These biology jobs and internships are paid opportunities that also typically compensate participants with some combination of housing, food, and travel stipends. They are mostly field-based, do not involve an individual research project, and are a great way to gain experience in field work and data collection. They are listed in chronological order by posting date.
Fall 2025
9/8 – Ecology Research Technician – MD
Research Technician
Annual salary: $46,148
Anticipated state date: Nov 2025
Appointment term: 6 months
Job Description: The Global Change Ecology and Biogeochemistry Labs at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) are seeking two technicians to support research on coastal ecosystem responses to global change. These are 6-month, full-time positions that will begin in Nov 2025. We seek motivated people interested in working in a multidisciplinary research team. The primary task is to recover, sort, and process roots and rhizomes from soil samples collected in our long-term wetland experiments. Secondary tasks include: collecting and analyzing environmental samples of water, soil, gas, and plants; lab equipment operation; and curating data. The technicians will collaborate on multiple long-term experiments at SERC’s Global Change Research Wetland and the COMPASS project. Applicants must be independent, detail-oriented, organized, and able to contribute to several related but distinct projects at once. In addition, applicants must at times be able to lift heavy equipment (up to50 pounds), work outside in challenging environmental conditions, and stand for many hours to process samples. Ideal qualifications include experience working in field and laboratory settings.
How to Apply: Send a 1-page cover letter describing your relative experience and qualifications, a current resume, and contact information for three references to Alice Stearns (stearnsa@si.edu) by 24 Sep 2025.
About SERC: SERC is a research center of the Smithsonian Institution, located in Edgewater, MD, about 10 miles south of Annapolis, 40 miles west of Washington DC, and 40 miles south of Baltimore. The 2,654-acre campus includes labs, offices, an education center, docks, and boats. Technicians willbe hired as Trust employees (not federal employees), entitling them to health, vision, dental, and other benefits. Trust Fund positions are unique to the Smithsonian. They are paid for from a variety of sources, including the Smithsonian endowment, revenue from our business activities, donations, grants and contracts. Trust employees are not part of the civil service, nor does trust fund employment lead to Federal status. Starting salaries can consider previous experience.
9/8 – Wildlife Ecology technician position – NY
Position: Wildlife Ecology Technician (seasonal)
Black Rock Forest (BRF; www.blackrockforest.org) is a small non-profit organization with programs in environmental research, education, and conservation. The organization’s facilities, including offices, labs, classrooms, and a lodge, are located in the 3,920-acre Forest of the same name in Cornwall, NY. BRF has 10 full-time staff and functions largely as a biological field station.
Position Summary: Join our research staff this winter to help us execute our research programs in wildlife ecology. Our winter wildlife ecology efforts focus on the movement and behaviors of bobcat (Lynx rufus) and fisher (Pekania pennanti) and mammal surveys via camera traps. We strive for conservation application in our research, including working toward a better estimate of regional landscape connectivity and mechanisms for creating more permeable roads for wildlife.
Responsibilities & Opportunities: The technician will experience a small non-profit and will execute scientific principles for conservation. Winter duties include camera trap deployments, lure and bait processing, image management, and identification of species within images. Live-trapping efforts will focus on bobcat and fisher, requiring daily, morning checks often solo with a BRF vehicle. GPS-tracking collars will be deployed on healthy individuals, thus with some luck, the technician can expect to learn field biotelemetry methods to re-locate collared individuals. The technician will also enter data and maintain gear and supplies. Applicants who enjoy working in R are highly encouraged to apply. Additional research opportunities and experiences will be available via other ongoing projects at Black Rock Forest.
Qualifications:
A top candidate will:
- have an enthusiasm for field ecology, particularly in typical winter conditions,
- be willing to learn new ideas, strategies, and methods for conducting ecology research,
- be self-motivated, reliable, and punctual,
- enjoy hiking, working alone, navigating difficult terrain, and troubleshooting,
- have previous experience capturing and handling carnivores,
- have knowledge of local wildlife,
- possess a valid driver’s license and dependable personal transportation,
- be comfortable navigating forest roads via a utv or willing to become so,
- show attention to detail, particularly for data management, and
- be an effective communicator, both within the research team and the public, including a willingness to seek clarity when needed.
