Research Statistician

About the role

Ocean Associates Inc. (OAI) is a Virginia corporation established in 2003 that provides consulting and technical services to the U.S. government, NGOs, international organizations, and the private sector, specializing in scientific program and project management, strategic planning, professional and technical services, and stakeholder engagement. The position is for a Research Statistician supporting NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service at the Northwest Fisheries Science Center (NWFSC), Fish Ecology Division (FE), in Seattle, WA. The NWFSC conducts research on marine and anadromous species in the Pacific Northwest and California to support management under the Magnuson‑Stevens Act and Endangered Species Act, and works on aquaculture and seafood safety. This role will support NWFSC staff and interdisciplinary teams to conduct ecological research on species NOAA is mandated to manage, involving statistical analysis, model development, data curation, and field assistance. Start date: as soon as possible. Location: Northwest Fisheries Science Center, Seattle, WA, or associated field stations in WA or OR. Travel is anticipated; a valid driver’s license must be maintained.

Responsibilities

• Provide statistical analyses to inform management decisions.
• Statistically analyze spatial and temporal variability in processes experienced by migrating salmon in river systems, especially to understand survival and migration patterns through hydropower systems and through their life cycles.
• Analyze and generate relationships between fish responses (e.g., density, growth, survival, migration rate) and explanatory variables (e.g., environmental or ecological conditions, habitat metrics, management actions, etc.) in particular life stages.
• Develop novel probabilistic mathematical and simulation models that seek to represent unique and complex ecological and behavioral processes with modern statistical methods.
• Provide statistical support for other researchers during study design and analysis.
• Organize and curate ecological datasets relevant to mark‑recapture modeling needs.
• Document and share reproducible research workflows and analytical protocols to ensure scientific transparency and peer collaboration.
• Publish reports and scientific papers, and present results at regional and national meetings and scientific conferences, as needed.
• Assist with field collection of fish and environmental data in freshwater, estuarine, and nearshore marine environments of the West Coast region, as needed (may involve riding in vehicles and/or boats).

Requirements

• Ph.D. degree from an accredited college or university with a major in Statistics, Mathematics, or Applied Mathematics, or in a field of study related to the task order with a strong quantitative emphasis.
• Strong quantitative background with solid foundation and extensive coursework in mathematics, statistical theory, probability, experimental design, and applied statistics, with proof of coursework taken.
• Six (6) or more years of experience related to the task order, with experience in applications to ecological data preferred.
• Excellent verbal and written communication, and experience writing reports and publishing peer‑reviewed articles.
• Strong quantitative skills including extensive experience in statistical modeling and data analysis, and thorough understanding of core concepts of probability and statistical theory.
• Extensive experience conducting analyses and coding in R, experience with programs Stan and JAGS, and experience with open science concepts.
• Strong computational skills, including the ability to manipulate large environmental datasets within a command‑line environment (e.g., Linux/shell scripting) to support statistical workflows.
• Familiarity interpreting or interfacing with C or C++ code within a scientific modeling context.
• Familiarity with common software including Google Suite and Microsoft Office.
• Ability to manage workload, stay organized, and produce high‑quality work products efficiently.
• Ability to work both independently and on interdisciplinary teams.

Skills

• Knowledge and experience in Bayesian statistics and mark‑recapture methods (strongly preferred).
• Familiarity with the species and habitats managed by NOAA Fisheries in the West Coast region (preferred but not required).

Pay

Salary, commensurate with experience, between $45.00 – $50.00+ per hour.

Benefits

This is a full‑time position with benefits.