Research Assistant on Science and Policy Engagement

Job Announcement
Research Assistant on Science and Policy Engagement
Science and Resilience Institute at Jamaica Bay

 

The Science and Resilience Institute at Jamaica Bay (SRIJB) invites applications for a Graduate Research Assistant of the Science and Resilience Institute to be located and focused on Jamaica Bay.  This Institute (founded in 2013) is an exciting new initiative that aims to become a center for thinking and practices around the resiliency of coupled human and natural systems. A core objective is to help urban coastal communities and ecosystems such as Jamaica Bay bounce back and maintain identity in the face of ongoing stresses related to urbanization, climate change, and natural hazards. CUNY is the lead for this consortium of universities and the hiring agent for this position. The other institutions are Columbia University, Cornell University, Rutgers University, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York Sea Grant, Stevens Institute of Technology, Stony Brook University (SUNY), and Wildlife Conservation Society. The SRIJB has funding to explore strategies for Resilience Practice and Implementation.  Key questions include: How  can  the  Institute  supra-structure  be  organized  to  best  create  conditions  for putting resilience into practice. What conditions  (information/knowledge,  analytical  frameworks,  data  gathering, workshops)   will   be   necessary   to   successfully   achieve   the   requirements  for resilience practice?  And, how  can  these  requirements  be  best  operationalized  in  a  way  to  create  a  productive working relationship with the diverse community of Jamaica Bay?

 

Qualifications

The applicant must be an advanced MA or PhD student at one of the Consortium Institutions listed above. The ideal candidate is well read in literature on building relationships among science, policy, and practice (sometimes referred to as “co-production” of knowledge), on the general contours of adaptive management in environmental decision-making, and on resilience thinking and practice. The ideal person would also have the ability to compile this literature and distill from it approaches that could be employed as an input to the Institute’s policy support capacity. Proven success using participatory organizational forms of research or experience with program evaluation is desirable. A major part of this project is piloting these forms of engagement to bridge resiliency ideas and resiliency activities across science, policy, and practice communities. The research assistant would play a lead role in helping to design, coordinate, and administer processes to facilitate this engagement (workshops, surveys, focus groups, visioning exercises, etc), monitoring ongoing points of contact among stakeholders, and assessing the outcomes of efforts.

 

Hours and Compensation

This position is part time (max 19 hours per week) with salary based on experience and educational attainment. Work begins immediately upon hire and extends to August 2014.

 

Work Location

SRIJB offices are located at Brooklyn College in the Midwood section of Brooklyn, NY.

 

To apply

To apply, please send a cover letter and 2 page (max) CV or resume to Peter Vancura (pvancura@srijb.org) addressing how your interests and experience fit the profile of the ideal candidate outlined above. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.

 

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