Research Ecologist

Research Ecologist

Department: Other Agencies and Independent Organizations

Location(s): Edgewater, Maryland

Salary Range: $143913 - $187093 Per Year

Job Summary: The Smithsonian Institution (SI) is the world's largest museum, education, and research complex, with 21 museums and the National Zoo. This position is located at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) in Edgewater, Maryland. The Smithsonian Environmental Research Center is responsible for ecological and environmental research and education.

Major Duties:

• The Research Ecologist is responsible for designing, planning, and executing research activities to understand ecological phenomena in field and laboratory settings. In this position, you will: Conceive, plan, and implement a long-term research program in the broad area of Ecosystem Conservation in coordination with the other SERC research and education programs. Communication of ecosystem conservation research findings through the analysis and interpretation of experimental data, resulting in authorship and publication of the results in peer-reviewed regional and national journals, and presentation of results and findings at professional meetings and conferences. Conceive and develop innovative and competitive research proposals, consistent with SERC's and incumbent's research objectives, to internal and external sponsors which together support the incumbent's research efforts including funding budgets for supplies, travel, equipment, services, and personnel. Provide professional service to the field of research by: providing peer reviews of journal manuscripts, grant proposals; serving on external advisory and review committees and panels for governmental agencies, non-governmental organizations, and universities/colleges; editorial leadership; and leadership for professional associations.

Qualifications: Basic Qualification Requirements for Ecologist – GS-0408: Degree: biology, or a related field of science underlying ecological research that included at least 30 semester hours in basic and applied biological sciences. These hours must have included at least 9 semester hours in ecology, and 12 semester hours in physical and mathematical sciences. You must submit a copy of your unofficial college transcripts for verification to be considered. In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the specialized experience and/or education requirements listed below: GS-14 Experience: You qualify for this position if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-13 level in the Federal Service. For this position Specialized experience is defined as performing research on environmental factors in conservation and ecology focused on the movement and migration of marine fishes and decapod crustaceans as well as the fish and macro-invertebrates of Chesapeake Bay and other estuarine and nearshore marine ecosystems. Your resume must be no more than two (2) pages and should clearly demonstrate how your experience aligns with the responsibilities and specialized experience required for this position. Do not copy language directly from the vacancy announcement, as you will be deemed ineligible for consideration. Instead, provide detailed, descriptive information about your actual experience. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Part-time and/or unpaid experience related to this position will be considered to determine the total number of years and months of experience. Be sure to note the number of paid or unpaid hours worked each week. Special Instructions for Foreign Education: If you are qualifying by education and/or you have education completed in a foreign college/university described above, it is your responsibility to provide transcripts and proof of U.S. accreditation for foreign study. For instructions on where to fax these documents, see the "Required Documents" section of this announcement. Or a Combination: Education and experience may be combined to meet the basic qualifications; For a full explanation of this option please see the Qualification Standards. In an effort to streamline our hiring process, SI employees whose current position of record is in the same job series 0408 and who are in a Federal competitive service appointment as this advertised position, are not required to submit a transcript with your application package. However, if selected, you will be required to provide a copy of your transcript before your start date in the position. Time-in-Grade Requirements: Under competitive merit promotion procedures, any individual who is currently holding, or who has held within the previous 52 weeks, a General Schedule position under a non-temporary appointment in the competitive or excepted service, must meet "time-in-grade" requirements (have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade of the grade for which you are applying).

How to Apply: Click on the "Apply Online" button on the upper right side of the page. Please Note: You must apply for this position online through the 'Apply Online' button and submit required supplemental documents (if they are relevant to you). Your resume must be no more than two (2) pages. You may submit required documents by uploading them online during the application process. The complete application package, including any required documents, is due in the Smithsonian Office of Human Resources on the closing date of the announcement by 11:59 PM Eastern Time. If you are unable to apply online, paper applications may be accepted with prior approval of the Contact Person listed below.

Application Deadline: 2026-02-26