Job Listings

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) is currently searching for an Risk Managmenet Coordinator to join the Administrative Department. This is a regular, full-time, exempt position, and is eligible for full benefits.   This position is responsible for day-to-day risk management activities and coordination and management of the Institution’s insurance program and commercial and federal reporting requirements.  Provides administrative support and coordination of legal activities for insurance matters, including review and payment of invoices.  Role is hybrid, 3 days per week on-site. 

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is currently searching for a Postdoctoral Investigator to join the Physical Oceanography Department. This is a full-time, exempt position, and is for benefits. The initial appointment will be for one year with the possibility of a one-year extension.     Postdoctoral position in ocean salinity and the water cycle at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.   The institution has a top-rated postdoctoral program (www.whoi.edu/postdoctoral/) that supports a dynamic postdoctoral community with formal mentoring and career guidance programs. While the primary focus of the work will be in research, the Postdoctoral Investigator will have the opportunity to participate in educational and outreach activities associated with the project.   Online application forms should be submitted with a cover letter, complete curriculum vitae, and three letters of recommendation. Applications will be reviewed upon submission.

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is currently searching for an Accounts Payable/Procurement Systems Coordinator to join the Finance & Accounting Department. This opportunity will report to the Procurement Manager and is responsible for vendor data management, 1099 filing, ERP reporting and managing related month-end close activities. Documents business processes, conducts training of end-users, and assists others with resolving ERP business processes. This is a regular, full-time, non-exempt position, and is eligible for full benefits. This position is a hybrid position.

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) is looking for a Senior Administrative Assistant to join the Administration Department reporting to the Executive Assistant to the President and Director. As a team member, interacts effectively with a diverse population to achieve both short and long term goals. This is a regular, full-time, non-exempt position, and is eligible for benefits.   This position has direct responsibility for day-to-day high-level administrative support to the President & Director and others assigned. The incumbent is responsible for a wide range of day-to-day organizational and operational support to the President & Director and others as assigned. This is a highly visible position responsible for confidential tasks, often necessitating handling of sensitive information. The position requires a broad range of skills and the ability to exercise high degree of judgement, initiative, discretion, and independence.   The internal working title for this position could be either Senior Administrative Assistant I or Senior Administrative Assistant II.  The level of the position will be determined and commensurate with the selected candidate's level of education & experience. 

The Ocean Bottom Seismic Instrument Center (OBSIC) (https://obsic.whoi.edu) at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution seeks to hire a full-time, junior electronics engineer (Engineer I or Engineer II). Exceptional candidates may be considered at the Research Engineer level. OBSIC provides Ocean Bottom Seismographs (OBS), and the technical support to operate them, to the academic research community. You will join a group committed to advancing the performance and reliability of OBS in order to support discovery of the earth’s internal structure and its dynamic processes such as earthquake faulting and volcanism. Advances in datalogger performance, autonomous timing, acoustic and optical telemetry, and the availability of new low-power, low-noise seismic sensors provide the opportunity to design a new generation of OBS with greater capability and longer recording durations. Under the supervision of senior OBSIC staff, participate in the design, maintenance, and operation of Ocean-Bottom Seismographs (OBS) and related support equipment. Assist in mobilizing/demobilizing sea-going seismic experiments.  Participate in sea-going experiments. This is a regular, full-time, exempt position and is eligible for benefits. The internal working title for this position could be either Engineer I, Engineer II, or Research Engineer. The final level of the position will be determined commensurate with the selected candidate's level of education & experience. 

The National Ocean Sciences Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (NOSAMS) facility at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) is seeking a Research Associate or Research Specialist for the maintenance, development, and operation of two 14C Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) systems. The first AMS system is based upon a 500 kV Pelletron accelerator and incorporates both a conventional graphite sputter source and a unique, gas-accepting, microwave ion source. The second AMS system is a Mini Carbon Dating System (MiCaDaS) from Ionplus AG that was installed in 2022. The MiCaDaS system comes with several sample-to-gas-to ion source interfaces to allow enhanced NOSAMS capabilities and unique research directions.   The level of appointment and supervision will depend on the candidate’s relevant prior experience. The candidate will work within the NOSAMS team to provide high quality 14C measurements and expertise to the ocean science community, and to enhance NOSAMS capabilities. In particular, the candidate is expected to assist in the operation and maintenance of the AMS system for sample analyses to obtain the highest quality measurements. Participation in technology development in one or more of the following topics is anticipated: accelerator physics, ion source operation, ion optics, and sample-to-source interfaces.   This is a full-time exempt position and is eligible for full benefits.

