ACCS provides research opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students in the University of Alaska system. Volunteer opportunities are available through the UAA Herbarium and KBNERR. Additional opportunities and job openings will be posted here as available.
Open Positions
KBNERR System Wide Monitoring Program Technician
The Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (KBNERR), located in Homer, is hiring a System Wide Monitoring Program Lead Technician. The incumbent will manage and maintain KBNERR’s meteorological and water quality stations, and will be responsible for managing and interpreting long-term monitoring data. The ideal candidate is a collaborative worker, comfortable in remote field locations and well-versed in data management, statistical analysis, and scientific writing. The candidate must have experience conducting remote field work, maintaining technical scientific equipment, managing, analyzing, and summarizing large datasets (including QA/QC), strong technical writing and communication skills, and experience managing a budget.
This is a 1-year term position from April 2025 to April 2026. Applications are due on February 28, 2025. For more information or to apply, visit the System Wide Monitoring Program Technician job posting.
KBNERR Nearshore Fish Internship
In partnership with the NOAA-Alaska Regional Office and NOAA-Kasitsna Bay Labs, the Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (KBNERR) seeks a recent graduate or late-undergraduate student for an internship with KBNERR’s nearshore fish ecology program. This experience will increase the education and training on marine resource issues and provide hands-on training for technical marine science training. The intern will be exposed to many marine field-related tasks and build marine science skills. These include learning to use a small boat to beach seine to capture nearshore fish and increase understanding of nearshore fish communities in Alaska. Additionally, the intern will gain the ability to identify many important juvenile fish.
The internship will pay a monthly stipend of $2,500 per month with housing included (although not required). While the start date is somewhat flexible, we expect the internship to run for three months from mid-May to mid-August. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until March 15, 2025. We request a Curriculum Vitae, a cover letter, and 3 references. All inquiries and applications should be directed to Lauren Sutton, KBNERR Research Coordinator. Interested applicants can also consult the Nearshore Fish Internship position description.
Graduate Students
Sean Fitzgerald
Graduate Student | sfitzgerald2 (at) alaska.edu
Sean is a graduate student in the UAA Biological Sciences Program starting spring 2024. He became interested in Alaska because of its unique habitats and how pollinators there are able to survive and thrive in harsh conditions. His research focuses on pollinator biodiversity and abundance across different habitats in JBER.
Christopher Guo
Graduate Student | chguo (at) alaska.edu
Chris is a graduate student in the College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences at UAF. He had made his way to Homer, Alaska, where he quickly adopted its community and became enamored with the surrounding coastal environment. His research focuses on spatial and temporal patterns of estuarine fish assemblages and their relationship to habitat conditions. Chris is also an aquatic biologist at KBNERR within ACCS.
Emma Lipscomb
Graduate Student | eglipscomb (at) alaska.edu
Emma is a graduate student in the UAA Biological Sciences program. She was drawn to Alaska because of its unique flora and geomorphology, the majority of which is not found in any other part of the U.S. Her research focuses on permafrost, soils, and their relationship to plant communities in southcentral Alaska.
John McCormack
Graduate Student | jjmccormack2 (at) alaska.edu
John is a graduate student in the UAA Biological Sciences program. He has studied insect diversity and ecology in Virginia, Massachusetts, and Australia, and he’s developed a particular interest in pollinators. His research focuses on pollinator communities in Alaskan apple orchards and size variation in bumble bees.
Technicians and Undergraduate Students
Rhiannon Glover
Undergraduate Student | acglover (at) alaska.edu
Rhiannon is a student research technician that majors in Natural Sciences at the College of Arts and Sciences, at UAA. She was born and raised in Alaska and loves how close her work brings her to her own backyard. She works closely with researchers specializing in vegetation ecology, plant communities, and pollination ecology, and hopes to use this experience to further her own career in conservation biology.
Volunteer Opportunities
Opportunities exist for students looking for additional experience and interested members of the public to collaborate with Alaska Center for Conservation Science. Available opportunities depend on interest and experience. Additionally, student jobs are available for students looking to gain work experience in a conservation-related field. The UAA Herbarium (UAAH) is always looking for volunteers to assist with curation of specimens. Please contact Justin Fulkerson if you are interested in volunteering.
