[ES_JOBS_NET] USGS Quantitative-Disease-Migration Ecologist

[Thogmartin, Wayne E]

Title: Ecologist (Student)
Position: Student Service Contractor
Organization: U.S. Geological Survey, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center
Location: La Crosse, WI
Hourly Rate of Pay: $39.97 (GS Scale Equivalent GS-12)
Duration: 1 Year (extensible with Term appointment for additional year)
Application Deadline: May 30, 2021

Note: Only applicants who are 18+, and current graduate students or recent graduates (graduated 12 months ago) are eligible for this position. USGS employees, their spouses, and their children are not eligible to participate in this program.

Project Description and Duties: The student contractor shall provide analytical support to a USGS Disease Program-funded effort aimed at forecasting risk of avian influenza to North American poultry operations using a hemispheric-level waterfowl migration model. An existing continental-scale model of avian migration written in the R statistical programming language needs to be extended to the entirety of the northern hemisphere. Model components relating to infection, movement, and mixing of the pathogen need to be developed in collaboration with participating disease ecologists. Spatiotemporally explicit scenario analyses projecting risk to poultry operations need to be devised, with results relayed to partners and industry. Peer-reviewed journal publication of results is expected.

Qualifications: Completion of graduate study in ecology or similar. Expert facility with the R statistical programming language, including geospatial methods. Sound grasp of process-based modeling, large-scale spatial analyses, and associated data management techniques. Experience with agent-based modeling, rapid protoyping principals, disease ecology (especially avian influenza) and migration ecology (especially waterfowl) desired.

Principal Duty Station: U.S. Geological Survey Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, 2630 Fanta Reed Road, La Crosse, WI 54603. Duty station can be amended to accommodate the selected candidate.

Rate of Pay: Compensation is commensurate with the level of education and experience, as follows: $39.97 per hour for student who has completed doctoral studies. Students are paid for each hour worked. Students will be working as independent contractors and do not receive a premium rate for work beyond 8 hours/day or 40 hours/week. Additionally, students are paid only for hours worked (with no holiday or personal leave benefits). Students do earn 1 hour of sick leave for every 30 hours worked. Pay Rates for students include cost of self-employment taxes for social security and Medicare.

Estimated number of hours to be performed per week: 40 hours

Approximate start and end dates for the work: 15 June 2020-14 June 2021.

Number of Student Contractors: 1

For more information and to submit application, contact: Wayne Thogmartin, U.S. Geological Survey Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, 2630 Fanta Reed Road, La Crosse, WI 54603; wthogmartin at usgs.gov<mailto:wthogmartin at usgs.gov>; 608-781-6309 (office), 608-780-7398 (mobile).
Email or mail resume, which includes name, address, contact phone number, contact email address, and relevant education and work history, along with letter of interest and references. Include a copy of transcripts, listing courses and overall GPA (does not need to be an official copy). If graduated, provide proof of graduate degree either on transcript or as a copy of diploma.
If applicant cannot provide transcripts or does not yet have proof of Degree (have not graduated yet but will graduate by the time the position starts), a letter from the University Registrar or the student’s academic advisor will suffice.


Wayne E. Thogmartin, PhD
United States Geological Survey
Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center
2630 Fanta Reed Road
La Crosse, WI 54603
608-781-6309 (office); 608-780-7398 (mobile)
wthogmartin at usgs.gov<mailto:wthogmartin at usgs.gov>
orcid.org/0000-0002-2384-4279<http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2384-4279>

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