Postdoc, UC Santa Cruz
The hiring unit will not sponsor employment-eligible immigration statuses for this position. The
applicant needs to be a US citizen or a legal permanent resident.
The Fisheries Collaborative Program (fisheries.ucsc.edu) in the Institute of Marine Sciences, invites
applications for the position of Postdoctoral Scholar, under the direction of Dr. Juan Zwolinski. The
selected candidate will collaborate with Dr. Kevin Stierhoff and colleagues in NOAA’s advanced survey
technologies group.
Based at the La Jolla laboratory, the postdoctoral scholar will to perform a comprehensive review of the
target strength (TS) equations used to estimate the biomasses of CPS using acoustic-trawl Surveys in the
California Current. The first goal of this review is to derive equations of TS vs lengths based on in situ
acoustic measurements and assess the merits for their implementation. For species without sufficient in
situ TS measurements, the revision will be bibliographical. This project will support the expanded use of
active acoustic data for ecosystem-based fisheries science and management.
The objectives for this position are to obtain:
- A data catalog of Echoview files and accompanying trawl data to extract species-
validated, single-target detections. This catalog should span the entire duration of the
ATM survey effort.
- Robust multi-frequency single-target detection algorithms.
- An analysis of TS dependence on species, length, depth, and other potential
environmental effects. - A literature review of TS-to-length equations for species having insufficient in situ TS
measurements. - Revised TS-to-length equations for Pacific Sardine, Pacific Mackerel, and Northern
Anchovy, - Jack Mackerel (Trachurus symmetricus), and Pacific Herring (Clupea palasii).
Applicants with expertise in any of the following areas are strongly encouraged to apply:
- Demonstrated knowledge of Experience with, knowledge of, or willingness to learn the
principles and theories of fisheries acoustics, echosounder data analysis, and echo
classification - Demonstrable experience with computational modeling and data analysis methods
- Competent working with diverse teams in-person and remotely across multiple time
zones - Excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Proficiency in software languages, e.g. Python, R
- Google Cloud Platform (GCP) experience
- Demonstrable record of scientific publishing and oral presentation
SALARY
Commensurate with qualifications and experience. Minimum annual salary rates are made based on the
individual’s Experience Level, which is determined by the number of months of postdoctoral service at
any institution. See current salary scale for Postdoctoral Titles at
https://apo.ucsc.edu/compensation/salary-scales/index.html
- Posted: December 18, 2025
- Job Type: Post-doc
- Application deadline: 01/15/2026
- Qualifications: Ph.D. (or equivalent foreign degree) in the field of fisheries biology/management, natural resources management, data science, or other related field of study at the time of initial appointment.
- How to apply: To apply please contact Dr. Juan Zwolinski jzwolins@ucsc.edu Documents/Materials ▪ Letter of application that briefly summarizes your qualifications and interest in the position (required) ▪ Curriculum vitae (required) ▪ List of publications (required) Reference Requirement Applicants must provide the names and contact information of their references (a minimum of 3 are required and a maximum of 5 will be accepted).
- Location: Santa Cruz, CA
- Web address: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dJ0FORS8MmlUy2cHPq3f3Os2xaQBT_a9/view
Contact Information
Juan Zwolinski
jzwolins@ucsc.edu