Dr. Zhaohui Aleck Wang’s Lab at WHOI is seeking a motivated individual at the Postdoctoral Investigatorlevel, with prior computational and/or modeling expertise or experience with marine carbonate chemistry and the ability to analyze and work with large datasets. This is a regular, full-time, non-exempt position, and is eligible for benefits. Funding is available through August of 2024 with the possibility of extension based on funding and performance.   The Postdoc will work with team members to primarily conduct computational analysis of regional and global climate model output, but may also involve field sampling, sensor deployment and lab analysis of the carbonate parameters. Job responsibilities will include analysis of high-resolution, 3D physical and carbonate chemistry model output of the US Northeast Shelf Ecosystem, development of statistical downscaling approaches for global climate model output using both traditional and machine learning tools, organizing and managing carbonate system data, and summarizing acquired data. Job responsibilities for field sampling and measurements may include working as a team member to collect discrete bottle samples of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), total, alkalinity (TA), and pH, deploy a new DIC-pH in situ sensor in coastal waters and controlled experiments to study impacts of Ocean Acidification. Both computational and field components of the job may involve data synthesis and preparing material for research papers and presentations. The ideal candidate will have proficiency in MATLAB, Python, or R, and possibly experience with high-performance computing, as well as experiences with seawater carbonate chemistry. Other desirable experience includes familiarity with in situ sensors and environmental sampling of chemical species (e.g. carbonate and nutrient chemistry), and experience with GitHub.   Research in the Wang lab at WHOI aims to better understand the marine/aquatic CO2 system. Specifically, we study ocean acidification, the inorganic carbon cycle in marine and other aquatic systems, and CO2 fluxes across the air-sea interface by developing and deploying cutting-edge in-situ sensors to measure CO2 system parameters, including dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), pH, partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2), and alkalinity. The Postdoc will be mentored by both Z. Aleck Wang (Associate Scientist, MC&G) and Jennie Rheuban (Research Specialist, MC&G), and will be a full and participating member of the lab group.   Online application forms should be submitted with a cover letter, complete curriculum vitae, and the names and contact information of 4 people willing to write a reference for the candidate.   Applications will be reviewed upon submission.

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is currently searching for a Food Service Assistant - Casual for the Summer (preferably through Labor Day). Reporting to the Manager of Distribution and Services, The Food Services Assistant will assist in the preparation of breakfast, lunch, salads, snacks to be served at the WHOI Buttery for Institution employees, students, guests, and other visitors. This position is also responsible for promoting a comfortable and clean atmosphere to enable WHOI personnel and guests to eat, relax, and converse. This is a temporary, casual, non-exempt position, and is eligible for casual benefits. The schedule for this position during the Summer is Monday - Friday from approximately 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM, with the potential for additional hours.   The internal working title for this position will be Distribution Assistant.    

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is currently searching for a Robots4Whales Research Technician to join the Biology Department. This is a regular, full-time, non-exempt position, and is eligible for full benefits.   The successful Research Technician candidate will lead field operations for Dr. Mark Baumgartner’s Robots4Whales program (robots4whales.whoi.edu), which uses long-endurance autonomous platforms (gliders, buoys, profiling floats) equipped with passive acoustic monitoring instrumentation to transmit whale detection information to shore in near real time for review and dissemination to academic, government, conservation and industry stakeholders.  Whale detections from the Robots4Whales system are used on the U.S. east coast to trigger NOAA Slow Zones for Right Whales, on the U.S. west coast to reduce ship strikes of blue, fin and humpback whales as part of the Whale Safe program (whalesafe.com), and in Canada to trigger mandatory restrictions of ship speeds and closure of fishing grounds to protect North Atlantic right whales.   The internal working title for this position is Senior Engineering Assistant I.  The final level of the position will be determined commensurate with the selected candidate's level of education and experience.

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is currently searching for seasonal Part Time Helpers and Laboratory Assistants to join the Applied Ocean Physics & Engineering Department for the 2023 summer period (May - August 2023). These positions are non-exempt, casual and are eligible for casual benefits.   With direct supervision, performs routine laboratory and clerical assignments.   The internal working title for this position could be either Part-time Helper or Laboratory Assistant I or Laboratory Assistant II.  The final level of the position will be determined commensurate with the selected candidate's level of education and experience.

