Sources of Information About Employment in Field Biology
 

FIELD STATIONS: 
Organization of Biological Field Stations:  association of about 180 field stations, most in North and Central America.  Many involve interns in ongoing field projects; internships generally provide at least room and board, and sometimes a stipend as well, often in exchange for part-time work that may include housekeeping, reference collection maintenance and development, field survey work, and work with visitors to the station.  Field stations can be looked up by geographic region, country/state, or name.  Each station has a description that includes information on whether internships are offered:  be sure to look under both Education and Research Program listings for internships.  Internet website: www.obfs.org  Internships are generally relatively short-term positions (~1 mo. – 1 season or 1 yr.); the website also includes listings of longer-term jobs (some biological, some not) at member field stations, some open to recent graduates with a Bachelor's degree and the appropriate skills.

LISTINGS OF FIELD ASSISTANT OPPORTUNITIES: 

1. On-line edition of listings in Ornithological Newsletter: http://birds.cornell.edu/OSNA/ORNJOBS.htm

2. Animal Behavior Society Newsletter:  On-line at: http://www.animalbehavior.org/ABS/Announcements/

3. Ecological Society of America website:  http://www.esa.org/opportunities/

4. Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology website:  http://www.sicb.org/jobs.php3

LISTINGS OF INTERNSHIPS:

http://www.eco.org/

http://www.epa.gov/epahome/intern.htm

http://www.epa.gov/careers/stuopp.html

http://www.coloradocollege.edu/CareerCenter/SummerJobsAndInternships/index.cfm

LISTINGS OF JOBS AT NATURE CENTERS, ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS, PRESERVES, ETC.:

1)  The Nature Conservancy website lists a variety of kinds of jobs, some more biological than others:  http://nature.org/careers   Select “Browse All Careers” option.

2)  The National Audubon Society human resources website lists both jobs and unpaid internships, again some more biological than others:  http://www.audubon.org/nas/hr/index.html

3)  Chapters of the Audubon Society may be relatively independent of the national organization; a list of chapters and links to their websites, which may list jobs not listed in the national website, is at:  http://www.audubon.org/chapter/ 

4)  Environmental Jobs and Careers website:  http://www.ejobs.org/

5)  Environmental Career Opportunities Newsletter:  http://www.ecojobs.com/

By subscription, view some listings for free at website.

6)  Websites that list multiple other websites with job listings:

a)  The University of Maine at Orono Department of Wildlife Ecology:  http://www.wle.umaine.edu/  Choose Jobs and Job Links listing (other links about education and careers in wildlife ecology can also be found at this site)   

b)  The Institute of Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison:  http://www.ies.wisc.edu/students/careers.htm

c)  Cyber-Sierra Natural Resources Job Search:  http://www.cyber-sierra.com/nrjobs/

d)  The Society for Conservation Biology:  http://www.conbio.org/SCB/Services/Jobs/

VARIED FIELD BIOLOGY JOB LISTINGS:

http://www.gwu.edu/~greenu/jobs.html

http://www.sonoma.edu/ensp/linkemployment.html

http://www.epa.gov/epahrist/

http://www.geologyshop.co.uk/jobs.htm

http://www.newfs.org/jobs.htm

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT JOB LISTINGS

http://jobsearch.usajobs.opm.gov/agency_search.asp  (note there is an underscore in the blank space)

In addition to agencies in the Department of Interior, including the Biological Resources Division of the Geological Survey, try the Departments of Agriculture (including Wildlife Services and Natural Resource Conservation Service), Energy (atypically listed alphabetically under D for Department), Defense, and the Environmental Protection Agency.

STATE DEPARTMENTS OF NATURAL RESOURCES OR DEPARTMENTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION may also have websites with listings, including listings for seasonal employment.  Connecticut DEP:  http://dep.state.ct.us/ ; http://dep.state.ct.us/fss/hr/jobop.htm

INFORMATION ON OPENINGS AT ZOOS AND AQUARIUMS: 

AZA (American Zoo and Aquarium Association) website:  http://www.aza.org/JobListings/

Also note that some zoos hire people to fill in for keepers on pregnancy leave, etc.; if there is a zoo where you are interested in working, inquire about such positions, which may not normally be offered to applicants seeking long-term employment.  If you do a good job in such a position, you may be offered a permanent one.

SCIENCE CENTERS sometimes have live animals, and positions caring for them and educating the public about them.

PET STORES, and RESEARCH COLONIES OF ANIMALS AT COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES, provide jobs that primarily involve animal care.  Check college or university websites for job listings.  For both LAB AND FIELD POSITIONS, look on bulletin boards and knock on office doors in relevant departments (vary by institution, may include Biology, Zoology, Botany, Agricultural Science, and Wildlife Ecology). 

Jobs at PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES may involve care of animals used in testing, and sometimes even behavioral observations.  Contact their personnel/human resources office to inquire.

MORE GENERAL WEBSITES:

a)  CCSU students:  http://www.biology.ccsu.edu : click on "Biology Careers & Grad Schools".

b)  Listings for many kinds of biology:

http://www.furman.edu/~snyder/careers/careers.html

http://www.bio.net:80/hypermail/EMPLOYMENT/

http://www.bio.net:80/hypermail/EMPLOYMENT-WANTED/ 

http://mcb.harvard.edu/BioLinks/BioJobs.html

c)  Listings not restricted to biology:

http://www.jobweb.com/ 

http://www.CareerMag.com/

http://www.employmentguide.com/

http://chronicle.com/jobs/

http://www.collegegrad.com/

http://www.job-hunt.org/

http://www.jobweb.com/

http://www.monster.com/

http://www.employmentoffice.net/

The National Academy of Sciences has a website that includes information on career planning in science and engineering, as well as actual job listings:  http://www.nationalacademies.org/

Look under “Career Links”.  Additional career information may be found at these two websites:

http://www.princeton.edu/~oa/careeroe.html (1997 website, listed websites may be gone)

http://www.eco.org/

This handout was originally compiled for a panel at the 1999 Wilson Ornithological Society meeting, by Dr. Sylvia L. Halkin, Dept. of Biological Sciences, Central Connecticut State University, New Britain, CT 06050-4010, e-mail:  HalkinS@ccsu.edu, phone:  (860) 832-2651.  Other panelists, Amy St. Pierre, and a Careers Online article by Joyce Lain Kennedy, Los Angeles Times Syndication, provided some additional information included (and gratefully acknowledged) here; I also thank Jack Tessier for his list of additional websites.  Updated March 2004.

Last Modified: Wednesday, 31. October 2007