OPS Research Assistant-Dr. Soto- Summer Position Available In Sarasota, Florida

OPS Research Assistant-Dr. Soto- Summer 3.4 3.4 out of 5 stars 5800 Bay Shore Road, Sarasota, FL 34243 Description The research assistant will work under the supervision of Dr. Jose Soto-Shoender on two research projects he is currently conducting The main duties are to support Dr. Soto-Shoender in obtaining, processing, and analyzing spatial data with Geographic Information Systems, particularly with the software ArcGIS Examples of Duties The duties for the first research project involve obtaining spatial environmental data for survey points for the research project “Drivers of Occupancy Patterns of Terrestrial Vertebrates in the Central Volcanic Chain of Guatemala”. The project’s objective is to identify habitat associations and threats to native mammals and birds in the mountain ecosystems of Guatemala. The RA’s duties on this project will be the following: ? Conduct a search for and obtain raster and shapefiles for environmental habitat covariates such as NDVI, urban centers, highway and road layers, habitat and vegetation types, among others ? Obtain estimates of environmental habitat covariates for each survey point of the study and develop a database for this information ? Conduct exploratory and descriptive statistical analyses on the habitat covariates obtained for each survey point ? Assist in the preparation of manuscripts to submit to peer-reviewed journals The second research project is scheduled to begin in July 2025. The focus of the project is to understand how native mammals in natural areas of Southwest Florida respond to invasive feral pigs (Sus scrofa). We will be using camera traps and conducting spatial analysis of feral pig soil disturbance to understand spatio-temporal patterns of the impacts of feral pigs on the ecosystems of Southwest Florida. The RA duties for this project will be the following: ? Assist the principal investigator in map elaboration for the project. The map should include habitat types and other covariates that will be used in the analysis and will be used to design the study according to habitat types and other environmental covariates ? Create a data collection online sheet in the Field Maps application in ArcGIS ? Support the PI in data field collection (deploying camera traps and documenting feral pig soil disturbance). ? Upload the data collected to a database and curate and manage the database ? Prepare data for data analysis ? Conduct basic data exploration and analyses on the data ? Assist in the preparation of manuscripts to submit to peer-reviewed journals Other duties as assigned Minimum Qualifications Familiar with research in Natural Sciences and a graduate New College of Florida (NCF) is an equal opportunity employer and educational provider committed to a policy of non-discrimination for any member of the NCF community on the basis of race, creed, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veterans’ status, marital status, or any other legally protected group status. This policy applies to faculty, staff, students, volunteers, visitors, applicants, and contractors in a manner consistent with applicable laws, regulations, ordinances, orders, and University policies, procedures, and processes.