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is currently seeking seasonal Engineering Technicians to join the Applied Ocean Physics & Engineering Department for the 2023 summer period (May - August 2023).   These are temporary, casual, non-exempt positions and are eligible for casual benefits.    Summer hiring positions provide technical assistance to mechanical and electrical design engineers by performing maintenance, testing, and repairs to electrical or mechanical systems.      Engineer Assistant I Level: With close supervision, uses established procedures to perform prescribed tasks related to the engineering support of oceanographic research.   Engineer Assistant II Level: With some supervision, applies acquired knowledge of established procedures to the assembly, testing, and use of equipment in support of engineering projects related to oceanographic research.   Engineer Assistant III Level: With little supervision, applies a broad knowledge of established procedures to the assembly, testing, or calibration of equipment developed and used in support of engineering projects related to oceanographic instrumentation.   The internal working titles for these positions could be Engineering Assistant I, II, or III.  The final level of these positions will be determined commensurate with the selected candidate's level of education and experience.  

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is currently searching for a Software and Robotics Engineer to join the Advanced Engineering Lab within the Applied Ocean Physics & Engineering Department. This is a regular, full-time, non-exempt position, and is eligible for benefits. The position will be at the Engineer I or Engineer II level, depending on skills, education, and experience.   This position involves software engineering and development as well as fieldwork and at-sea testing at locations around the world.  This is an excellent opportunity for someone who relishes the idea of going outside while working on interesting engineering problems.  (You will probably see at least one polar bear.)   The Advanced Engineering Laboratory, located in a waterfront facility in Woods Hole, consists of engineers and technicians who work on a wide range of oceanographic systems including autonomous undersea vehicles, autonomous surface vehicles, underwater acoustics and communications, and complex sensors for physical oceanography, chemistry and biology. Within the lab, multiple groups develop cutting-edge technology for scientific and US Navy applications and take that technology from initial prototype to complete product.   Although this position is focused on software engineering and development, a breadth of engineering skills and experience across multiple fields will be helpful and is always appreciated at WHOI.   The Software and Robotics Engineer will work within an engineering team in the development, test and fielding of complex assemblies for many applications as described above, including (but certainly not limited to) robotics, instrument control, and data analysis. The work will include feature additions and maintenance within existing code bases, as well as clean-sheet designs for new projects and applications.  Several projects will involve developing applications for robotic systems using the Robot Operating System (ROS), many of which use Python.   The position will include projects that take multiple forms, including working with a team that includes other engineers and a project manager or operating independently with a scientist and a group of graduate students or post-docs. Domestic and foreign travel up to several times per year for several weeks is typical, but not always required. Time at sea on small coastal vessels or large research craft will likely be required. The successful applicant will also have a strong interest in the ocean and marine environment, ocean-related sciences, and robotics for scientific and US Navy applications.  

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is currently searching for an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) Operator and Technician to join the Advanced Engineering Lab within the Applied Ocean Physics & Engineering Department. This is a regular, full-time, non-exempt position, and is eligible for benefits. The position will be at the Engineering Assistant II/III or Senior Engineering Assistant level, depending on skills, education, and experience.   This position involves fieldwork in the United States, in the Arctic, and other locations around the world.   The Advanced Engineering Laboratory, located in a waterfront facility in Woods Hole, consists of engineers and technicians who work on a wide range of oceanographic systems including autonomous undersea vehicles, autonomous surface vehicles, underwater acoustics and communications, and complex sensors for physical oceanography, chemistry and biology. Within the lab, multiple groups develop cutting-edge technology for scientific and US Navy applications, and take that technology from initial prototype to complete product.   The AUV Operator will work with an engineering and operations group and will participate in and lead field tests.  This position will support maintenance, testing and repairs to AUV electrical/mechanical systems including power and logic infrastructure as well as other oceanographic instrumentation and support equipment.  The role also includes participation in all aspects of vehicle operations at sea including mission programming, vehicle check out, vehicle monitoring and post mission analysis, including electrical and mechanical troubleshooting in the field as required.

