Database Intern (Full-Time / 1 Year Fixed-Term Contract)

The Zoological Society of London (ZSL), a charity founded in 1826, is a world-renowned centre of excellence for conservation science and applied conservation. ZSL’s mission is to promote and achieve the worldwide conservation of animals and their habitats. This is realised by carrying out field conservation and research in over 50 countries across the globe and through education and awareness-raising at our two zoos, ZSL London Zoo and ZSL Whipsnade Zoo, inspiring people to take conservation action.

Role Profile

Many species are on the move in a desperate attempt to adapt to changing climatic conditions, and those moves are expected to increasingly pose a substantial, yet quite understated and under-researched, challenge to human society. Shifts in species distributions are already happening: terrestrial species, for example, have been shown to move poleward by 17 km on average each decade, while marine species move by 72 km. The arrivals of these new species in established communities can create chaos, disturbing predation, herbivory, host-plant associations, competition, and mutualistic interactions, and can ultimately reduce the delivery of those benefits we currently derive from nature. The Institute of Zoology, the research branch of ZSL, is particularly interested in developing research helping to understand and mitigate the impact of climate change on biodiversity and society. To that effect, we are here seeking to recruit an intern to work on data gathering and database building for a project on the impact of climate change on species redistribution in the UK.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• Gather temporally and spatially explicit information on species occurrence in the UK through online searches and targeted emails
• Identify and contact key stakeholders likely to support the development of the database
• Develop a list with the contact details of key stakeholders
• Organise the collected information in a user-friendly database

Person Specification

• MSc in ecology and/or conservation
• Experience with database building and organisation
• Research experience (desirable)
• Biodiversity monitoring experience (desirable)
• GIS manipulation and interpersonal skills
• An appreciation of the impact of climate change on biodiversity and ecosystem services