Postdoctoral Fellow for Addressing Illegal Fishing

About the organisation

The Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions (COS) catalyzes research, innovation, and action to improve the health of the oceans for the people who depend on them the most. A part of the Woods Institute for the Environment at the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability, COS capitalizes on Stanford’s broad expertise in ocean science and in the many other disciplines crucial to developing ocean solutions including engineering, computer science, political science, design, and business. Our core team of researchers and fellows partner with other research institutions, national and international non governmental organizations, businesses and governments, as well as established and emerging leaders in the data revolution.

About the role

Research Context

Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing undermines livelihoods, causes significant economic losses and jeopardizes food security. Access to Automatic Identification System (AIS) data has been powerful for understanding when, where, and who is fishing on the high seas. However, most industrial and artisanal fishing vessels operating within a country’s EEZ use Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS) to record their identity and geolocations, data which are owned by individual governments. Effectively enforcing regulations intended to reduce IUU fishing must account for the full range of industrial and artisanal fleets. Chile has been a leader in fisheries transparency, creating an unprecedented opportunity to understand these dynamics. Using government data on the VMS fleet and artisanal fisheries landings and enforcement data, we will work with key actors to identify where potential IUU fishing risks across fleets in Chile are greatest, key risk drivers, and what kinds of approaches may be most effective and resource efficient for enforcement. Throughout our project, we will co-design research with the Instituto Milenio en Socio-Ecología Costera (SECOS), a research center of excellence in Chile, and The National Fisheries and Aquaculture Service (Servicio Nacional de Pesca y Acuicultura – SERNAPESCA), the national enforcement agency, to ensure our findings can inform their governance and compliance approaches.

Position Summary

We are seeking a 18-month, full-time, Postdoctoral Fellow who is interested in research and stakeholder engagement, particularly with civil society government to inform policy. This position is particularly suited to early career scholars with a strong interest in fisheries management, climate change, sustainability science, and policy. The Postdoctoral Fellow will be mentored by Fio Micheli, co-director of the Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions. The Fellow will lead analyses, coordinate and collaborate on work with researchers at Stanford University and SECOS. Collectively, the research team will compile risk driver datasets and collate environmental and life history data to model species distributions under climate change for key target species.

The Fellow will also engage with external policy partners and stakeholders at the national and regional scales to ensure that project activities are as relevant as possible for active policy processes, engaging directly in such processes when appropriate.

Key responsibilities

• Conduct relevant research and analyses on fishing vessel activities and landing for industrial and artisanal fleets in Chile to inform the development of a proactive tool to guide more effective enforcement
• Coordinate project activities amongst COS Research Team and liaise with external project partners
• Collaborate with a range of partners, including the academic and management partners in Chile, to identify potential management or policy measures to support effective management of fisheries resources

Requirements

Fellowship applicants should have:

• Received a Ph.D. in relevant field with expertise in fisheries resource management and governance, including but not limited to: economics, supply chain dynamics, climate change, and natural resources policy
• Exemplary written and verbal communication skills
• Fluency in English and Spanish
• Strong quantitative skills, including proficiency in R, Python, or similar software
• Demonstrated experience in resource management, ideally in Chile or South America
• Strong academic credentials and demonstrated research leadership
• Excellent interpersonal and teamwork skills, and a collaborative spirit
• Sound judgment and exceptional ethical standards in serving as a trusted source for evidence based analysis and policy engagement
• Direct experience in project management and execution; including task management and collaborative engagement with partners distributed across the globe, as well as the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously
• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, self-motivation, and aptitude for working with diverse partners and policy stakeholders on rapidly evolving processes
• A commitment to promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion within the workplace and a track record of community engagement and service

Salary and benefits

This position is for an eighteen-month fixed term, with the potential to extend based on funding availability. This position will require in-person presence on the Stanford campus for meetings with the research team as well as other COS staff and partners. Hybrid work arrangements may be negotiable based on circumstances. Salary is based on a formula that is competitive with similar positions, and Stanford provides a generous benefits package.

Start date

Applicants must be available to start no later than October 2024.

How to apply

Applicants should submit a CV, a writing sample, contact information for three references, and a cover letter summarizing their interest in the position and relevant experience to applywithcos@stanford.edu with the subject line “Postdoc App: Addressing Illegal Fishing.” Applications should be submitted as soon as possible and will be considered on a rolling basis until the
position is filled.