Biologist I (Biotech)

Work Where it Matters

Akima Systems Engineering (ASE), an Akima company, is not just another federal systems support contractor. As an Alaska Native Corporation (ANC), our mission and purpose extend beyond our exciting federal projects as we support our shareholder communities in Alaska. 

At ASE, the work you do every day makes a difference in the lives of our 15,000 Iñupiat shareholders, a group of Alaska natives from one of the most remote and harshest environments in the United States. 

For our shareholders, ASE provides support and employment opportunities and contributes to the survival of a culture that has thrived above the Arctic Circle for more than 10,000 years.

For our government customers, ASE delivers solutions in maritime IT, systems engineering, and integration across the Department of Defense and stands ready to help improve operational performance at a reasonable and sustainable cost.

As an ASE employee, you will be surrounded by a challenging, yet supportive work environment that is committed to innovation and diversity, two of our most important values. You will also have access to our comprehensive benefits and competitive pay in addition to growth opportunities and excellent retirement options.

Job Summary:

The National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC) is a science center of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) with specialized laboratories dedicated to wildlife disease detection, control, and prevention. Their mission is to advance wildlife health science for the benefit of animals, humans, and the environment and to respond to emerging diseases affecting wildlife on a national scale.  The NWHC epidemiology and diagnostic service teams provide epizootiology services to federal, state, and tribal wildlife management agencies that include guidance on evaluating wildlife mortality and morbidity events; collecting and recording pertinent information about the events on a national scale for situational awareness and conservation management decision making; appropriate measures to protect both human and wildlife health; collecting and preserving samples to maximize their diagnostic value; submitting those samples to a diagnostic laboratory in real-time; potential disease management response options; and information sharing for situational awareness.

Akima is hiring a Biologist I to provide impartial, timely, and relevant scientific information to resource managers, planners, and other customers related to the health of ecosystems and environment, natural hazards, natural resources, and the impact of climate and land-use changes. Performance may also include conducting studies and investigations into wildlife mortality or sickness under pre-established guidelines, as well as conducting project analyses and review of study results. The Biologist will collaborate with USGS staff and scientists to collect data, perform analyses, and write and publish USGS report products, in accordance with fundamental science practices and quality assurance standards.

Job Responsibilities:

• • • Epidemiology and Emerging Disease.

    • Assist the NWHC epidemiologist on duty with diagnostic service and technical assistance requests from partner agencies, academia, other diagnostic laboratories and the public.  These requests are received through phone, email, and online portal called WHISPers, which stands for Wildlife Health Information Sharing Partnership - event reporting system. It is a voluntary, partner-driven, web-based repository for sharing basic information about historic and ongoing wildlife mortality (death) and/or morbidity (illness) events and provides a portal for agency partners requesting diagnostic and epidemiologic assistance from NWHC.

    • Assist the epidemiologist with creating, updating, closing out WHISPers events owned by NWHC and/or partners associated with diagnostic service request.

    • Provide timely situational awareness to the larger wildlife management community to support potential management decisions.

    • Create, update, and close out WHISPers events for significant “report only” events to provide timely situational awareness to the larger wildlife management community to support potential management decisions.

    • Actively engage and provide outreach to partners on WHISPers as needed through help desk.

    • Review and standardize new and existing wildlife mortality events in WHISPers for diseases of high significance to human, domestic animal, wildlife, and environmental health. Example: RHDV2 and HPAI.

    • Assist with NWHC bio-surveillance data management and quality control in the NWHC laboratory information management system (LIMS) and WHISPers.  Example: Mortality events, WNS, bSal.

    • Assist epidemiology and other teams within NWHC with development and dissemination of outreach material on wildlife disease and mortality event investigations through a variety of venues (social media, presentations, fact sheets, website, etc).

    • In addition to supporting epidemiologist on duty, the biologist may also spend up to 20% of their time supporting other aspects of scientific investigations: 

    • Assist the necropsy and case management teams with diagnostic specimen receiving, case log-in and accessioning in LIMS.

    • Assist with necropsies as needed.

    • Assist with studies performed in the field and/or within the NWHC Jennifer Brunner Animal Isolation Wing.

    • Assist the Animal Care team as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

• • • Bachelor's degree in a science related field

    • 0-2 years' experience

    • Detail-oriented, flexible and able to multi-task

    • Able to work well independently or in a team setting

    • Experience and knowledge in biology, natural resource management, wildlife and disease ecology

    • An understanding of disease terminology to include anatomy, physiology and disease etiologies

    • Familiar with Federal institution long-term data management and record keeping

    • Familiar with laboratory practices, training and quality management systems

    • Familiarity with MS Office Products

    • Participation in the Center occupational health program is required and includes medical clearance to wear a respirator and vaccinations necessary to work with wildlife  

Desired Qualifications:  

• • • Advanced knowledge and skill in oral and written communication

We are an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will receive consideration for employment, without regard to race, color, religion, creed, national origin, gender or gender-identity, age, marital status, sexual orientation, veteran status, disability, pregnancy or parental status, or any other basis prohibited by law.  If you are an individual with a disability, and would like to request a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please contact us at job-assist@akima.com or 571-353-7053 (information about job applications status is not available at this contact information).