Missions

The research engineer will work within a research collective whose objective is the inventory and monitoring of the wildlife of the Montpellier metropolitan area, with a focus on the Lez and Or watersheds.
This initiative is part of several collaborations within the Big Picture (https://www.biodiversa.eu/2024/04/15/big_picture/) project of Biodiversa+, the Nachos project of the ANR, and LeptoNex (https://leptonex.netlify.app/) of ExposUM at the University of Montpellier.

The research engineer will participate in the development, implementation, and evaluation of methods for wildlife inventory and monitoring.
They will be involved in setting up protocols, data collection, processing, analysis, storage, and data management, as well as in the dissemination of the results.
They will also have the mission of leading the citizen science program Objectif Lez (https://objectif-lez.netlify.app/).

Activités

- Design, plan, and coordinate field monitoring protocols (deployment and maintenance of a camera-trap network, transects for collecting signs of presence, capture and tagging with GPS devices, etc.).
- Organize, clean, format, and manage the collected data, in collaboration with project partners and the OSU OREME (https://oreme.org/).
- Propose preliminary statistical analyses of the collected data.
- Implement automated procedures for data processing and standardization of results.
- Participate in project follow-up meetings and in interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary discussions for contextualizing and interpreting results.
- Write progress reports (in French).
- Contribute to updating the project websites.
- Contribute to scientific dissemination (publications, communications).
- Participate in science outreach activities (public presentations, stand animation), when applicable.

Compétences

Knowledge:
Animal ecology
Regulations concerning health and safety

Skills:
Set up and carry out animal population monitoring protocols using camera trapping (experience required)
Capture and handle animals (experience desired)
Manage databases
Analyse data using R software
Write scientific reports and technical notes
Present and communicate research results
Category B driving licence

Interpersonal skills:
Ability to work as part of a team in an interdisciplinary context
Ability to coordinate collective tasks
Ability to maintain relationships with non-academic partners
Ability to organize their work according to deadlines and scientific objectives
Scientific rigour and autonomy
Kindness

Contexte de travail

The recruited person will be hosted at the Centre for Functional and Evolutionary Ecology (CEFE) in Montpellier, within the Human–Animal Interactions team (https://human-animal-interactions.github.io/).
Their immediate supervisor will be Olivier Gimenez (https://oliviergimenez.github.io/).

The research engineer will work with several other team members, including Sarah Cubaynes (foxes), Raphaël Mathevet (wild boars), Simon Lacombe (otters), Nicolas Lescureux, Camille Mottier, and Camille Giacomel (coypus), from CEFE; Simon Chamaillé-Jammes (wild boars); and from the Laboratory of Biometry and Evolutionary Biology in Lyon, Sébastien Devillard (otters, polecats).
They will also interact frequently with Yann Raulet (City of Montpellier), Vincent Sablain (Lez River Basin Authority – EPTB du Lez), and Nathalie Vazzoler (Or River Basin Authority – EPTB de l'Or).

Contraintes et risques

Irregular working hours related to fieldwork.
Frequent travel.