The research groups of Shima Abadi and William Wilcock in the School of Oceanography at the University of Washington (UW) are seeking a Postdoctoral Scholar to study the capabilities of Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) to record Southern Resident Killer Whales (SRKW) and other marine mammals’ vocalizations in Salish Sea. This opportunity is part of a growing effort at the UW to explore multidisciplinary applications of fiber sensing for the environmental sciences.

The successful candidate will join a multidisciplinary research group responsible for collecting DAS and hydrophone data in Salish Sea. They will develop techniques to detect and locate marine mammal vocalizations using both DAS and hydrophone array data. Additionally, they will analyze the performance of DAS as a passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) technique in comparison to conventional monitoring methods using visual observations or hydrophone array recordings.

The successful candidate will also have the opportunity to interact with a growing community of UW researchers with interests in fiber sensing for a wide variety of applications; participate in the field work and data analysis for additional submarine DAS datasets collected by the UW Fiber Lab (https://psf.uw.edu), and join the UW eScience Institute (https://escience.washington.edu) as a Data Science Postdoctoral Fellow.

This position is full-time (100% FTE), 12- months/year, with an initial term appointment of one year (12 months), renewable depending on funding and/or satisfactory performance for a total period of up to 2 years. The salary for this position will be $5,705 per month, commensurate with experience and qualifications, or as mandated by a U.S. Department of Labor prevailing wage determination. The start date is negotiable, but the position is available from June 1, 2024, with a preference to fill the position no later than September 1, 2024. The review process will commence March 15 and will continue until filled. 

Postdoctoral scholars are represented by UAW 4121 and are subject to the collective bargaining agreement, unless agreed exclusion criteria apply. For more information, please visit the University of Washington Labor Relations website.

The University of Washington, College of the Environment, and School of Oceanography are dedicated to the goal of building a culturally diverse and pluralistic faculty and staff committed to teaching and working in a multicultural, inclusive environment and strongly encourages applications from women, minorities, individuals with disabilities and covered veterans. The School of Oceanography is therefore seeking candidates whose experiences have prepared them to fulfill our commitment to inclusion. For more information on our commitment to building a culturally diverse workforce, please see: https://www.washington.edu/diversity/and https://environment.uw.edu/about/diversity-commitment/.

The University of Washington (UW) is located in the greater Seattle metropolitan area, with a dynamic, multicultural community of 3.7 million people and a range of ecosystems from mountains to ocean. The UW serves a diverse population of 80,000 students, faculty and staff, including 25% first-generation college students, over 25% Pell Grant students, and faculty from over 70 countries. The UW is a recipient of a National Science Foundation ADVANCE Institutional Transformation Award to increase the advancement of women faculty in science, engineering, and math (see http://advance.washington.edu/).

University of Washington postdoctoral scholar appointments are for a temporary, defined period not to exceed five years/60 months, including any previous postdoctoral experience. At the time of their appointment, candidates must have a Ph.D. in applicable field such as oceanography, geophysics, or engineering. The successful candidate will have a strong background in acoustic/seismic wave propagation, signal processing, and computational data analysis; an interest in using acoustical techniques to study animal vocalizations; demonstrated written and verbal communication skills; and the ability to work both independently and collaboratively with individuals from a wide spectrum of backgrounds. Highly desirable additional areas of expertise include experience with large data sets, distributed computing, and cloud computing.

To apply, candidates will submit materials via Interfolio, including 1) a letter of interest describing their skills and experience, 2) a curriculum-vitae including a list of publications and links to any open code repositories, 3) two representative publications, and 4) the names and contact information for three references. PDF files are preferred. Review of applicants will start immediately and will continue until the position is filled. PDF files are preferred.