Master's Opportunity in Dolphin Demography - Please share!

[LiseAubry]

Dear colleagues,

Bill Kendall and I would appreciate it if you could share the opportunity below with promising students.
We have a small window of opportunity.

*** PLEASE SHARE *** Dr. Bill Kendall and myself are recruiting a MS student to work on bottlenose dolphin demography starting this fall. Coursework will take place at Colorado State University in the FWCB department & field work will take place in Biscayne Bay, Florida. More here and below:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ez9dCs ... qb-tp/view

MS Opportunity
Trends in Common Bottlenose Dolphin Demography in Biscayne Bay
Start date: August 2025
Location: Colorado State University
The labs of Dr. Lise Aubry and Dr. Bill Kendall at Colorado State University are seeking a MSc
student for a research project on the estimation of demographic trends of bottlenose dolphins
in Biscayne Bay, Florida, from long-term survey data.

Project Description
The main goals of this MSc project are to i) Estimate the abundance of Common Bottlenose
Dolphin in Biscayne Bay and potential temporal trends in abundance over the length of the
study; ii) Evaluate the impact of environmental (e.g. regional climate) and anthropogenetic
predictors (e.g. water quality, sea surface temperature, fisheries, vessel usage) on abundance,
as well as on the underlying vital rates that drive changes in abundance over time (i.e. survival
and recruitment); iii) attempt to improve upon the use of findfindR to assist with photo
matching and develop Artificial Intelligence Machine Learning tools to improve and automate
individual matching from photo IDs.

Candidate Profile
• Academic background in statistics, biology, ecology, or a related field (BSc degree or
equivalent).
• Strong quantitative skills.
• Good understanding of demographic modeling (i.e. vital rate estimation in particular).
• Experience with machine learning preferred.
• Interest in resource management and conservation, and the impacts of environmental and
climate change on marine mammal populations.
• Autonomy, scientific rigor, critical thinking, and ability to work collaboratively in both
academic and government research environments.
• Willingness to conduct fieldwork on small vessels.
• Valid driver’s license.

Conditions
• The MSc will be based at Colorado State University under the joint supervision of Lise Aubry
and Bill Kendall, with regular stays at the Southeast Fisheries Science Center NOAA Miami
and Biscayne Bay.
• Two years of funding are guaranteed with a monthly stipend of $2,800/month, tuition and
fees covered and funds to support field work and academic travels.
• The student will benefit from strong mentorship and a dynamic research environment within
an active network in quantitative ecology and conservation science in the Fish, Wildlife, and
Conservation Biology Department (FWCB) at Colorado State University. The selected
candidate will collaborate with scientists from FWCB, the USGS Colorado Cooperative Fish and
Wildlife Research Unit, and Dr. Matthew bowers at the NOAA Marine Mammal and Turtle
Division at the Southeast Fisheries Science Center.

Application
Interested candidates should send a CV, transcripts, a cover letter describing their academic
and research interests, and contact information for at least two references by June 21, 2025
(or until the position is filled) to lise.aubry@colostate.edu and William.kendall@colostate.edu


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Dr. Lise M. Aubry (She/Her)
Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology
Colorado State University
Email: Lise.Aubry@colostate.edu
https://liseaubry.wixsite.com/aubrypopecology
Handle: @AubryPopEcoLab
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