Founded in 1987 by the late David Packard, MBARI is a nonprofit oceanographic research center advancing marine science and engineering to understand our changing ocean. Located in Moss Landing, California, the heart of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, MBARI offers ready access to the open ocean and deep sea. Ongoing research programs range across autonomous and remotely operated underwater vehicle systems, control technologies, ocean physics, chemistry, geology, biology, ocean instrumentation, and information management. MBARI hosts approximately 200 employees, with shore facilities that include state-of-the-art science and engineering laboratories, manufacturing and electrical fabrication shops, and dock facilities for MBARI vessels.

MBARI is seeking a Place-Based Management Data Specialist for the Central and Northern California Ocean Observing System (CeNCOOS). This is a 5-year grant funded position. CeNCOOS is a Regional Association of the US Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS®) and works to address societal challenges to realize a safe, healthy and prosperous California coastal ocean powered by information solutions. IOOS and its regions, including CeNCOOS, are intensifying efforts to foster resilience to ocean hazards, climate change and enhancing equitable service delivery. This is backed by a $100M investment in infrastructure and system modernization to support delivery of data and information services. This work is also supported by the Synchro program, a co-design lab for synchronizing technology evolution for industry, ocean science and conservation. Synchro has established a tech testbed accelerating progress to implement new tools effectively.

In close collaboration with the CeNCOOS Director, Deputy Director, and diverse regional and national teams, the role will support the integration and processing of data and information, evaluating new and emerging technologies, and incorporating established data streams new to CeNCOOS. Focus areas include biology and ecosystems data, such as passive acoustic monitoring of ocean sounds from marine life and anthropogenic sources, occurrences of marine life identified from eDNA, and imaging of marine life and habitats. This includes cross-comparisons to validate technological advancements and integrate data for place-based management applications.

This role supports data handling work that feeds into Condition Reports (CRs) for National Marine Sanctuaries, Integrated Ecosystem Assessments (IEAs) for the California Current Large Marine Ecosystem (CCE LME), informs the evolving offshore wind industry development for the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), and addressing tribe Nations’ and state government needs. Accessible integrated information aims to reach frontline, overburdened, and underserved communities. This involves coordination with several initiatives to harmonize best practices including the CeNCOOS DMAC Sub-system lead Axiom Data Science, as well as the Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (MBON), the Ocean Biomolecular Observing Network (OBON), the Animal Telemetry Network (ATN), Ocean Vision AI (OVAI), the Synchro tech testbed initiative (Synchro), and the nascent Ocean Sound Observing Network.

Primary responsibilities:

• Integrate biological and ecosystem data for cross-comparisons, technical evaluations, and onward use in ecological change assessments;
• Develop and implement data products and services driven through engagement with interested parties;
• Work with data providers to find, standardize, and improve access to new and historical data for integration and onward (re)use, following FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable) and CARE (collective benefit, authority to control, responsibility, and ethics) principles;
• Develop capabilities to present, visualize or process CeNCOOS data holdings, which include physical, biogeochemical, biology and ecosystem data;
• Maintain knowledge of information product development and maintenance practices, including software development skills such as Python, Matlab, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and emerging tools;
• Assist in data management activities among CeNCOOS and Synchro partners (e.g. via regular conference calls and standards reviews);
• Help facilitate DMAC-related engagement with data providers, as well as information users (e.g. tracking feedback, response and actions);
• Streamline the production of analytics to underpin data syntheses and condition reports on the status and trends, such as for California marine protected areas, Integrated Ecosystem Assessments, and National Marine Sanctuary assessments;
• Make data available through machine readable formats through data services for automated onward use;
• Contribute to the dissemination and Synchro technology evaluations, and CeNCOOS, IOOS products and tools, including maintaining Internet-based education and outreach materials or data access training tutorials to improve data accessibility.

Required qualifications:

• Master of Science degree or similar experience in marine science or related fields.
• Experience working with ocean data, multidisciplinary, spatial and/or temporal data analysis
• Programming skills in one or more of Python, R Studio (including Shiny), JavaScript and Matlab.
• Must be able to work independently and productively with minimum supervision and able to manage multiple tasks.
• Desire to learn new skills as part of a team.
• Team player with excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Must be service-oriented, flexible, and enjoy working with a variety of staff.

Desired qualifications:

• Skills that enable the integration of data through forming and applying best practices, which then make data findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable (FAIR).
• As CeNCOOS enhances equitable service delivery activity, this work will also benefit from understanding of CARE data principles (Collective Benefit, Authority to Control, Responsibility, Ethics).