Job Openings at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Located at the Imogene Powers Johnson Center for Birds and Biodiversity in the 220-acre Sapsucker Woods sanctuary, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology is the world's leading resource for conservation, research, education, and citizen science focused on birds. The lab is a vibrant unit within Cornell's College of Agriculture & Life Sciences, where several full-time faculty teach undergraduate courses, advise graduate students, and manage world-class, mission-driven programs. Our management and staff are committed to the highest standards of ethics and excellence in all areas of our work, and our Board leadership includes faculty from Cornell and other universities, successful entrepreneurs and managers from the business and non-profit sectors, and conservation-minded citizens from the United States and beyond.
To apply for the positions below, please refer to
the Jobs at Cornell website
unless otherwise specified. For more information
on the positions listed below,
please contact Sue Taggart; (607) 254-2470.
For more jobs in ornithology, see listings from the Ornithological Societies of North America.
Art Program and Acquisition Assistant
The Education Program at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology offers a wide range of projects that provide resources and experiences for people of all ages, in person and on the web, in school and in informal learning environments.
The Education Program at the Lab of Ornithology is currently seeking a temporary Art Program and Acquisition Assistant to provide short-term critical support for the final stages of the revision of the Cornell Lab's textbook: Cornell Handbook of Bird Biology, 3rd edition. Duties include:
- Collaborate with publisher, editorial group, authors, photographers, and illustrators to acquire requested images and graphics to ensure high level of accuracy, context, and quality.
- Coordinate media licenses and permission for each image/illustration in collaboration with Cornell Lab and University Counsel.
- Organize, store, and catalog any hardcopy original drawings/requests, photographs, slides, documents and other printed materials.
- Maintain acquisitions database(s), archive and continuously update artwork as acquired.
- Assist with preparation and formatting of design and layouts of art work towards execution of revision within established design specifications and any branding guidelines when needed.
- Identify and help resolve pre-press and other composition problems as necessary.
Temporary, six month appointment.
Applicants to provide cover letter, resume, contact information for 3 references.
Requirements:
- Previous experience in publishing industry such as art manager, acquisitions assistant, editorial assistant, or publishing assistant highly preferred.
- Demonstrated proficiency in MS Office.
- Working knowledge of Filemaker Pro preferred.
- Work to be conducted on site at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
Quantitative Ecologist
Conservation Science is one of eleven programmatic units that carry out the Lab's mission to interpret and conserve the earth's biological diversity. Conservation science is defined here as basic and/or applied research that contributes directly to the conservation of biological diversity at the population, species, or community level.
The Conservation Science Program at the Lab of Ornithology is currently seeking a Quantitative Ecologist/Postdoctoral Associate; duties include:
- Design projects and analyze data to meet project goals. Primary opportunities/responsibilities will include analyses for the projects/datasets such as:
- 1. Data from our Golden-winged Warbler Conservation Initiative, including occupancy data from spatially balanced sampling, results of audio playback surveys/experiments, and habitat data tied to information on both phenotype and genotype of territorial pairs.
- 2. Acoustic data (call counts) derived by analyzing long-term sound recordings for the presence of passerine nocturnal flight calls and other vocalizations.
- 3. Standardized bird survey, habitat, and contaminant (Hg) data from the Lab of Ornithology's Birds in Forested Landscapes project.
- 4. Avian survey data from forested islands in the upper Mississippi River drainage.
- Present results at professional meetings, conferences, and popular seminars.
- Prepare peer reviewed papers and other research and conservation products.
- Contribute to grant-writing in support of Conservation Science projects.
- Interpret results and adapt to conservation and management plans.
- Engage in ongoing academic and intellectual life within the Conservation Science Programs at the Lab of Ornithology and at Cornell University.
- Participate in general project management, including working directly with internal and external project collaborators.
One-year term with possibility of renewal.
Qualifications:
- PhD in ecology, wildlife biology, statistics, or related field with strong quantitative experience and skills relevant to understanding landscape- and habitat-use patterns of birds.
- We are seeking an individual with a passion for linking rigorous basic research with pressing conservation needs.
- Familiarity with the analysis of spatially and temporally structured data, and experience with occupancy modeling or related methods is preferred, but not required.
- Familiarity with basic GIS functionality (e.g., manipulation and extraction of data from GIS data layers) is preferred.
- Basic familiarity with data management and manipulation of multi-table databases.
- Experience with R and other statistical packages commonly used in avian conservation ecology (EX: "DISTANCE" and "MARK") will be helpful.
APPLICATION PROCEDURE:
Send a letter of application, complete resume, and list of references to: Susan Taggart, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 159 Sapsucker Woods Road, 283A Johnson Center for Birds & Biodiversity, Ithaca, NY 14850. Inquiries about position specifics can be directed to Amanda Rodewald, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY 14850. Phone: 607-254-2176; Email adr79@cornell.edu. Review of applicants will continue until June 15, 2013.
