Research Assistant (Co-op) - Marine Data Centre Project

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Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada .
full-time . September 25, 2024

Description

Position Identification

Title: Research Assistant

Organization: Pacific Salmon Foundation

Department: Marine Sciences

Status and Funding: Full-time; Grant Funded

Length of Work Term: January 2– April 30, 2025 (possibility to extend)

Organizational Summary

The Pacific Salmon Foundation (PSF) is salmon first, salmon always. We harness the passion and power of people to save and restore Pacific salmon in B.C. and the Yukon. And, we never go it alone, working with Indigenous partners, streamkeepers, government agencies and fellow ENGO’s, PSF undertakes research, restoration initiatives and leadership in convening all those willing to help recover Pacific salmon. As People for Salmon, we’re here to help ensure sustainable populations of Pacific salmon for generations to come.

Project Description

The PSF Marine Data Centre is a collaborative program between the Pacific Salmon Foundation (PSF) and the Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, UBC, to build a secure data archive for British Columbia marine ecosystem information. Since 2011, the Marine Data Centre has been collecting marine ecosystem data and providing these data through this online portal. It is designed to serve as a central data repository, to protect and collate marine ecosystem information, and to allow for data sharing and integration.

Position Overview

The Research Assistant will provide ongoing support to the PSF Marine Data Centre project, under the Marine Sciences Program.

Roles and Responsibilities

The Research Assistant’s key responsibilities include:

Assist in developing a Community Salmon Restoration Atlas by:
Mining data from reports resulting from salmon habitat restoration projects funded by the Community Salmon Program to populate a database of project details.
Aligning information with data standards set by partner agencies as well as PSF.
Integrating data results with a front-end platform which showcases community-funded salmon habitat restoration project information.
Collaborating with project partners through written and verbal communication.
Assist in performing data integration and transformation for various PSF Marine Data Centre initiatives by:
Searching for and collecting relevant data to create and update metadata records in the PSF Marine Data Portal to support the Ecosystem Indicator Project.
Assisting in back-end data centre operations, including revising and updating existing metadata records, as well as conducting website updates as needed.
Collaborating in a team to ensure smooth data integration and project support.
Monitoring data quality and assisting in optimizing data management practices.

Qualifications

Experience managing data in spatial and non-spatial formats (e.g., csv, file geodatabase).
Experience with GIS (e.g., QGIS, ArcGIS Pro).
Experience collating and acquiring data from various sources.
Experience reading scientific reports.
Knowledge of fish and fish habitat.
Knowledge of habitat restoration considered an asset.

Reporting and Supervision

Reporting to Ben Skinner (GIS Specialist) and supervised by Ben and Paulina Salinas-Ruiz (Data Integration Specialist), the Research Assistant is responsible for undertaking all work identified by them and meeting or exceeding the standard of care set by them.

Mentoring and Development

The PSF is committed to life-long learning for all team members. Ongoing mentoring will be available to facilitate the Research Assistant’s career development and appropriate training and skill-building opportunities will be provided subject to budget constraints. Educational opportunities will be encouraged.

Diversity and Inclusion

We believe diversity is key to excellence and actively encourage applications from indigenous persons, people with disabilities, persons of marginalized sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions, and members of groups that commonly experience discrimination due to race, ancestry, colour, religion and/or spiritual beliefs, or place of origin.

If you require accommodations or support during any stage of the recruitment process, please send an email at Ben (bskinner@psf.ca)

Compensation

$20.00 - $24.00 per hour

Know someone who would be a perfect fit? Let them know!