Employment
We are excited to have you join our team! Note: candidates for the jobs listed below must apply through UC Santa Barbara at the provided link.
Current Job Openings
We seek an experienced science communicator to join the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS), working with our Executive Director and Deputy Director to lead communication around our portfolio of programs with a special focus on our new Western Wildfire Resilience Index project. This position will be split 50% time leading NCEAS external communication across our diverse environmental science and ecology projects and 50% time specifically focused on managing and guiding the development of strategic communications and policy outreach for NCEAS’ new Western Wildfire Resilience Index project.
Expected job duties may include:
Western Wildfire Resilience Index Project:
- Develop and implement a strategic communications plan to launch and build awareness of NCEAS’ new Western Wildfire Resilience Index project, for example developing branding content, social media pages, one page documents, etc.
- Be a collaborative member of the Western Wildfire Resilience Index team, working with the web developer, data analysts, postdocs, and project manager on data visualizations, reports, stories, and other needed communication products.
- Work as a liaison between NCEAS and policymakers at the state and federal level to more effectively integrate wildfire science into policy and management.
NCEAS External Communications:
- Run and improve NCEAS external communication platforms, including portions of the NCEAS website, social media handles (Twitter and LinkedIn), monthly newsletter, and press releases (in coordination with the UCSB Current).
- Work closely with NCEAS residents and visiting working groups (especially Morpho and Gulf Ecosystem Initiative groups) to consult on science communication needs to amplify the impact and reach of NCEAS’ science.
- Develop and execute strategic communications and marketing plans for internal NCEAS teams, including newly funded initiatives or rebranding of existing programs.
UCSB is an AA/EOE, including disability/vets. Expected salary ~$65-75k. Apply here by June 6, 2023 with a CV, cover letter, and the names of three references.
The National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) at UCSB seeks a Project Manager to support a newly funded program focused on developing a Western (US and Canadian) Wildfire Resilience Index. Built on the success of the NCEAS’ Ocean Health Index, the Western Wildfire Resilience Index will provide policymakers and the public with clear, actionable metrics on wildfire resilience to improve management. As part of this two year project you will work together to guide a dynamic project team of researchers including an expert working group, two postdoctoral fellows, two data analysts, a communications and policy officer, and a web developer towards achieving ambitious project milestones and deliverables. Together this team will work to create the first quantitative, applied index of wildfire resilience in the West. This is a two-year long position and will be based at NCEAS in Santa Barbara, California.
Basic qualifications
- Applicants must be enrolled in a Masters Degree program or currently have a Masters Degree in environmental science, earth science, ecology, data science, computer science, or a related field
Additional qualifications
- Applicants must have their Masters degree conferred by the start date of the position
Preferred qualifications
- At least 1-2 years of experience providing project management, communication, and administrative support to research, consulting, or industry projects
- Experience working with groups outside of academia (policymakers, industry, NGOs, etc.)
- Experience developing detailed project plans to monitor and track milestones and deliverables to keep projects and staff on track
- Experience managing collaborative projects and teams related to natural resource management or environmental science topics
- Experience developing systems and processes to increase organizational efficiency
- Familiarity with wildfire resilience research and policy with a strong interest in developing deep expertise in this area of resource management
- Experience working with project management and communications platforms such as Github, Slack, Asana, Airtable, or Trello
- Exceptional attention to detail and strong organization and time management skills
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Demonstrates an understanding and acceptance of diversity, equity, and inclusion concepts that are broader than only race, ethnicity, and gender
UCSB is an AA/EOE, including disability/vets. Expected salary ~$65-75k. Apply here by June 6, 2023 with a CV, cover letter, and the names of three references.
NCEAS seeks a web developer and designer to support a newly funded program focused on developing a Wildfire Resilience Index for the US and Canadian West. As an experienced and creative professional web developer and designer you will work to design, create, and deploy web applications that communicate scientific information and materials about the WWRI.
As a successful developer you understand modern web development, user experience and design, and are considerate of web usability standards. You will effectively communicate insights from interdisciplinary environmental science research to a broad audience ranging from expert scientific researchers, to policymakers, managers, and the interested public. You will also recommend, design, and implement web applications that include moderate to complex scientific infographics and visualizations. Web applications will be built and maintained using dynamic, interactive, user-oriented interfaces that are linked to underlying database sources.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in environmental science, earth science, ecology, data science, computer science, or equivalent experience
Preferred Qualifications
- Master's degree in environmental science, earth science, ecology, data science, computer science, or a related field
- At least 1 year of experience in data analysis for junior specialist; 5 years for Assistant Specialist
- Clean, efficient coding abilities, preferably in R and/or Python
- Ability to review and synthesize large amounts of literature and disparate data sources
- Ability to communicate complex information using data visualization techniques
- Analytical and problem-solving skills, paired with the ability to develop creative and efficient solutions
- Interpersonal communication skills to collaborate with diverse scientific teams
- Outstanding organizational skills
- Ability to take initiative and work independently and as part of a team
- Strong publication record
- Experience working with groups outside of academia (policymakers, industry, NGOs, etc.)
- Demonstrates an understanding and acceptance of diversity, equity, and inclusion concepts that are broader than only race, ethnicity, and gender
UCSB is an AA/EOE, including disability/vets. Expected salary ~$80-90k. Apply here by June 13, 2023 with a CV, cover letter, and the names of three references.
The National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) at UCSB seeks two postdoctoral fellows to help lead a newly funded program focused on developing a Western (US and Canadian) Wildfire Resilience. Built on the success of NCEAS’s Ocean Health Index, the Western Wildfire Resilience Index will provide policymakers and the public with clear, actionable metrics on wildfire resilience to improve management. As part of this two year project this postdoctoral cohort will work collaboratively with a dynamic project team including an expert working group, two data analysts, a project manager, a communications and policy officer, and a web developer. Together this team will work to create the first quantitative, applied index of wildfire resilience in the west. This is a two-year long position and will be based at NCEAS in Santa Barbara, California.
