[SEMCO] Job Advertisement

[Justin Potter]

*Project Assistant and Offshore Wind Liaison*



*Position Description*

Coonamessett Farm Foundation, Inc. (CFF) is a small non-profit organization
located in East Falmouth, MA that conducts and supports scientific research
and educational activities that promote sustainable fisheries operations,
local small-scale agriculture and aquaculture, and renewable energy
sources. CFF is at the forefront of developing state-of-the-art optical
survey methods for studying marine habitats. We are seeking a motivated
research project assistant to work on a multiyear project to evaluate the
impacts of offshore wind development on commercial fish species and benthic
habitats and communities. This individual will work closely with the
project lead principal investigator to manage all aspects of the project.
They will also work with all project principal investigators on all phases
of the research as needed, including technology development to prepare for
offshore research cruises and participating in data analysis. Additional
work responsibilities will include acting as CFF’s liaison with wind
companies and keeping CFF scientists up to date with the rapidly changing
status of offshore wind development. This position will be full time, and
salary will be commensurate with experience.



*Primary Project*

CFF was awarded a grant from the Department of Energy Office of Energy
Efficiency and Renewable Energy and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
to evaluate the impacts of offshore wind development on commercial fish
species and benthic habitats and communities using a suite of
state-of-the-art, non-lethal survey tools. During this project, we will be
conducting surveys using our towed off-bottom optical survey vehicle HabCam
v3, an open cod-end video trawl, and anchored and ropeless stationary
camera systems. In addition to conducting offshore surveys using multiple
gear types, we will be developing automated detection models for fish and
marine invertebrate species using the survey imagery to train deep learning
models.



*Primary Responsibilities*

·         Assist with managing all aspects of the offshore wind survey
project

·         Maintain regular contact with project stakeholders and attend
project meetings

·         Participate in project research trips (32 days-at-sea per year)

·         Maintain project research inventory and prepare supplies and
equipment for research trips

·         Assist with project database development and data analysis

·         Assist with project server planning and installation

·         Annotate and train automated detection models from imagery
collected during HabCam and stationary camera surveys

·         Copyedit project reports and manuscripts



*Additional Responsibilities*

·         Keep up with offshore wind information resources and research by
attending offshore wind meetings in person and virtually

·         Review government and private monitoring and research plans for
wind energy areas (WEAs)

·         Identify sampling strategies and sampling tools being used in
different WEAs

·         Identify data products from and data users for WEA fisheries and
geophysical surveys

·         Update CFF staff about emerging issues in offshore wind at weekly
team meetings



*Qualifications*

·         Bachelor’s or master’s degree in an appropriate discipline (e.g.,
marine science, environmental science, oceanography, or fisheries
management)

·         Highly organized and detail-oriented

·         Experience working at sea

·         Ability to manage a heavy workload and participate in four- to
eight-day research trips as needed

·         Excellent writing, communication, and interpersonal skills

·         Must be able to lift 50 lbs, bend, stretch, and stand for
extended periods of time



*Preferred Qualifications*

·         Interest in renewable energy and offshore wind development

·         Experience handling offshore survey or fishing gear

·         Interest in machine learning and artificial intelligence

·         Working knowledge of R, ArcGIS, and Microsoft Access



*Benefits*

CFF offers a competitive benefits package including company-sponsored
health and dental insurance, 401k retirement opportunity, and paid
vacation, sick, and holiday time.



*Application*

Please submit cover letter and CV to contact at cfarm.org
The proposed start date for this position is August 5, 2025



-- 
Justin Potter
Project Coordinator
*Coonamessett Farm Foundation *
Mailing: 277 Hatchville Road East Falmouth, MA 02536
Office Location: 233 Hatchville Road East Falmouth, MA 02536
508-356-3601
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