Curator, Macaulay Library - Lab Of Ornithology

Cornell University embraces diversity and seeks candidates who will contribute to a climate that supports students, faculty and staff of all identities and backgrounds. We strongly encourage individuals from underrepresented and/or marginalized identities to apply.

The Lab of Ornithology is seeking a Curator to join the Macaulay Library.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is a globally recognized leader in technology, data management, and large-scale citizen science supporting birds and biodiversity conservation. We curate more than a petabyte of digital assets, one billion bird sightings, and leverage innovative big data analysis tools and machine learning to produce web applications and services to empower a global community of bird and nature enthusiasts, researchers, conservationists, and educators. The Lab is in an incredible growth phase and navigating exciting challenges to scale our data-driven tools and services for conservation communities in all corners of the globe. eBird collaborates with hundreds of regional organizations in more than 80 countries who are using eBird, Merlin Bird ID, Birds of the World, and other resources as a platform to advance their conservation goals.

What You Will Do

The Curator the Macaulay Library manages a team that actively engages a global community in collecting, curating, and using the Macaulay Library and the Lab’s data repositories. This role will lead a team of 3-5 employees who serves a global community engaged with birds by making in-house ornithological datasets more accessible, improving data quality, and engaging experts and partners organizations worldwide in the process.

This individual will use expert-level knowledge of thousands of species of birds, deep understanding of birding and ornithological communities, geographic variation, animal behavior, and taxonomy on a day-to-day basis in their role and to guide the direction of Macaulay Library projects. The Curator will build collaborations with global experts to support the geographic expansion of Merlin Sound ID and related machine learning tools. This role will actively curate datasets used by machine learning research engineers to improve data quality by working with staff, external collaborators, contractors, volunteers, and partner organizations to reach this goal. This role will also work to improve data quality in the Macaulay Library and eBird by applying machine learning models to data quality challenges.

• Research Facilitation, Expeditions, and Training Activities: Design, implement, and conduct audiovisual field recording, media editing, data management, and recording analysis training programs and related educational resources. Facilitate collections-based research using the Macaulay Library archive, which includes serving as a point-of-contact for outside researchers developing their own media-based projects and participating in these projects. Coordinate and/or participate in collections-based research and expeditions, represent the Macaulay Library in research/academic contexts. Develop a strategy for how data from the archive will be used for research and conservation communities. Develop innovative techniques to advance use of the archive in conservation science applications.
• Fundraising: Initiate and/or substantially contribute to the identification, preparation and securing of grant proposals and other fundraising efforts in support of the Macaulay Library. This may include recruitment of corporate and institutional partnerships, in addition to foundations or government funding.
• Personnel Management: Lead, hire, supervise, and mentor a team of professional staff and contractors. Complete performance management, professional development, scheduling, and workflows.
• Project Management: Provide day-to-day functional leadership by overseeing projects and managing workflows, including setting priorities, coordinating individual and group activities and managing activities to meet project deadlines. Facilitate communication within and across teams to ensure that project goals/deadlines are met.
• Budgets, Contracts, and Reporting: Advise and assist senior administrative staff in the oversight of program budget and financial planning, and contracted services.
• Collections Management & Data Quality: Collaborate with the ornithological community to build the archive and acquire data needed to train machine learning models and expand the geographic scope of Merlin Sound ID models with a focus on South America. Be a steward of data quality of the Macaulay Library/eBird archive, by utilizing skills in data management, knowledge of the birding/ornithological community. In collaboration with machine learning research engineers, prepare, manage, and facilitate access to machine learning datasets, including annotated audio, image, and video datasets. Utilize expert-level bird expertise and specialized knowledge of sound recording to design, implement, build a global network of media contributors and partnerships. Represent the Macaulay Library, eBird, and Cornell Lab of Ornithology at international and regional scales. Utilize expert-level knowledge of taxonomy, avian identification, biogeography, and animal behavior to address issues of data quality within the ML archive and eBird enterprise.
• Collections Development and Strategic Partnership Development: Lead and supervise a team to work collaboratively to define strategic plans and projects to increase the rate of media submission and data quality. Facilitate communication, coordination and high-level collaboration with research groups, institutions, biological collections, and media archives around the world, particularly with respect to development of biodiversity audiovisual collections. Perform analyses to gain a detailed understanding of what gaps exist in the archive and use growth trends to help guide action towards filling those gaps. Collaborate with Technical Project Managers and Software Engineers to develop, test, and release software-based tools for the community. Develop basic requirements and recommendations for new and existing functionality that supports the management of the data in the Macaulay Library.

