National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis

Ocean Health Index Data Internships

The Ocean Health Index project annually seeks three motivated fellows to work with our team to conduct the annual global Ocean Health Index assessment! This is a paid position.

In 2023 we will be hiring:

  • 3 environmental data science fellows who will focus on preparing, processing and synthesizing data and calculating OHI scores. Fellows will also be responsible for communicating OHI methods and results to a wide audience through the creation of web content, reports, blogs, social media, data visualizations, infographics, etc.

Timing:

  • Beginning of May, 2022: Fellows will begin working part time (~ 10 hours per week) to learn about the Ocean Health Index, be introduced to our workflow, and begin working on tasks. 
  • June 26th - September 16th: Fellows will work full time (40 hours per week) to update scores and develop communications around the Index.

Location:

Work will be conducted at the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) center located at 1021 Anacapa Street, Suite 300, Santa Barbara, CA 93101-5509.

More information:

The Ocean Health Index (OHI) measures how well oceans are able to sustainably provide the benefits that humans need and desire, such as food and recreation. The OHI has been calculated every year since 2012 for 220 countries and territories and is used to determine how well countries are managing ocean resources. More information is available at ohi-science.org.

OHI Fellows will be mentored and supported by the OHI team at the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) at UCSB. Fellows will learn about the OHI framework, how to work as a team, and how to weave open data science into marine science and conservation. 

This is an exciting opportunity to:

  • Learn and apply the latest methods of open data science, such as collaborative data analysis, working openly online, and automatic reporting
  • Gain hands-on experience through calculating the annual global Ocean Health Index
  • Advance the approaches to calculating OHI scores and communicating the results
  • Explore and work with a large variety of ecological datasets
  • Gain experience collaborating as a team and communicating scientific process and results through blog posts, social media, and interactive reports

Learn more about the Fellows program >>

Qualifications:

  • Must be a current UCSB student (undergraduate or graduate) at the start of the position
  • Must be interested in working with data and/or communicating complex information to further environmental science
  • Must be organized, motivated, and able to work independently and collaboratively to meet deadlines
  • Must be a problem solver and willing to learn new skills
  • Must enjoy teamwork and collaborative problem solving
  • Preference given to students pursuing a degree in environmental data science, biology, ecology, geography or related field and experience using R, RStudio, and GitHub

Details:

  • This is paid work from May to the beginning of September 2023.
  • Fellows will be expected to work 10 hours per week from May to June 9 for OHI training, and 40 hours per week from June 26 to September 16 in the summer for preparing the global index.
  • Fellows will work on-site at NCEAS in downtown Santa Barbara, and are expected to coordinate with each other to maximize in-person collaboration with each other and the OHI team.

Salary offers are determined based on final candidate qualifications and experience; the budget for the position; and application of fair, equitable and consistent pay practices at the University. The full salary range for this position is $15.50 - $40 per hour. The budgeted hourly range that the University reasonably expects to pay for this position is $24 an hour.

Deadline: Applications due by 5pm PST on Monday, January 30, 2023. Please send your resume/CV and a cover letter highlighting your qualifications and interest to halpern@nceas.ucsb.edu with the subject header “OHI Fellows.” Please name the files like so: Lastname_analyst_DocumentType.pdf.