Research Associate III: Forest and Climate Adaptation Policy

Position Summary 

A Research Associate III position is open in the Department of Forest and Rangeland Stewardship at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, CO. 

The Research Associate with the will work in close coordination with Dr. Schultz and as part of the CSU Public Lands Policy Group and Climate Adaptation Partnership. This position will focus on applied forest policy research, grant writing related to climate adaptation and land management, and lead or assist with teaching natural resource policy at the undergraduate level. The allocation of program management, grant writing, research, and teaching will depend on both staffing needs and the candidate’s interests and goals. We seek a person to design and conduct applied research on aspects of a Joint Fire Science Program-funded project focused on post-fire preparedness, particularly for watershed management, in the context of forest and fire management and climate adaptation planning. 

The research associate will collaborate on this project with a team of researchers within and external to CSU . This person also will work with the Climate Adaptation Partnership leadership team to craft research proposals and help coordinate other CAP activities . Policy research more generally will be based on literature reviews, workshops with partners, and interviews or surveys with managers to be shared through peer-reviewed publications, practitioner networks, and directly with policymakers. The incumbent will be tasked with taking a largely independent role in conducting these activities and assisting in the preparation of focus groups, workshops, white papers, and peer-reviewed publications through background research and literature review, partner engagement, and social science data collection, analysis, and reporting. The RA III will take a senior role in the Public Lands Policy Group to guide policy outreach and communicate with other interested audiences. The incumbent may have the opportunity to lead grant-writing to secure future funding and will likely take on teaching courses, such as Natural Resource History and Policy.

Required Job Qualifications

• M.S. in natural resource policy or a related field and a minimum of two years of closely related professional experience or Ph.D. in natural resource policy or a related field.
• Expertise in collecting and analyzing social science data for natural resource policy research projects.
• Expertise in US public policy, with a specific knowledge of federal forest and fire management policy.
• Experience teaching or mentoring undergraduate students.
• Must have a valid driver’s license or the ability to obtain a driver’s license or access to a licensed driver by the employment start date.

Preferred Job Qualifications

• Experience conducting qualitative and quantitative social science research, from data collection through analysis and publication.
• Experience writing reports for land and natural resource management and associated policy making audiences
•  Experience working in policy analysis with policymakers and advocates.
• Demonstrated record of publication in peer-reviewed journals.
• Experience with grant-writing and fundraising.
• Experience teaching natural resource policy and management courses at the undergraduate or graduate level.
• Additional relevant practical experience or academic study, including a PhD, especially in public land, forest and fire management, or climate adaptation planning.
• Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, as evidenced by professional activities.

Duty/Responsibility

• • Identify key assumptions and theories of forest management/climate adaptation and empirical support for those assumptions to develop policy and literature reviews.
  • Determine the structure and direction of written materials to support future publications.
  • Design research, including interview guides, surveys, and sample design.

• Develop project management strategies and execute these.
• Develop interview questions, identify potential case studies, and work to identify sample for research on fire management.
• Conduct interviews and/or surveys and analyze data.
• Develop written reports and peer-reviewed publications based on both literature review and data collection.
• Help to supervise other research assistants.

Outreach:

• Develop webinars if/when requested.
• Present at relevant conferences.
• Meet with land managers to deliver findings.

Teaching and Mentorship:

• Design course materials and deliver in-class instruction.
• Provide advising to undergraduates and graduate students working in natural resource policy.

Application Details

1. 1. Statement of Qualifications (one-page letter addressing each qualification described in the announcement) uploaded in the ‘Cover Letter’ slot.
   2. Resume
   3. Transcripts (for each degree earned that is listed under qualifications) uploaded in the ‘Official Transcripts’ or ‘Unofficial Transcripts’ slot.
   4. Degree Conferral (copy of diploma if transcripts do not include confirmation that degree was awarded) uploaded in the ‘Other’ slot.
   5. References – please include within your application contact information for 3 professional references including at least one supervisor. References will not be contacted without prior notification to candidates.