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is currently searching for an Electrical Engineer to join the Applied Ocean Physics & Engineering Department. This is a regular, full-time, exempt position, and is eligible for full benefits.   The role of this position consists of working in an electronics design and manufacturing environment primarily supporting the Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) Electrical Engineering Laboratory and the AVAST (Autonomous Vehicle and Sensor Technology) program.  This role will also support the Applied Propagation Physics (APP) group in the Ocean Acoustics & Signals Laboratory (OASL) of the Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering (AOP&E) Department.   The work for the OASL-APP group would be the next phase in the development of the 3-Dimensional Acoustic Telescope (3D-AT), upgrading the data collection and signal processing components as well as the power systems. The OOI Electrical Engineering Lab is responsible for maintaining a wide array of electronics, telemetry systems, wiring harnesses, and sub-sea cables.  The electrical hardware consists of distributed embedded systems, Linux single board computers, primary and rechargeable batteries, solar and wind generation, as well as a variety of satellite based, and line of site telemetry.   The primary role of this position is that of an Electrical Engineer, reporting to a Lead Electrical Engineer from the individual project.  Responsibilities include, with limited supervision; design and build of components, develop and implement test procedures, troubleshooting and repair of all electronic, electrical, and computer-based equipment.  Responsibilities may include the management of technicians or engineers to complete these duties.  Candidate must be familiar with a wide variety of electronics test equipment; oscilloscopes, Digital Signal Processors, Frequency generators, PCB design software and command line interfaces.  The AVAST program is an initiative providing subject matter expertise and specialized fabrication and testing spaces for multiple highly-technical projects at WHOI.   3D-AT:  https://www.whoi.edu/press-room/news-release/whoi-awarded-1-million-3d-acoustic-telescope/   The internal working title of this position could be Research Engineer or Senior Engineer.        

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is currently searching forPart Time Helpers and Laboratory Assistants to join the Marine Chemistry & Geochemistry Department for the 2023 summer period (June - August) or perhaps for a longer period. These positions are non-exempt, casual and are not eligible for benefits.   With direct supervision, performs routine laboratory and clerical assignments.  In general, duties will include washing laboratory glassware, general lab organization and maintenance, data entry, and other project-specific duties as required.   *Position level will be based on the selected candidates' education and experience.  

The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) is currently searching for a full-time, exempt, Postdoctoral Investigator to join the Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) Program, summarized at oceanobservatories.org.  The OOI is an NSF Large Facility with a planned thirty-year life, delivering multi-disciplinary oceanographic data from five instrumented ocean arrays.  This is a regular, full-time, exempt position, and is eligible for full benefits. May include opportunities for optional time at sea; not required. The initial appointment will be for two years with possible extension(s) contingent on performance and funding.   OOI Biological/Chemical Oceanographic Post-Doc The OOI Program is seeking to augment its data science expertise and quality through the addition of a full-time post-doc with experience with the selection, deployment, operation, and data processing of marine biological and/or chemical sensors.  Successful applicants will be expected to lead their own research program in collaboration with the members of the OOI Consortium. The research program can be wide-ranging, and suggested research projects include the following: - Collaborate with OOI scientists and marine carbon chemists in the OOI Member Institution Marine Chemistry Departments to use OOI chemical, bio-optical, and other measurements to study the coastal carbon cycle, ocean acidification, air-sea CO2 fluxes, and other biogeochemical processes at the OOI coastal arrays over a range of temporal and spatial scales. - Develop or improve sensing technology for making direct in-situ CO2 flux measurements on various platforms, such as shipboard underway systems and buoys/moorings. The CO2 flux system has the potential to be deployed on OOI platforms, which would complement the existing air-sea pCO2 - Collaborate with OOI scientists and biological oceanographers in the OOI Member Institution Biology Departments to use OOI bio-optical, chemical, acoustic, and other measurements to study phytoplankton ecology, zooplankton ecology and other ecosystem processes at the OOI coastal arrays over a range of temporal and spatial scales. - Take advantage of the recently completed OOI BGC Sensor Data Working Group's Best Practices & User Guide to conduct research and generate analysis-ready data products through this research.   The Institution has a top-rated postdoctoral program (www.whoi.edu/postdoctoral/) that supports a dynamic postdoctoral community with formal mentoring and career guidance programs. While the primary focus of the work will be in research, the Postdoctoral Investigator will have the opportunity to participate in educational and outreach activities associated with the project.   Qualified applicants should submit a cover letter, CV, up to three relevant publications, and names/contact information for at least three professional references. Additionally, applicants should submit a concise statement (no longer than four pages) that addresses (1) research interests to be pursued at WHOI, (2) anticipated career plans, with an explanation of how postdoctoral research at WHOI would complement an applicant’s existing experience and preparation, and (3) interests in, experience with, and/or planned commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in research, teaching, and/or service in their career and (4; optional) life-impact statement that describes any significant life circumstance that has impacted productivity, trajectory, or performance (e.g., COVID-19 pandemic, illness, caretaking responsibilities; 1-page).     We recognize that strength comes through diversity and actively seek and welcome people with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and identities.   Applications will be reviewed starting 1/17/2023 and until filled.    

