CIRES / NOAA Data Analyst Associate Scientist I Professional Research Assistant

The University of Colorado Boulder is seeking a Professional Research Assistant - Data Analyst for the CIRES/NOAA program. The role involves supporting NOAA Fisheries by modernizing data acquisition and developing analytical tools for aquatic surveys. The position requires working on-site 2-3 days a week at the NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center in La Jolla, CA. This full-time research faculty position focuses on improving data classification and processing.
Requisition Number:
63231

Location:
Boulder, Colorado

City
Boulder

State
Colorado

Employment Type:
Research Faculty

Schedule:
Full-Time

Posting Close Date:
09-Apr-2025

Date Posted:
07-Apr-2025

Close All
Job Summary The Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) at the University of Colorado in Boulder has an immediate opening for a Professional Research Assistant - Data Analyst, supporting the NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries).
These positions will support a NOAA-wide research program to revolutionize the classification of echosounder and contextual data collected in surveys of aquatic animals and seabed habitats. These positions will:
• Participate in projects to modernize NOAA Fisheries data acquisition, satellite telemetry, and cloud storage and processing;
• Produce labeled training datasets using archived multi-disciplinary survey data, including echosounder, net catch, oceanographic, eDNA, optical, and other data; and
• Develop analytical tools for objective, accurate, and automated classifications of echoes to taxonomic groups or species, either aboard the data-collection platform, or in the cloud.

These activities will leverage resources and expertise across NOAA, academic institutions, and commercial entities. For example, these positions will work with NOAA Fisheries scientists to understand the historical echosounder and contextual data, and package it into analysis-ready, cloud-optimized formats. The analysis tools, e.g., contracted artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) or Bayesian models, should expedite data processing, improve classification accuracy, expand applicability of acoustic data, promote adaptive sampling, and facilitate further and faster collaborative development.

The Data Analyst will be located at NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center, La Jolla, CA and report on site 2-3 days a week.

The University of Colorado Boulder is committed to building a culturally diverse community of faculty, staff, and students dedicated to contributing to an inclusive campus environment. We are an Equal Opportunity employer, including veterans and individuals with disabilities.

Who We Are At CIRES, more than 950 environmental science professionals work to understand the dynamic Earth system, including people's relationship with the planet. CIRES has partnered with NOAA since 1967, and our areas of expertise include weather and climate, changes at Earth's poles, air quality and atmospheric chemistry, water resources, solid Earth sciences, and more. Our vision is to be instrumental in ensuring a sustainable future environment by advancing scientific and societal understanding of the Earth system.

NOAA Fisheries is responsible for the stewardship of the nation's ocean resources and their habitat. We provide vital services for the nation, all backed by sound science and an ecosystem-based approach to management that support productive and sustainable fisheries, safe sources of seafood, recovery and conservation of protected resources, and healthy ecosystems. NOAA Fisheries is the trusted government authority on the science and management of fish, other marine life, and their habitats. The position located in La Jolla, CA will be integrated with the NOAA Fisheries Southwest Fisheries Science Center.

NOAA NCEI is responsible for hosting and providing access to one of the most significant archives on Earth, with comprehensive oceanic, atmospheric, and geophysical data. From the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun and from million-year-old sediment records to near real-time satellite images, NCEI is the Nation's leading authority for environmental information. NCEI's Boulder, Colorado office holds and preserves the Nation's marine geophysical data and information.

What Your Key Responsibilities Will Be
• Collate and format annotated acoustic data from the six Science Centers for input to advanced analytical echo-classification models (50%)
• Organize co-variate data for input to advanced analytical echo-classification models (25%)
• Work collaboratively with the Science Centers and data scientists, data analysts, and software developers in support of the AA-SI 'Echo Classification' activity (25%)

What You Should Know
• This is a 3-year position.
• Given project needs, the targeted start date for this position is June 1, 2025.
• Access to the NOAA Federal Center's computers is necessary to perform the work of this position. Access is not available for individuals working in the United States through a visa or a working permit. and therefore, we are unable to consider applications from individuals on a visa or working permit or requiring visa sponsorship for this position now or in the future.
• The positions will be rostered in CIRES at the University of Colorado Boulder, but will be physically situated at the NOAA office in La Jolla, CA (NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center, 8901 La Jolla Shores Dr, La Jolla, CA).
• Selected finalists will be required to pass a federal background check.

