Job Description DRAFT

 Ecological Research Analyst

For those who enjoy the comfort of working from their own home in front of their computer equally as much as their curiosity for the world of nature – you may find them in careers like an ecological research analyst or something to the same effect. In this memo, I will recap the daily responsibilities and expectations I had as I worked as a research analyst for a study on urban ecology in New York City.

An ecological research analyst is a person who performs daily field research and data collection, ecological impact analysis and promotes environmental awareness throughout urban communities. Unlike a typical analyst role which is based almost exclusively on a computer, this job requires physical efforts to collect live samples from natural environments and wild animals – in addition to the computational analysis performed via computer processing. We spent half of the work day in the field, more specifically the marshes of the Hudson River, collecting samples of the water, soil, live organisms, plant matter, and other organic materials. Also, we were tasked with setting up test sights for specific scientific projects – such as an oyster baby (“spat”) castle that would serve as a nursery for the duration of the experiment. The latter half of the day was typically spent on our computers, using computing programming languages, like R and Excel, to organize our collected data and analyze the results to create measurable predictions. After the bulk of the research and analysis was completed by the end of the internship, the daily responsibilities shifted towards finalizing our findings in ways that would be both understandable and beneficial to the general public. 

There are three descriptions that can summarize the job description of an ecological research analyst: 

• Scientist

• Investigator

• Activist

I will explain this using examples of my daily responsibilities.

Scientist

The work of a scientist occurs in these ways:

• Designing and implementing research experiments in natural environments

• Collecting data samples

• Maintaining routine upkeep of ongoing experiments

For example, during my 2021 summer internship, I was a part of a team of researchers who were focusing on improving the water quality of the Hudson River after years of factory-made pollution, using the water-filtering power of oysters. One of the experiments that my colleagues and I designed using concrete bricks to create a “castle” that oyster spat could latch onto if they were to be manually placed in different areas of the Hudson River. As analysts, we implemented the experiment by building these castles in different locations along the river. As the weeks went on we visited these test sites to collect data samples on the surrounding water quality, the number of live oysters attached to the castles, the species/size of the oysters, the soil quality, and other organic materials. While collecting these samples from week to week, we would also be responsible for assessing the damages that occurred to any of the test sites and making improvements where necessary. This included things like replacing weathered concrete bricks, removing garbage, installing anti-raccoon cages, and putting up signs to warn the public of the test site. 

Investigator

In this role, the ecological research analyst acts as a detective. We accomplished this by doing three things

• Organizing data findings into understandable and categorized datasets for quick reference and to be shared amongst the scientific community

• Conducting data analysis and finding comparable ratios from the collected data

• Transforming the data analysis into visual charts, tables, and graphs for public distribution

This is the more traditional role of an analyst that comprises mostly computer programming and simple data entry. In the lab I worked for, we worked primarily on Excel and R – therefore the data entry was reported on Excel sheets, while the ratios, graphs, tables, and other computations were computed using R. This work was conducted entirely remotely and required the collaboration of multiple labs across New York City. In addition, there was an analysis conducted to compare the data collected to data collected from several years prior. A few examples of the important findings that were discovered from computer programming were the different pollution levels of the Hudson River at different locations, oyster hotspots, oyster weak spots, and the overall efficacy of water quality improvements after installing the oyster castles. 

Activist

The last role of an ecological research analyst is not unlike that of an environmental activist.

• Creating posters, campaigns, and infographics for public dispersion

• Attending environmental seminars

• Advocating for environmental change in public settings using findings from research

This is a less technical part of the job, but no less important.  After finalizing the data analysis, we were required to design posters, brochures, presentations, flyers, social media posts, campaigns, and infographics to communicate our research findings to the general public. Considering that the data depicted complex ecological concepts, the activist role of the job has the important responsibility of translating this information that is understandable to all people. In addition, my colleagues and I were assigned to attend local environmental seminars across New York City to advertise and educate people on our research findings, which could be a stepping stone for greater research.  Lastly, we were asked to distribute handouts and flyers at local schools, parks, museums, and events to raise awareness about the deteriorating health of the Hudson River and the organisms that live within it. Our employers hoped that our research findings would educate the public on natural ways to improve the water quality of the river as well as the detrimental effects of the local sewage companies on the natural environment. If our activist work was effective then people should be spending more time improving their rivers.