Basic qualifications (required at time of application)
At the time of application, applicants must have completed all requirements except the dissertation for a PhD in environmental science, ecology, climate change, environmental policy, or a relevant discipline.
Additional qualifications (required at time of start)
Ph.D. in environmental science, ecology, climate science, environmental policy, or a relevant discipline at time of hire.
Preferred qualifications
- Strong analytical and modeling skills, including data science, database management, data visualization, etc.
- Experience working with social-ecological indicator frameworks
- Strong publication record
- Experience working on subjects related to wildfire resilience in the Western US and Canada
- Regional knowledge of the North American West ecosystems and people
- Ability to review and synthesis large amounts of literature and complex information
- Ability to take initiative and work both independently and as part of a research team
- Strong organizational skills
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills
- Ability to translate complex scientific information and effectively communicate with a variety of audiences
- Strong networking and relationship-building skills and interest in building broad collaborations
- Experience working with groups outside of academia (agency, industry, NGOs, etc.) -Demonstrates an understanding and acceptance of diversity, equity, and inclusion concepts that are broader than only race, ethnicity, and gender
UCSB is an AA/EOE, including disability/vets. Expected salary ~$70k. Apply here by June 15, 2023 with a CV, cover letter, a 3 page statement of research, and the names of three references.
We are seeking two data analysts to support a newly funded program focused on developing a Western (US and Canadian) Wildfire Resilience Index. Built on the success of the NCEAS’ Ocean Health Index, the Western Wildfire Resilience Index will provide policymakers and the public with clear, actionable metrics on wildfire resilience to improve management. As part of this two year project you will work together to support the analytical needs of a dynamic project team including an expert working group, two postdoctoral fellows, a project manager, a communications and policy officer, and a web developer. Together this team will work to create the first quantitative, applied index of wildfire resilience in the west. This is a two-year long project and will be based at NCEAS in Santa Barbara, California.
Basic qualifications (required at time of application)
- Baccalaureate degree in environmental science, earth science, ecology, data science, computer science, or a related field
Additional qualifications (required at time of start)
- Applicants must have their baccalaureate degree and 3 years of relevant experience OR have a Master's degree in environmental science, earth science, ecology, data science, computer science, or a related field required by time of start date
Preferred qualifications
- Clean, efficient coding abilities, preferably in R and/or Python
- Ability to review and synthesis large amounts of literature and disparate data sources
- Ability to communicate complex information using data visualization techniques
- Analytical and problem-solving skills, paired with the ability to develop creative and efficient solutions
- Interpersonal communication skills to collaborate with diverse scientific teams
- Outstanding organizational skills
- Ability to take initiative and work independently and as part of a team
- Strong publication record
- Experience working with groups outside of academia (policymakers, industry, NGOs, etc.)
- Demonstrates an understanding and acceptance of diversity, equity, and inclusion concepts that are broader than only race, ethnicity, and gender
UCSB is an AA/EOE, including disability/vets. Expected salary ~$60-65k. Apply here by June 16, 2023 with a CV, cover letter, and the names of three references.
The National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) at UCSB seeks a data analyst to support a newly funded project to assess the question: what percent of nature has digital assets to assess or monitor it. As part of this project you will also participate with a working group of experts that will be addressing related questions, focused on biodiversity data science. This position will be based at NCEAS in Santa Barbara, California.
Basic qualifications (required at time of application)
- Baccalaureate degree in environmental science, earth science, ecology, environmental data science, or a related field
Additional qualifications (required at time of start)
- Applicants must have their baccalaureate degree and 3 years of relevant experience OR have a Master's degree in environmental science, earth science, ecology, environmental data science, or a related field by the start of the appointment
Preferred qualifications
- Ability to review and synthesize large amounts of literature and disparate data sources
- Ability to communicate complex information using data visualization techniques
- Analytical and problem-solving skills, paired with the ability to develop creative and efficient solutions
- Interpersonal communication skills to collaborate with diverse scientific teams
- Outstanding organizational skills
- Ability to take initiative and work independently and as part of a team
- Experience working with groups outside of academia (policymakers, industry, NGOs, etc.)
- Demonstrates an understanding and acceptance of diversity, equity, and inclusion concepts that are broader than only race, ethnicity, and gender
UCSB is an AA/EOE, including disability/vets. Expected salary ~$60-65k. Apply here by June 16, 2023 with a CV, cover letter, and the names of three references.
NCEAS is especially interested in candidates who can contribute to the diversity and excellence of the academic community through research, teaching, and service.
The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
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Learn more about life at NCEAS
Internships
Our internships are open only to undergraduate and graduate students at UC Santa Barbara.
Science Communication Fellowship
Our Science Communication Fellowship is a paid internship that is open to all UCSB students. It provides the opportunity to build professional experience in communicating the value of science for solutions to pressing environmental challenges.
Data Internships
Do you want to learn best practices in data science and open science, while contributing to real synthesis research projects?
NCEAS data internships include training, mentorship, and the opportunity to collaborate with scientists. Most internships will include working with GitHub, R/RStudio/RMarkdown, or Python/Jupyter Notebooks. Interns are paid an hourly wage and must work at NCEAS' office in downtown Santa Barbara.
We regularly hire data interns to support the following initiatives. If you apply for more than one internship at the same time, please indicate that in your cover letter.
Data Internship Opportunities
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Ocean Health Index
Learn how to weave open data science principles into marine science and conservation.
Learn more