PDRA in Marine Mammal Ecology - Maternity Cover 12 Months
| Posting date: | 08 May 2026 |
|---|---|
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 26 May 2026 |
| Location: | Oban |
| Remote working: | On-site only |
| Company: | Scottish Association for Marine Science |
| Job type: | Temporary |
| Job reference: | D03/26.DR |
Summary
This role is available for a 12-month maternity cover period.
The successful candidate will join the SAMS Marine Mammal Research Team and deliver research, as well as consultancy work relating to marine mammal ecology, bioacoustics and underwater noise assessments, with a focus on monitoring and management of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and marine industries (e.g., offshore renewables, aquaculture and fisheries).
The majority of time will be spent supporting the ACCLIMATISE project, a project supported by PEACEPLUS, a programme managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB). As part of this project, the successful candidate will collect underwater and in-air passive acoustic, as well as visual data, and apply existing and develop new automated analysis tools to aid species distribution and habitat modelling. This work will support the development of sustainable, long-term monitoring programmes for marine megafauna (e.g., marine mammals and seabirds) and underwater noise in waters around the island of Ireland.
In addition to the above, approximately a third of the time will be to provide marine environmental consultancy within the SAMS Enterprise team. The post holder will contribute to tender development and delivery, including acoustic data analysis, report writing, and advising on project consenting, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Habitat Regulations Assessment (HRA) processes.
You also be expected to help the wider SAMS Marine Mammal Research Team secure and deliver projects to progress the team’s capabilities including equipment maintenance, fieldwork and data collection. Finally, and depending on interest, the post holder may also contribute to teaching, for example on the Marine Megafauna Module of SAMS Marine Science BSc degree.
The successful candidate will join the SAMS Marine Mammal Research Team and deliver research, as well as consultancy work relating to marine mammal ecology, bioacoustics and underwater noise assessments, with a focus on monitoring and management of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and marine industries (e.g., offshore renewables, aquaculture and fisheries).
The majority of time will be spent supporting the ACCLIMATISE project, a project supported by PEACEPLUS, a programme managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB). As part of this project, the successful candidate will collect underwater and in-air passive acoustic, as well as visual data, and apply existing and develop new automated analysis tools to aid species distribution and habitat modelling. This work will support the development of sustainable, long-term monitoring programmes for marine megafauna (e.g., marine mammals and seabirds) and underwater noise in waters around the island of Ireland.
In addition to the above, approximately a third of the time will be to provide marine environmental consultancy within the SAMS Enterprise team. The post holder will contribute to tender development and delivery, including acoustic data analysis, report writing, and advising on project consenting, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Habitat Regulations Assessment (HRA) processes.
You also be expected to help the wider SAMS Marine Mammal Research Team secure and deliver projects to progress the team’s capabilities including equipment maintenance, fieldwork and data collection. Finally, and depending on interest, the post holder may also contribute to teaching, for example on the Marine Megafauna Module of SAMS Marine Science BSc degree.
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