Senior Fisheries Data Scientist – Salmon Survival, Migration, and Mark-Recapture Modeling

Lynker Corporation, a research-focused firm partnering with NOAA's Northwest Fisheries Science Center, seeks a Senior Fisheries Data Scientist to apply advanced statistical modeling to salmon survival and migration through rivers and hydropower systems. This contract role under the FLOAT joint venture emphasizes data analysis, model development, and collaborative research, with on-site work in Seattle and potential assignments at field stations in Washington or Oregon.

Responsibilities

• Provide statistical analysis to inform management decisions.
• Statistically analyze spatial and temporal variability in processes experienced by migrating salmon in river systems.
• Analyze survival and migration patterns through hydropower systems and across salmon life cycles.
• Analyze and generate relationships between fish responses, including density, growth, survival, and migration rate, and stressors such as environmental or ecological conditions, habitat metrics, and management actions.
• Develop novel probabilistic mathematical and simulation models representing unique and complex ecological and behavioral processes using modern statistical methods.
• Provide statistical support for other researchers during study design and analysis.
• Organize and curate ecological datasets relevant to mark-recapture modeling needs.
• Document and share reproducible research workflows and analytical protocols to support scientific transparency and peer collaboration.
• Publish reports and scientific papers, and present results at regional and national meetings and scientific conferences, as needed.
• Assist with field collection of fish and environmental data in freshwater, estuarine, and nearshore marine environments of the West Coast region, as needed.
• Support analysis products archived in accessible and organized formats, including final data and models shared through public scientific repositories or interactive research dashboards.
• Prepare written status reports and other ad hoc communications, as needed.

Requirements

• PhD degree from an accredited college or university with a major in statistics, mathematics, fisheries, ecology, or the natural sciences.
• Strong quantitative background with extensive coursework in statistics and probability.
• Ten or more years of experience related to the task order, including familiarity with the species and habitats managed by NOAA Fisheries in the West Coast region.
• Advanced degree in a related field may be substituted for two years, MS, or four years, PhD, of experience.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Experience writing reports and publishing peer-reviewed articles.
• Strong quantitative skills, including extensive experience in statistical modeling and data analysis.
• Extensive experience conducting analyses and coding in R.
• Experience with Stan and JAGS.
• Experience with open science concepts.
• Strong computational skills, including the ability to manipulate large environmental datasets within a command-line environment, such as Linux/shell scripting, to support statistical workflows.
• Familiarity interpreting or interfacing with C or C++ code within a scientific modeling context.
• Familiarity with common software including Google Suite and Microsoft Office.
• Ability to manage workload, stay organized, and produce high-quality work products efficiently.
• Ability to work both independently and on interdisciplinary teams.
• Valid driver’s license, maintained during the period of performance.

Technologies

• R
• Stan
• JAGS
• Linux
• Shell scripting
• C
• C++
• Google Suite
• Microsoft Office

Benefits

• Comprehensive healthcare for the employee at no monthly cost
• Healthcare benefit covers medical, prescription drug, dental, and vision
• Personal Time Off (PTO) Policy plus paid holidays
• Highly competitive compensation plan regularly calibrated against industry and location benchmarks
• 401(k) retirement plan with company-matching
• Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) for all employees
• Flexible spending accounts
• Employee assistance program (EAP)
• Short- and long-term disability insurance
• Life and accident insurance
• Tuition assistance/Training/Workforce improvement reimbursement per year
• Spot bonuses for exceptional performance
• Annual Employee Recognition Awards with bonuses
• Employee Referral Program
• Free centralized, self-directed Learning Management System to learn at your own pace
• Personalized career growth plans for every employee

Work Environment

• Work will be conducted on-site at the Northwest Fisheries Science Center in Seattle, WA, or at one of its associated field stations in WA or OR, or at a mutually agreed upon location.
• Part-time telework is authorized with a formal telework agreement between the Contractor and employee, subject to IT security requirements.
• The role may include assistance with field collection of fish and environmental data in freshwater, estuarine, and nearshore marine environments of the West Coast region, and may involve riding in vehicles and/or boats.
• Travel is anticipated and authorized for this task order and must be approved by the Contractor in coordination with the COR before travel occurs.
• Overtime is not anticipated and must be coordinated and authorized before being worked.
• Background investigations are required for all Contractor staff proposed for this project and must be cleared prior to beginning performance.
• Effective January 1, 2026, vendors and visitors must present REAL ID-compliant identification, or an acceptable alternative government-issued photo identification, to enter applicable DOC/NOAA facilities.

The ideal fisheries data scientist will have the following

• Knowledge and experience in Bayesian statistics and mark-recapture methods.