH is a recently funded European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Grant (€3.11M) award to Prof. David Sims, an MBA Senior Research Fellow. The role offers the opportunity to work on a high-profile international project under the guidance of a leading research team from six countries (UK, Portugal, Cabo Verde, Ireland, Australia, Japan) and linking with the Global shark Movement Project (www.globalsharkmovement.org), a research collaboration of 150 scientists from 26 countries. The PDRA will be based at the MBA Laboratory in Plymouth, UK, with fieldwork at sea in the UK, Portugal and Cabo Verde. OCEAN DEOXYFISH focuses on understanding the effects of ocean deoxygenation on marine top predators. Climate-driven reductions in dissolved oxygen (DO) of the global ocean interior (ocean deoxygenation) is leading to expansion of permanent oxygen minimum zones (OMZ) that comprise about 7% of ocean volume. Impacts on marine animal distributions and abundance may be particularly significant for high-oxygen-demand top predators, such as warm-bodied tunas and sharks, by reducing habitat volumes as OMZs expand (habitat compression) and concentrating fish further in surface waters where they become more vulnerable to fisheries. But predictions of how exploited oceanic fish actually respond to OMZ expansions are not based on mechanistic understandings, principally because direct measurements of oxygen tolerances and associated metabolic costs have not been determined. OCEAN DEOXYFISH will bring about a step change in understanding of OMZ impacts on oceanic ecology by applying the research team’s existing expertise in animal movement studies and by developing new biologging technologies and in situ physiology for measuring oxygen tolerances and metabolism directly in free-living fish. OCEAN DEOXYFISH will enable major unknowns to be addressed concerning how oceanic fish respond physiologically and behaviorally to hypoxia, the role of OMZs in upper-trophic-level ecology, how oceanic fish habitats change with predicted OMZ expansion, and whether this will increase fish vulnerability to fishing gear. Objectives will be achieved through linked field, experimental and modelling studies. By focusing on key processes underlying fish responses to DO in situ, new modelling approaches will establish effects of future warming and OMZ shoaling on fish niches and determine how these shift distributions and alter capture risk by fisheries. The project represents a discipline- spanning approach linking physiology to ecology and oceanography, with wide-ranging outcomes for understanding global biotic responses to warming and ocean deoxygenation with direct relevance to sustainable fisheries and species conservation. Specifically, the Project Scientific Officer’s role will be to provide scientific research and outreach support to the Principal Investigator, Prof. Sims, to meet the project’s objectives associated delivery of project objectives in areas of research, publications, communications and outreach. The Project Officer will join the OCEAN DEOXYFISH team of 16 researchers working on aspects of shark and tuna movements, behaviour and ecology in OMZ habitats through deployment of newly developed bio- logging tagging technology exclusive to this project. Salary and benefits Salary will be based on experience The MBA will contribute 10% of your basic salary into a defined benefits pension scheme. You are required to make a 3% minimum contribution. You can contribute over the 3% minimum and the MBA will match up to a maximum of 5% Annual Leave allowance is 30 days plus bank holidays/privilege days (pro-rata if part time) Key Responsibilities include: Contribute to practical planning of project scientific and knowledge exchange objectives Responsible for delivery of the project website, including drafting scientific content, and subsequent updating of content Contribute to preparation under guidance of animal ethics license applications and archiving Responsible for maintaining project record of animal procedures and liaising with MBA AWERB, Named Animal Care and Welfare Officer (NACWO), the Home Office where appropriate and EC reporting to manage and document research with ASPA protected animals during the project. Responsible for production and editing of science-based promotional videos to communicate project objectives and outcomes to the scientific community and public Responsible for managing the project’s social media accounts including writing regular posts Engage with MBA Communications Team to develop and progress Citizen Science projects Contribute to logistical preparation for fieldwork and participate where appropriate Contribute to preparation, analysis and writing of scientific publications Engage in group meetings to progress research projects. Undertake ad hoc tasks identified as being within the job holder’s capabilities Essential skills/qualifications – - Ph.D in marine biology, ecology, or related discipline - Demonstrated experience in shark behaviour and bio-logging research projects - Experience with ASPA 1986 procedures, licensing and record keeping - Demonstrated experience in website design and production including scientific content - Qualification and experience in video editing and production - Experience using social media platforms - Demonstrated experience in writing and publishing scientific papers - Be personable and able to communicate with a wide range of collaborators - Previous experience working in a research team - High attention to detail Desirable skills/qualifications – - Animal ethics and scientific procedures training (e.g. UK Personal License) - Experience of working on Citizen Science projects - Capable of independent working when necessary within a team - Driving licence The Project Scientific Officer will be based at the Marine Biological Association of the UK in Plymouth, but may be expected to travel to meetings and workshops as needed. For further information, please contact Prof David Sims ([email protected]) and Maya Plass ([email protected]) MBA Head of Communications. Full details including job description can be found here https://www.mba.ac.uk/vacancies Equal Opportunities We are committed to equality of opportunity for all staff and applications from individuals are encouraged regardless of age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and marriage and civil partnerships How to Apply: To apply please send a covering letter and CV with details of 2 referees to [email protected] (Reference ERC Project Scientific Officer application) one of which must be your current employer. The covering letter should: outline your previous and most relevant experience explain why you are right for the role Please confirm where you saw the vacancy advertised Closing date: 13 August 2021 Interviews will take place the week of 23 August 2021 Applicants must be eligible to live and work in the UK Further Reading - recent relevant papers by the Research Team: Vedor, M., Queiroz, N., Mucientes, G., Couto, A., da Costa, I., dos Santos, A.M., Vandeperre, F., Afonso, P., Fontes, J., Rosa, R., Humphries, N.E., Sims, D.W. (2021) Climate-driven deoxygenation elevates fishing vulnerability for the ocean’s widest ranging shark. eLife 10, e62508. Sims, D.W. (2019) Chapter 8.9 The significance of ocean deoxygenation for elasmobranchs. In Ocean Deoxygenation – Everyone’s Problem: Causes, Impacts, Consequences and Solutions. (Laffoley, D., & Baxter, J.M., eds), p. 451 – 468. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN. Payne, N.L., Snelling, E.P., Fitzpatrick, R., Seymour, J., Courtney, R., Barnett, A., Watanabe, Y.Y., Sims, D.W., Squire, L., Semmens, J.M. (2015) A new method for resolving uncertainty of energy requirements in large marine predators: the ‘mega-flume’ seagoing swim-tunnel respirometer. Methods in Ecology and Evolution 6, 668-677. Queiroz, N., Humphries, N.E., Couto, A., Vedor, M., et al., Sims, D.W. (2019) Global spatial risk assessment of sharks under the footprint of fisheries. Nature 572, 461-466. Sequeira, A.M.M., Rodriguez, J., Eguíluz, V., Harcourt, R., Hindell, M., Sims, D.W., et al. (2018) Convergence of marine megafauna movement patterns in coastal and open oceans. PNAS 115, 072- 3077. Queiroz, N., Humphries, N.E., Mucientes, G.R., Hammerschlag, N., Lima, F., Scales, K., Miller, P.I., Sousa, L.L., Seabra, R., Sims, D.W. (2016) Ocean-wide tracking of pelagic sharks reveals extent of overlap with longline fishing hotspots. PNAS 113, 1582-1587. .
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