Sharks And Rays Australia (SARA) is seeking up to three social media interns to support our team in science communication. You will help us communicate, our work, what is happening at SARA and news from the world of sharks, rays and above all sawfishes. Start date immediately.

Our core values and mission:  At SARA we believe that long-term conservation goals can only be achieved if they are based on sound science, public outreach and an inclusive model of implementation, i.e. working with local stakeholders. SARA aims to not just produce science in the ‘ivory tower’ but to involve the general public in our sawfish and shark research expeditions. In many ways, it is ultimately up to local communities to look after the incredible species that share the natural world with us.

Our current work:  At SARA, we like to think outside the box. Our current main study species, sawfish, are the most endangered of all sharks and rays globally, but they are much more than that. These large animals (up to 7m length) are culturally important to many Indigenous groups, and they were once amongst the most abundant large predators in tropical coastal, inshore and freshwater regions of our planet. Sitting somewhere between charismatic and dangerous megafauna, the work done by our principal scientist, collaborators, students, field assistants, interns, and volunteers ensures that these animals don’t quietly go extinct, and will remain a vital part of Northern Australia’s ecosystems.

Our creative, outcome-oriented, and dynamic work environment allows the creation and implementation of real-world conservation concepts that unite people with a common idea and goal.

• SARA is currently the only Australian organisation that allows paying field assistants to participate in shark and ray research expeditions, and gain hands-on research experience. Field work is led by our scientists and conducted in close collaboration with Aboriginal Land and Sea Rangers, and sometimes with commercial fishers, thus uniting all of us during intensive tagging workups of large animals.
• Our citizen science project turns members of the public into sawfish spotters by turning old trophy saws into messengers for conservation. Cases inform the public about sawfish biology, possible threats, and safe release methods. Our sawfish display cases and info boards can be seen at 60 locations (and growing) across Queensland.

Our social media interns will be guided by our social media manager, and be responsible for content creation for one platform (@SharksAndRaysAU on Facebook, Instagram, BlueSky, Linkedin, TikTok), thus supporting our existing science and social media team. Content sourcing, and creating content from existing materials will also fall in the intern’s responsibilities. Creation of ads is outside of the scope of this role.

This position is unpaid. Internships will run for a minimum of 6 months, preferably 1 year, with a review after 3 months. A successful internship of 1 year will also result in a letter of recommendation from our Principal Scientist and Director. Additional perks include: SARA merchandise and opportunity to travel to sharky events.

If interested please apply below! you will be asked to submit three sample posts, and your cover letter should contain the following information:

• Statement of interest: Why are you interested in this position?
• Your strategy to find info for creating exciting posts
• Availability (minimum 6 months, preferably 1 year)
• Number of hours per week you would like to commit to
• Where you are based

Please note that where you are based will not affect our decision.

In early 2025, SARA commenced a collaboration with RMIT to engage students in the Software Engineering Project Course to help us build the first version of our app, SARA sawfish sightings 1.0. The aim of the app is to make it easier for our collaborators and Citizen Scientists to submit their sightings to us, of sawfish, sharks and rays, and also rostra (trophy saws). The app will go online on International Sawfish Day (October 17, 2025), and be available on the Apple App store and Google Play Store.

The most exciting feature of the app is that it will allow the user to create and save their sighting while still in remote regions where phone cover is sparse, and then upload it when the phone comes back into reception.

For the students from RMIT this was also a real-life experience of testing their skills. In their own words: “We really enjoyed working with Dr. Barbara throughout the development of the app. This project felt especially meaningful as it allowed us to contribute to the conservation of Australia’s marine life. Knowing that our work could support real-world research and help protect shark and ray populations made the experience even more rewarding and we are so thankful to Barbara and RMIT for providing us with this opportunity.” (Nashita Baig, Nicholas Waterson & Talvia Prante)

“This project is my first mobile application development project in my life which helps me gain precious experiences and get chance to work with new friends and friendly client, Dr. Barbara. Despite little to no foundation regarding mobile app development, our team conducted self-learning and research to upskills that adapt technical requirements for the app and adapt clients’ need.  We hope that our efforts will support the long-term conservation of sawfish and encourage local community to report sighting of sawfish in remote areas with limits access to the Internet.”  (Anh Nguyen)

Sharks And Rays Australia would like to thank Nashita Baig, Nicholas Waterson, Anh Nguyen Thi Phuong and Talvia Tasnim Prante for their dedication and skills!

Update 2026: Our App is only live in the Apple App Store, due to issues with the Android Version. If you are a software developer and can help us to get the Android Version running, please get in touch!

in 2025, the SARA team joined two Australian conferences. The first one was the annual gathering of the Oceania Chondrichthyan Society on the Sunshine Coast. this year was the biggest OCS conference ever and it was also the 20 year anniversary of this society. Barbara served as a committee member for the society some years ago, and during her talk she finally revealed that it was her who kidnapped the society mascot, Stripey, back in 2020. 

2025 was also our first time at the annual conference of AMSA (Australian Marine Science Association), which turns out to be one of the largest gathering of marine scientists in Australia! Topics varied widely , from marine heat waves, to the algae bloom on the Great Southern Reef, ichthyology, coral reefs and everything in between.

Our Principal Scientist Barbara co-presented the talk “When traditional knowledge meets modern ecology – range extension and insights into the life history of freshwater whipdays, Urogymnus dalensis“, together with Alison Liddy from Yinjingga Aboriginal Corporation, in the Indigenous Partnerships session. SARA PhD student Nikki presented “What’s in a saw? An exploration of the chemical fingerprint of rostral teeth to gain insights into sawfish life history and spatial ecology” in a session on the future of marine megafauna protection.

From left to right: Dr Barbara Wueringer (SARA), Dr Ruth Reef (Monash Uni), Dr Helen Penrose (Jabiru Environmental), Cheryl Prestipino (Yintjingga Aboriginal Corporation).