Mouse-Mast Project

This position is full time, 35 hours/week. This is an hourly, non-exempt, non-benefited position. Wage starts at $20/hour and is commensurate with education and experience.

Summary: Research the dynamics of mammalian communities and the relationships between mammals, ticks, oak trees, and Lyme disease. Position reports to Dr. Richard S. Ostfeld and Dr. Shannon LaDeau.

Job Description: Duties include live-trapping small mammals, reliably recording trapping data, sampling abundance of ticks, wildlife camera deployment, tree seed collection, tree species identification, and creating soil core enclosures for measuring tick survival within eastern deciduous forest plots.

Qualifications: Meticulous attention to detail and experience in field ecology is required. Prior experience handling small mammals is highly desirable, and knowledge of northeastern tree ID is preferred.

Conditions: Location is the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in New York’s Hudson River Valley. This is primarily a field position with a lot of daily hiking. Early morning, late afternoon, and some weekend hours are required.  Employment can begin May 11,with an end date of approximately mid-November. 

On-site housing is available.

Closing Date: Position is open until filled. Review of applications will begin on January 26, 2026. 

The Cary Institute is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) It is the policy of the Cary Institute to provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, familial status, protected veteran or disabled status, or genetic information.

The Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies is an independent environmental research organization dedicated to understanding ecosystems and addressing key environmental challenges. With a focus on freshwater, forests, disease, and cities, our scientists are global experts in ecology and tackle issues such as climate change, biodiversity change and human impacts on land and water. At the Cary Institute, we prioritize sharing our science to enhance ecological literacy and foster informed decision-making.