Internships
To apply for an internship, send a cover letter and resume to the contact person listed. Most internships are unpaid but hours are flexible and course credit is possible. Minimum commitment is generally six hours per week. Cornell undergraduates are eligible to be considered for a limited number of paid internships each year. The Nancy Horton Bartels ‘48 Scholars gift supports Cornell undergraduate interns at the Lab during the summer. The Kristen Rupert and John Foote Undergraduate Research Fund supports the engagement of Cornell undergraduates at the Lab, with preference given to students involved in interdisciplinary projects with other colleges, departments, and units at Cornell.
BirdSleuth Communications and Sales Internship, K-12 Education Program
BirdSleuth is a K-12 science curriculum resource developed and distributed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's education department aimed at engaging students in their own scientific research, encouraging student participating in Citizen Science projects, and leading educator professional development. The program seeks a dependable and organized intern to assist with daily operations and communications. Regular tasks include fulfilling sales invoices, maintaining inventory, promoting resources and materials in social media outlets, writing blogs, editing copy, and providing ongoing general program support.
The position is posted as paid internship, 25 hours per week (Federal Work Study preferred). A flexible work schedule is possible, though generally Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. A free shuttle travels between Corson-Mudd and Lab frequently when classes are in session, and there is an on-demand bus route that serves the Lab (TCAT route 41). Free parking is available.
Required Qualifications
- Excellent communication and organizational skills
- Ability to pack and lift large boxes for shipping
- Strong writing and editing skills
- Experience with social media maintenance
- Knowledge and interest in science, birds, and the environment
- Self-motivated, strong work ethic
- Attention to detail
- Dependable
- Collaborative spirit
- Current Cornell undergraduate student
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with professional blogging and other writing experience
- Familiarity with Power Point, Excel, Survey Monkey, Wordpress, and Hubspot
- Experience working in educational settings and/or youth outreach programs
The internship is available for the summer 2013 semester beginning 5/16/2013 and ending 8/21/2013. To apply, please send a cover letter describing your interest and qualifications for this position, along with your resume and contact information for at least two references to ld85@cornell.edu. Please visit
www.birdsleuth.org for more information about the program.
Bartels Science Illustration Internships
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology will offer at least one paid Bartels Science Illustration Internship each year, lasting from three to six months, 39 hours per week. Recipients will work on a project illustrating birds, wildlife, and/or plants for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's print publications, outreach materials, and web sites. We are seeking students (artists just starting their career) at least 18 years old who have previous experience and exceptional talent in illustration, painting, or drawing who are interested in advancing their skills in ornithological art. Interns will work on projects that help the Lab achieve its mission, and these projects often result in publication of the intern's work. For more information, please download this file. You may also contact Diane Tessaglia-Hymes, design director, by email at dianeth@cornell.edu, or call 607-254-2417 (work) or 607-342-4811 (cell).
Scholarships
The Francis M. Peacock Scholarship for Native Bird Habitat provides financial aid to a college senior or graduate student to study areas in the United States that provide winter or summer habitat for our threatened or endangered native birds. The award is given by the Garden Club of America and is administered by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. For more information about this scholarship and how to apply, see the proposal guidelines. If you wish to apply, you will also need to submit a personal information form.
The Walter E. Benning Fund provides scholarship assistance to a Cornell University graduate student studying ornithology and its relevance to conservation. The annual award is about $500. Apply by January 15 of every year by submitting a short (two page maximum) proposal describing your research, relevance to conservation, schedule of completion, and funding. Mail to Irby Lovette, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 159 Sapsucker Woods Rd., Ithaca, NY 14850
Student Jobs
Working just a few hours a week provides you with a multitude of benefits. You will meet new people and adapt more quickly to your new environment. You will develop new skills and improve existing skills while building a network of contacts and good references that will ultimately increase your marketability for summer and post-Cornell jobs. Working part-time also helps improve your time-management skills. Not to mention you'll earn money to help cover some of your Cornell expenses!
To apply for the positions below, please send a cover letter and resume to the contact person listed. Full-time registered Cornell students are eligible to be considered for these positions.
Student Jobs
There are no open positions for student jobs at this time.Web Design Intern
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology Citizen Science Program is currently seeking a student web design intern. Today's web design professionals are expected to have a broad skill-set ranging from graphic design principles to coding abilities. Working under an interactive designer you will perform web/graphic design duties, engage in front-end development utilizing the newest front-end web standards (HTML5, CSS3, javascript), gain experience working in tandem with web and application developers, and work with a top content management system, Wordpress, to help build (PHP) and populate our programs' websites coming redesigns. Minimum qualifications: Web design experience (at least basic html/css) and an interest in design and art. Contact Kevin Ripka at tekbirdr@gmail.com.