Graduate students

I typically accept one graduate student with research interests similar to my own per year. I encourage qualified applicants to email me their CV and a brief cover letter describing their interests. However, before contacting me, prospective students should examine the research we conduct and read representative publications. Prospective students should have an interest in both applied and basic aspects of vertebrate conservation biology, and have a quantitative background. In addition to shared research interests, I typically accept students with strong GPAs and GRE scores, and that have previous field and/or laboratory experience in the field of wildlife ecology.

Note that the graduate program in Wildlife Ecology requires that incoming PhD students have already received a master’s degree and that funding is available to support the student’s stipend, benefits, and tuition. When funding is available, students are supported by working on an existing project under my direction. Otherwise, students must obtain their own funding via, for example, NSF or EPA fellowships, or from natural resources agencies.

Zach Peery
email: mpeery@wisc.edu

Field technicians

We hire seasonally for the summer field season. Check here for job advertisements around December for opportunities during the following summer

National Parks bioacoustics field technicians (4)

Up to four field technicians are needed to undertake field work for bioacoustics research projects throughout Yosemite and Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks in the Sierra Nevada region in California. This monitoring program uses autonomous recording units (ARUs) to survey for avifauna and provide information for several research and management programs studying forest owls and songbirds.

This multi-year research project focuses on the California spotted owl, and other forest owls and songbirds of conservation concern, in order to help understand the distribution and habitat usage in the parks, particularly in areas affected by wildfires.

Start and end dates for this position are dependent on snowpack, but the season will likely run mid-April to late-July. Target start date of April 17, with the end date in mid-late July. Pay is $20-$22/hour depending on experience.

A typical workweek is 40 hours, generally 4 days/week. Field housing will be provided, but frequent camping of several nights/week will likely be required. Schedules will be irregular and will include a combination of field and office work. Field work consists of deploying and retrieving autonomous recording units throughout National Parks land, and some National Forest land. Sites will be located along Park roads and along trails within the Parks, some requiring hikes of up to 5 miles one-way. Office work can include, but is not limited to, data entry, downloading and managing acoustic data, and prepping and troubleshooting equipment. Other duties may include clearing roads of debris, and vehicle maintenance. Most of the work will be done in pairs and cooperative living will also be required. Technicians must be respectful of others as well as work and live together cooperatively.

Ideal applicants will have experience working in remote conditions; experience with strenuous hiking; and ability to function as a two-person crew with potentially limited direct supervision.

The application deadline is 20 Jan, 2023, however we will review applicants and conduct interviews on a rolling basis. Please provide a cover letter stating why you are interested in a position, and a resume with at least three references and their contact information, all in a single file. Questions can be directed to Kevin Kelly (kkelly29@wisc.edu). Click here for more information about the position.

National Forests bioacoustics field technicians (10)

Up to ten field technicians are needed to undertake field work for bioacoustics research projects throughout National Forests in the Sierra Nevada region in California. This monitoring program uses autonomous recording units (ARUs) to survey for avifauna and provide information for several research and management programs studying forest owls and songbirds.

This multi-year research project focuses largely on the distribution of California spotted owls and the invasive barred owl, in order to provide information vital to the successful management of both species at broad spatial scales in the Sierra Nevada. Additional research is being conducted on the distributions of forest owls and songbirds across the range.

Start and end dates for this position are dependent on snowpack, but the season will likely run mid-April to late-July. Target start date of April 17, with the end date in mid-late July. Pay is $20-$22/hour depending on experience.

A typical workweek is 40 hours, generally 4 days/week. Field housing will be provided, but frequent camping of several nights/week is required. Schedules will be irregular, dependent on weather conditions, and will include a combination of field and office work. Field work consists of deploying and retrieving autonomous recording units throughout National Forest Service land. Most sites will be reached by vehicle via forest roads, but some areas may involve short-distance hikes to deployment locations. Office work can include, but is not limited to, data entry, downloading and managing acoustic data, and prepping and troubleshooting equipment. Other duties may include clearing roads of debris, and vehicle maintenance. Much of the work will be solitary, but group work and cooperative living will also be required. Technicians must be respectful of others as well as work and live together cooperatively.

Ideal applicants will have experience working in remote conditions; working solo in the field for days at a time; and driving 4wd vehicles on unmaintained, back country roads. Chainsaw certification is a plus.

The application deadline is 20 Jan, 2023, however we will review applicants and conduct interviews on a rolling basis. Please include a cover letter stating why you are interested in a position, and a resume with at least three references and their contact information, all in a single file. For questions or additional information about the position please contact Sheila Whitmore (whitmore2@wisc.edu). Click here for more information about the position.

The UW-Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences is committed to maintaining and growing a culture that embraces diversity, inclusion, and equity, believing that these values are foundational elements of our excellence and fundamental components of a positive and enriching learning and working environment for all students, faculty, and staff.

Wildlife technicians (4)

Up to 4 wildlife technicians are needed to conduct surveys for California spotted owls in Tahoe National Forest. Positions will begin April 3 and end August 4, 2023, and technicians must commit to working through the entire period. Pay starts at $20.00 per hour depending upon experience. Housing will be provided. Wildlife technicians will conduct surveys for spotted owls, assess reproductive status, locate nest and roost trees, assist in the capture and deployment of GPS data loggers on owls, program and deploy Autonomous Recording Units (ARUs), care for equipment/lures, and record sightings of other animals encountered. Wildlife technicians will also record, transcribe, enter data into computer databases, and validate data that was collected in the field.

A typical workweek is 40 hours, and frequent camping is required. Schedules will be irregular. For example, owl work will be primarily nocturnal, but pre-dusk or post-dawn follow-up visits will be required. Work involving the placement and maintenance of ARUs will be diurnal. Technicians may be required to rotate between owl and ARU duties. Work will often require off-trail hiking in steep, forested terrain, during day or night. Technicians must be respectful of others as well as work and live together cooperatively.

Qualified technicians will have a bachelor’s degree in wildlife or related field, and/or have relevant experience conducting wildlife surveys, experience working in remote conditions, the ability to hike in a time efficient manner in steep terrain, and experience safely driving 4-wheel drive vehicles on backcountry roads.

Our results will be translated into recommendations to land management agencies responsible for maintaining viable spotted owl populations such as the US Forest Service.

The application deadline is 20 Jan, 2023, however we will review applicants and conduct interviews on a rolling basis. For questions or additional information about the position please contact Vince Berigan (wberigan@wisc.edu). Click here for more information about the position.

Staff

There are no staff positions available at this time.

Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW-Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background – people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world.

For more information on diversity and inclusion on campus, please visit: Diversity and Inclusion