January 3, 2025

Job Opportunity: Grand Teton Wildlife Connectivity Modeling Postdoctoral Research Associate

The University of Montana invites applications for a Grand Teton Wildlife Connectivity Modeling Postdoctoral Research Associate. This two-year postdoctoral project will be conducted through the Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit (U.S. Geological Survey) at the University of Montana (UM) in close collaboration with the National Park Service (NPS), including project partners at Grand Teton National Park (GRTE), the NPS Biological Resources Division, and the NPS Greater Yellowstone Inventory and Monitoring Network. 

The importance of large, connected landscapes to achieving sustained ecological health is increasingly apparent. Habitat loss and fragmentation are often primary threats to species facing declines and extirpations nationally and globally. The effects of habitat loss and fragmentation are exacerbated by other threats such as climate change, invasive species, disease, and over harvest. As such, the NPS requires tools and approaches to ensure protection of biodiverse areas and to facilitate daily, seasonal, and life cycle movements of wildlife species both within and beyond park boundaries.

This project will develop tools and approaches to inform local level management (e.g., visitor use planning, transportation planning, construction activities, etc.) while also linking to broader conservation actions across the larger landscape. Grand Teton National Park will serve as our pilot NPS unit. The project will seek to produce foundational spatial products for GRTE along with a template for how this general approach can be implemented across NPS units. Specifically, the project will: 1) review methods and approaches for developing resource maps for GRTE, with a focus on areas of high biodiversity and ecological importance for connectivity; 2) delineate and compile appropriate data; 3) develop spatial models and assess model fit; and 4) develop workflows and documentation that support like product development for additional NPS units. Project products will be used to inform park planning and identify areas for cross-jurisdictional wildlife management and habitat conservation. 

Position is full-time, 1.0 FTE, Letter of Appointment (target start date between February and June 2025) and includes a comprehensive and competitive benefits package including insurance package, mandatory retirement plan, partial tuition waiver, and wellness program.

Salary for this position is $75,000 per year commensurate with qualifications.

The link to the application is here: Apply – Interfolio

The park’s point of contact for this position is Yvette Converse (Yvette_converse@nps.gov), Chief of Science and Resource Management at Grand Teton.