Timeline & Compensation: This is a full-time, 6-month, seasonal position, starting November 2025 through April/May 2026, with the possibility of an extension, funding dependent. Exact start/end dates are flexible. This is an hourly position, with 40-hour work weeks and weekend work expected. We offer $18 per hour with subsidized housing available.
Additional Information & How to Apply: At BRF we value diversity, in our ecosystems and in our organization. We are committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in our workplace and in our science, education, and conservation. We strongly encourage applications from underrepresented group members as we seek to diversify and strengthen our organization, science, and society.
Deadline to Apply: end of day 15 September 2025. To apply, visit https://www.blackrockforest.org/work_with_us.
Email Dr. Scott LaPoint (slapoint@blackrockforest.org) with any questions.
2/22 – NEON (National Ecological Observatory Network)
The National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) is a continental-scale observation facility funded by the National Science Foundation and operated by Battelle. The NEON program is designed to collect long-term, open access ecological data to better understand how U.S. ecosystems are changing, from freshwater systems such as streams, rivers, and lakes to terrestrial systems spanning tropical forests to deserts to tundra. We depend on our people to collect observational data and samples, to monitor automated instrumented systems that collect terrestrial and aquatic data, and to operate our airborne observation platform that captures remote sensing data of regional landscapes and vegetation.
Within NEON, we have several different job opportunities that range from temporary to full-time positions.
You can reach out to Bryce Duchesne, Duchesne@Battelle.org, with any questions!
Winter/Spring 2026
9/12 – Avian Agro-ecology Field Technician – CA
We are seeking 1-2 seasonal field technicians from mid-March through June 2026, with possible extension of work until July, to assist PhD student Karen Gallardo Cruz within the Karp Lab at UC Davis on a study examining the effects of tractor noise on barn owls in vineyards. Specifically, our project will explore how farm noise affects the behavior of barn owls and their rodent prey in vineyards. We will experimentally play tractor noise and track its effects on rodent boldness/abundance as well as on owl hunting in vineyards. We will also test an ‘audio lure’ that farmers may use to concentrate owl hunting in problem areas. This project is a collaboration between UC Davis (Karen Gallardo Cruz, Prof. Daniel Karp, Prof. Gail Patricelli), Cal Poly Humboldt (Prof. Matthew Johnson), and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (Prof. Clinton Francis). For a full job add, click here (also attached).
Duration: mid-March 2026 through mid-June 2026, with a possible 2-week extension of work until July 2026.
Wage: Approximately $20-$23 per hour depending on prior experience. This is a full-time (40 hours per week), limited-term appointment through the University of California, Davis. Housing will be provided, and the successful applicant will be expected to relocate to the study region for the duration of the appointment.
To apply: Email to Karen Gallardo Cruz (kgallardo@ucdavis.edu) a single document (PDF preferred) with the subject line “Avian agroecology technician” including:
- (1) a cover letter describing previous research experience (ideally with birds), interest in this position, description of how you meet the qualifications, and, briefly, why this position fits into your career goals;
- (2) a resume or CV;
- (3) contact information for two references
Closing date: First review date will be October 15th. Applications afterward will be considered thereafter on a rolling basis until the position is filled.
9/8 – Field research assistant positions with the Mara Hyena Project – Kenya
Spend a year collecting behavioral and ecological data on spotted hyenas in the Maasai Mara, Kenya!
The Mara Hyena Project is looking for research assistants to contribute to our work on the behavior and ecology of spotted hyenas in the Maasai Mara National Reserve in southwestern Kenya. We are hiring 2-4 people: 1-2 to work from January-December 2026 and 1-2 to work from July 2026 – June 2027. Application deadline is September 15th—see this form for more details and instructions on how to apply.