This position is located at the Lab of Ornithology in Ithaca, NY. Hybrid work schedule opportunity available.

What We Need From You

• Advanced sound recording, photography and/or videography field experience.
• High level of proficiency with common computer skills including word, powerpoint, email, and excel.
• Ability to travel to remote field locations when necessary.
• High level of proficiency editing media using specialized software, such as Adobe Audition and Photoshop.
• 3+ year’s experience or equivalent managing large scientific datasets.
• Bachelor’s degree in biology, ecology, evolutionary biology, information science, or related field.
• Strong interpersonal skills to develop trust with external collaborators and encourage participation in projects.
• Ability to prioritize activities and exercise sound judgement in discussions with external collaborators.
• Expert-level identification skills and experience watching birds and/or working on projects to advance birdwatching and bird conservation.
• Deep understanding of the birding community and ornithological research community.
• Strong communication skills (written and oral) to clearly articulate vision and plans, and provide instruction effectively to all levels of management, staff, new partners, funding agencies, project participants, and visitors.
• Project management are essential to coordinate multiple groups working towards the same deliverable and timeline.
• Expert-level knowledge of birds, including identification, taxonomy and evolutionary relationships and/or working on projects to advance birding and bird conservation.
• 3+ years of experience with SQL, python, GIS, and/or R data analysis tools.
• Provide high level of initiative to anticipate needs of the project and fulfill project objectives with very minimal guidance.
• Experience in and/or demonstrated commitment to supporting diversity, equity, access, inclusion, and wellbeing.
• Must have ability to obtain and maintain a valid passport and driver’s license.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with all levels of management and staff internally and externally.
• 5+ years of experience or equivalent experience with a combination of: curating biological research collections, using audiovisual media for scholarly activities, large-scale digital asset management initiatives, and/or biodiversity informatics data management projects and initiatives.
• Demonstrated skill in understanding of cultural differences.

The following experience is helpful in this role, although not required:

• Fluency in Spanish to facilitate work in Latin America.
• Ph.D. in ornithology or related field with at least 2 years of postdoctoral experience.
• At least five years of experience using eBird, Macaulay Library, and other Lab resources.
• Experience working in museum collections.

As a university founded to be a place where “…any person can find instruction in any study,” diversity and inclusion are at the core of our values and mission. We strive to be a welcoming, caring, healthy, and equitable community where students, faculty, and staff with different backgrounds, perspectives, abilities, and experiences can learn, innovate, and work in an environment of respect, and feel empowered to engage in any community conversation. As a member of the Cornell University community, it is important to recognize our shared responsibility to each other to cultivate a culture of inclusion for all. Cornell Core values

Cornell Benefits

Cornell provides great benefits that include educational benefits, access to a plethora of wellness programs, employee discounts with local and national retail brands, health care options to choose from, generous paid leave provisions: 3 weeks of vacation leave, health and personal leave, 13 paid holidays (including end of year winter break through New Year’s Day), educational benefits, and superior retirement contributions. More on Cornell Benefits

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Visa Sponsorship is not available for this position.

How To Apply

Please use our online application process through Workday to submit your cover letter and resume. When writing your cover letter, please expand upon how your work experience and background would give us greater insight into how you would be successful in this role.

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Cornell University is an innovative Ivy League university and a great place to work. Our inclusive community of scholars, students, and staff impart an uncommon sense of larger purpose and contribute creative ideas to further the university’s mission of teaching, discovery, and engagement.

Diversity and Inclusion are a part of Cornell University’s heritage. We are a recognized employer and educator valuing AA/EEO, Protected Veterans, and Individuals with Disabilities. We also recognize a lawful preference in employment practices for Native Americans living on or near Indian reservations.

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University Job Title

Extension Supp Spec III

Job Family

Academic Support

Level

G

Pay Rate Type

Salary

Pay Range

$73,931.00 - $90,361.00

Remote Option Availability

Hybrid Remote

Company

Contract College

Contact Name

Denise Smith

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Diversity and Inclusion are a part of Cornell University’s heritage. We are a recognized employer and educator valuing AA/EEO, Protected Veterans and Individuals with Disabilities. We also recognize a lawful preference in employment practices for Native Americans living on or near Indian reservations. Cornell University is an innovative Ivy League university and a great place to work. Our inclusive community of scholars, students, and staff impart an uncommon sense of larger purpose, and contribute creative ideas to further the university's mission of teaching, discovery, and engagement.

2023-06-01