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Shallow turquoise water over seagrass meadow with green blades and small silvery fish

Junior Specialist Opportunities – Coastal Ecosystems, Seagrass Ecology, and Restoration

  • by Christine A Parisek
APPLICATION WINDOW

Open date: September 16, 2026

Next review date: Thursday, Oct 1, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time). 
Apply by this date to ensure full consideration by the committee.

Final date: Wednesday, Jun 30, 2027 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
Applications will continue to be accepted until this date, but those received after the review date will only be considered if the position has not yet been filled.

Shasta Dam from above

M.S. positions in Aquatic Ecology and Water Resources Engineering for Fall 2027

  • by Rachel Alsheikh

The Center for Watershed Sciences (CWS) at the University of California, Davis invites applications for 2-3 funded M.S. research positions in either Ecology or Engineering. These graduate student researchers will collaborate with CWS researchers and with biologists and engineers at the United States Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) to design and conduct a research project that addresses high-priority knowledge gaps pertinent to water operations, aquatic ecosystem management, and/or fish conservation in Central California. 

Smiling woman outdoors beside a webpage screenshot about Cuban dogfish with a shark photo

Congratulations to Camila Cancino!

  • by Christine A Parisek

By Lynette Williams Duman

Camila Cancino, a fourth-year Environmental Science and Management major and an undergraduate research assistant at the Aquatic Research Collective at the Center for Watershed Sciences, is the second place winner in the science, math, and engineering category for the Norma J. Lang Prize for Undergraduate Information Research!

Panoramic lake with clear blue sky, tree-lined shore and an inflatable raft on the water.

Stop-and-Go Science: Researchers Pivot to Try to Salvage Important Work

Climate change and unstable funding are repeatedly interrupting environmental field research in California and forcing scientists to rethink long-term studies. Researchers at the Center for Watershed Sciences have had to pivot wildfire-damaged lake studies into new ecological questions, while winter-run Chinook salmon restoration above Shasta Dam has been interrupted after funding for reintroduction was not renewed. The piece, Stop-and-Go Science by Kat Kerlin (UC Davis), frames this “stop-and-go science” as a structural challenge to ecological research and conservation.

Shallow green lake with submerged aquatic grass, low grassy hills and blue sky

[Closed] Job Opening: Professional Researcher in Coastal Ecosystems and Ecosystem Services

  • by Christine A Parisek
Position OverviewSalary range: A reasonable estimate for this position is Asst. Researcher $94,700 - 123,900; Assoc. Researcher $118,000 - $148,900; Researcher $138,400 - $252,200 Application Window

Open date: April 23, 2026

Next review date: Friday, May 15, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
Apply by this date to ensure full consideration by the committee.

Shallow turquoise water over seagrass meadow with green blades and small silvery fish

[Closed] Job Opening: Research Ecologist - Assoc. Project Scientist (2 Positions)

  • by Christine A Parisek
Position OverviewSalary range: A reasonable estimate for this position is 
Asst. Project Scientist $76,700.00 - $97,600.00; Assoc. Project Scientist $93,300 - $115,400; Project Scientist $107,700.00 - $201,900.00 Application Window

Open date: April 30, 2026

Next review date: Saturday, May 16, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
Apply by this date to ensure full consideration by the committee.

Split-view: sunlit underwater green seagrass and sandy shoreline with trees above

[Closed] Job Opening: Associate Specialist in Coastal Ecosystems, Seagrass Ecology, and Restoration (2 Positions)

  • by Christine A Parisek
Position OverviewSalary range: A reasonable estimate for this position is Asst. Specialist $63,500 - $70,700; Assoc. Specialist $75,600 - 88,000; Specialist $93,200 - $194,800. Application Window

Open date: April 23, 2026

Next review date: Friday, May 15, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
Apply by this date to ensure full consideration by the committee.

Two men releasing a large fish into a river; website donation graphic at right

UC Davis Give Day 2026

  • by Christine A Parisek

UC Davis's Give Day 2026 event is happening now through April 18th at 5 pm. Building on a successful Give Day 2025, we at the Center for Watershed Sciences are delighted to announce that there is an unlockable challenge gift that supports the work we do at CWS and UC Davis. Any gift ≥$5 will help towards unlocking our challenge gift.

Two people silhouetted on a small boat at sunrise over calm water

Where the Water Connects Us

By Lynette Williams Duman

Water has a way of connecting people, ecosystems, and research. An article by UCD’s own Jessica Lee from the Coastal and Marine Sciences Institute explores the relationship between various aquatic research groups at UC Davis and their connection to public research. 

From monitoring ocean conditions, to sustainable oyster fisheries, to long-term fish trends in Suisun Marsh, Lee highlights how publicly-funded, long-term research projects help us compare the trends of the present to the data of the past.

Two people in red life jackets seated at a boat console, calm marsh water ahead.

Where the Tides have Returned

By Lynette Williams Duman

A new article highlighting the tidal restoration at Lookout Slough in Solano County from the Bay Nature Magazine features insights from Mason Rogers, a specialist at CWS and lead of the North Delta Arc of Native Fishes Project.

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