What We Can Offer
• CIRES can offer a generous compensation package.
• The annual hiring salary range for this position is $57,942 to $72,428.
• Salary is commensurate with education and experience and determined based on our CIRES internal career track classification.
• Some relocation funds are available for this position to off-set moving expenses following CIRES and the University of Colorado's relocation processes and procedures.
• This position offers a hybrid work environment with both on-site and remote work hours.
• CIRES and the University of Colorado Boulder offer a robust training curriculum, opportunities for professional development and a Mentorship Program.
• As an employee at CU Boulder, you receive a pass allowing free access to the regional public transit system, which is an outstanding network of buses and light rail systems that provide service within Boulder and connect to Denver, the Denver airport, and surrounding communities.

Benefits The University of Colorado offers excellent benefits, including medical, dental, retirement, paid time off, tuition benefit and ECO Pass. The University of Colorado Boulder is one of the largest employers in Boulder County and offers an inspiring higher education environment. Learn more about the University of Colorado Boulder.

Be Statements Be accomplished. Be impactful. Be Boulder.

What We Require
• A bachelor's degree in Computer Science
• Experience with scripting and object-oriented programming languages (e.g., Python) and able to learn new languages as needed
• Experience using version control (Git) and issue tracking
• Experience working with real world environmental data and solving data-driven problems

What You Will Need
• Excellent use of Python programming.
• Demonstrated ability to work competently and collaboratively, in-person and remotely.
• Development of sharable, open source workflows using Google Colab.
• Familiarity with cloud services, specifically Google Cloud Platform.
• Excellent problem-solving skills and attention to detail.
• Excellent English verbal and written communication skills.
• Flexible and proactive attitude combined with an ability to work independently and with other team members to simultaneously make progress on multiple projects.

What We Would Like You to Have Please note that while the position details both required and preferred skills and experience, we invite applicants to apply even if they do not have the preferred skills and experience outlined in this section. If you meet the requirements and have passion for the work, you are encouraged to apply. We encourage on the job training for any additional skills or knowledge that become relevant to the position.
• Knowledge of metadata and metadata standards.
• Demonstrated ability to work with, organize, and transform large volumes of data, metadata, and other supporting data.
• Experience with Java and Bash programming languages.
• Familiarity with SQL relational databases. Experience with or knowledge of spatial data and databases.
• Experience troubleshooting enterprise software applications.
• Experience documenting standard operating procedures for technical tasks.
• General understanding of oceanography and collection techniques for echosounder and trawl-catch data.
• Experience with or knowledge of common echosounder data software, e.g., Echoview, Echopype, and PyEcholab.
• Experience with or knowledge of the principles and theories of fisheries acoustics, echosounder data analysis, and echo classification.

Special Instructions To apply, please submit the following materials:
• Resume or CV.
• Cover letter addressed to the Search Committee briefly describing your qualifications, professional goals, and specific interest in this position. If you are selected as a finalist, we will ask you to contact your professional references. We will be using a digital reference check solution. This information will be kept confidential and viewable only by the search committee.
• If you are selected as the finalist, your degree will be verified by the CU Boulder Campus Human Resources department using an approved online vendor. If your degree was obtained outside of the United States, please submit a translated version (if applicable) as an optional attachment.

The position will close on April 9th, 2025.

Posting Contact Name: Carrie Wall Bell
Posting Contact Email: Carrie.Bell@Colorado.EDU

Note: Application materials will not be accepted via email. For consideration, please apply through CU Boulder Jobs.

In compliance with the Colorado Job Application Fairness Act, in any materials you submit, you may redact or remove age-identifying information such as age, date of birth, or dates of school attendance or graduation. You will not be penalized for redacting or removing this information.