The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) is currently searching for a full-time, exempt,  Postdoctoral Investigator to join the Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) Program, summarized at oceanobservatories.org.  The OOI is an NSF Large Facility with a planned thirty-year life, delivering multi-disciplinary oceanographic data from five instrumented ocean arrays.  This is a regular, full-time, exempt position, and is eligible for full benefits. May include opportunities for optional time at sea; not required. The initial appointment will be for two years with possible extension(s) contingent on performance and funding.    OOI Data Science Initiative Post-Doc The OOI Program is seeking applications for a post-doc to develop and implement the Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability, and Reuse (FAIR) of OOI Data.  We are looking for researchers whose interests are in data science and strategies and methodologies for data mining to support wide-ranging research.  Successful applicant interests are expected to relate to some/all of the following themes: - Application and use of Digital Object Identifiers (DOI) for data retrieval and citation. - Automated Data Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QA/QC). - Data Statistics and Metrics. - Data Visualization. - Data Analysis tools such as: - Computational on the scale of R, Python or Matlab. - Understanding of data file structures such as netCDF or Zarr. - Jupyter Notebook and GitHub. - Author guides and approaches that communicate the above themes. The Institution has a top-rated postdoctoral program (www.whoi.edu/postdoctoral/) that supports a dynamic postdoctoral community with formal mentoring and career guidance programs. While the primary focus of the work will be in research, the Postdoctoral Investigator will have the opportunity to participate in educational and outreach activities associated with the project.   Qualified applicants should submit a cover letter, CV, up to three relevant publications, and names/contact information for at least three professional references. Additionally, applicants should submit a concise statement (no longer than four pages) that addresses (1) research interests to be pursued at WHOI, (2) anticipated career plans, with an explanation of how postdoctoral research at WHOI would complement an applicant’s existing experience and preparation, and (3) interests in, experience with, and/or planned commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in research, teaching, and/or service in their career and (4; optional) life-impact statement that describes any significant life circumstance that has impacted productivity, trajectory, or performance (e.g., COVID-19 pandemic, illness, caretaking responsibilities; 1-page).     We recognize that strength comes through diversity and actively seek and welcome people with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and identities.   Applications will be reviewed starting 1/17/2023 and until filled.    

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) is seeking a Research Administrator to work in the Department of Applied Ocean Physics & Engineering (AOPE). The Research Administrator works closely with Principal Investigators (PIs) and other research and technical staff on all activities associated with the full lifecycle of awards: from proposal development and submission through post-award activities, ensuring compliance and following policies of the agencies and the Institution. Working within a world-renowned organization and supporting its mission, the work is fast-paced and complex, and requires excellent organizational, critical thinking, problem solving, and interpersonal skills. A preference will be given to those who have prior experience working within the scientific research environment, federally funded awards and/or sponsored research.   This is a regular, full-time, exempt position, and is eligible for full benefits. The working title is Research Administrator; the level of Administrative Associate I / Administrative Associate II will be determined based on a candidate's level of experience.

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is currently searching for a full-time Distribution Assistant/Senior Distribution Assistant. Reporting to the appropriate Distribution Supervisor and under general direction, provides assistance and support to a broad range of Institution operations and services. Duties may be concentrated in a particular area and/or across multiple service functions, in response to staffing and workload needs. General areas of operation include Building Services, Food Services, Receiving & Mail Services, and Shipping & Warehouse Services. This is a full-time, non-exempt position and is eligible for benefits. 

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is currently searching for a Senior Licensed Electrician to join the Facilities department. This is a regular, full-time, non-exempt position and is eligible for benefits.    Working independently, the Senior Licensed Electrician performs all electrical tasks with superior ability and assists in shop activity, organization and planning where necessary. May be required to coordinate work with other trades and/or contractors to complete work.