Postdoctoral Researcher - CORDAP

About the California Academy of Sciences

Founded in 1853, the California Academy of Sciences is a globally renowned, AZA-accredited non-profit scientific and cultural institution located in the heart of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. Home to a world-class planetarium, aquarium, rainforest, research institute, and natural history museum—all under one living roof—our mission is to regenerate the natural world through science, learning, and collaboration.

Our living collection reflects Earth’s vast biodiversity, consisting of nearly 60,000 animals representing over 800 species. Our research collections are the largest west of the Mississippi,  spanning nearly 46 million plants, animals, fossils, and cultural artifacts from across the globe and throughout history. Our diverse team includes leading biodiversity scientists, educators, storytellers, designers, and communicators who are passionate about advancing knowledge and catalyzing action through science and storytelling.

Whether you're conducting research behind the scenes or engaging the public on the museum floor, your work will help connect people to the natural world and empower them to protect it.

About the Opportunity

Organizational Culture

When you join the California Academy of Sciences, you become part of a mission-driven community that values curiosity, collaboration, and innovation, and celebrates its accomplishments together. Staff share a commitment to executing a new strategic plan that will strengthen the organization's financial foundations, cultivate a vibrant internal culture, and foster smart growth to secure the Academy’s future.

We hope you are inspired by what we do and are motivated to contribute to our mission. The Academy is looking for candidates who do great work, and we know they may come from a number of different backgrounds and experiences. We encourage you to apply even if you do not believe you meet every qualification for the position.

This position is based in San Francisco, California. The specific onsite/hybrid schedule for this position is listed below.

This position is part of a bargaining unit represented by Cal Academy Workers United, and will be subject to the terms and conditions of that contract.

This one-year position is funded by the Coral Research & Development Accelerator Platform (CORDAP), will be supervised by Dr. Rebecca Albright, and will work closely with scientists in the Department of Invertebrate Zoology and Geology (IZG), the Steinhart Aquarium, and partners at Roatán Marine Park (Honduras). The postdoc will help deliver CORDAP-funded project outcomes by running coral spawning and early life stage experiments in the Academy’s ex situ coral spawning systems, and by running in situ coral spawning work in Roatán in collaboration with Roatán Marine Park. The position requires international travel, fieldwork, and scientific diving. The postdoc will analyze data, write scientific papers, and contribute to outreach and education efforts at the Academy and in the field.

The California Academy of Sciences welcomes people of all backgrounds, identities, and beliefs to join us in achieving our mission to explore, explain, and sustain life. We place diversity, equity, and inclusion at the heart of our recruiting efforts and strive to build a culture centered on mutual respect, equal treatment, and the opportunity to succeed. 

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: 

• Help deliver CORDAP-funded project deliverables, including contributing to project planning, timelines, and progress reports to the funder and partners.
• Run coral spawning and early life stage experiments in the Academy’s ex situ coral systems, including broodstock care, spawning monitoring, gamete collection and fertilization, larval rearing, settlement, and recruit grow-out.
• Run in situ coral spawning work in Roatán, Honduras, in conjunction with Roatán Marine Park, including night spawning dives, gamete collection, and field-based larval rearing. This requires international travel for up to 2–4 weeks per trip, boat-based fieldwork, and SCUBA diving.
• Design experiments, manage and analyze data, and lead and contribute to scientific papers; present results at (inter)national conferences and write reports for audiences of varying scientific backgrounds.
• Contribute to outreach and education efforts at the Academy and in the field, including public presentations, community engagement with partners and local communities in Roatán, and in-person and online programs for Academy audiences.
• Work collaboratively within IZG, the Steinhart Aquarium, and across the Academy, including with Development and Marketing as requested.
• Represent the CORDAP project and the Academy at internal and external events.
• Follow all Academy safety procedures, protocols, and regulations, including dive safety protocols and protocols for the ethical and humane handling of living specimens in the field and at the Academy.
• Other duties as assigned.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: 

The preferred qualifications listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required or preferred. 

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE:

The ideal candidate will possess a combination of the following education and/or equivalent experience: 

• Doctoral degree (Ph.D.) in a relevant discipline, with all requirements completed by the starting date of the postdoc appointment, is required.
• Demonstrated laboratory and field skills with corals, including work on tropical coral reefs, with proper safety precautions followed in each.
• Experience with coral biology, coral spawning, and early life stages (gametes, larvae, settlement, recruits) required.
• Experience with experimental design and statistics required.
• Experience with genomics and/or bioinformatics desired.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES: 

• Ability to conduct original, high-quality scientific research and to follow through on project deliverables within a fixed one-year timeline, with a strong academic record (relative to opportunity) that includes first-author publications.
• Strong knowledge of coral biology and reproduction, including spawning and early life stage husbandry.
• Proficiency with experimental design and statistical analysis using R and/or Python (ideally demonstrated through a shared code repository); familiarity with the Unix command-line and bioinformatics workflows is a plus.
• Field work experience, including in remote locations with difficult living conditions.
• Scientific diving experience and appropriate qualifications (or the ability to obtain them), with comprehensive knowledge of SCUBA diving theory and its application to safe diving practice; night diving experience preferred.
• Knowledge of scleractinian coral species identification/taxonomy, including Caribbean species.
• Demonstrated interest and experience in science communication, outreach, and education, including with public and community audiences.
• Ability to work independently and as a member of a team, with strong communication and interpersonal skills with diverse stakeholders and audiences.
• Must have or be able to obtain a valid passport; willingness to travel internationally.

LANGUAGE SKILLS:  Ability to read and interpret documents such as scientific papers, safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals. Ability to write reports, correspondence, and scientific articles. Ability to speak effectively to groups or individuals of varying levels of scientific knowledge. 

PHYSICAL DEMANDS & WORK ENVIRONMENT:  The physical demands and work environment described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable persons with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to stand, sit, walk, reach with hands and arms, talk and hear. Fieldwork involves boat-based SCUBA diving, including night dives, in tropical conditions. Must be able to lift 50 lbs. Must be able to perform repetitive motions 25 % of the time. 

Compensation and Benefits:
The salary range for this position is $39.52 to $41.12 per hour. Actual compensation will be commensurate with the final candidate's qualifications and experience, including skills, knowledge, relevant education, certifications and aligned with the internal peer group. We believe in fair and equitable compensation practices and are committed to providing competitive salaries within the industry and market standards. The Academy offers a total compensation package that emphasizes both base salary and comprehensive benefits based on the hours per week worked. Further details regarding compensation and benefits will be discussed during the interview process.

Schedule: Full-Time On site, 40 hours per week

How to Apply:  Interested candidates should submit a resume and application through our Careers Page portal.

The California Academy of Sciences will give full consideration for employment to all qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance (SF Police Code, Article 49). For more information visit: https://sfgov.org/olse/fair-chance-ordinance-fco. 

The California Academy of Sciences is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to ensure that all employees and applicants receive equal consideration and treatment, regardless of race, color, creed, gender (including gender identity or gender expression), religion, marital or domestic partner status, age, national origin or ancestry, physical, mental or medical disability, sex, sexual orientation, citizenship, military service status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by state or federal law or local ordinance. 

The California Academy of Sciences is a non-smoking facility. Smoking is also prohibited in Golden Gate Park.