Laramie, WY
Job Title: Interinstitutional Network for Food, Agriculture, and Sustainability (INFAS) Justice Graduate Assistantship
Organization: University of Wyoming
Location: Laramie, WY
Position Description: INFAS connects food system scholars, educators, and action-researcher activists across the U.S. The network aims to catalyze frontier work in food systems in higher education; increase capacity to help build U.S. food system resilience, sustainability, and equity; raise visibility of research-based insights into food system problems and solutions, including increasing racial equity; and diversify who is doing food systems work in academia and education. INFAS’s Justice working group seeks a masters-level graduate assistant to support its priorities. Specifically, this position will launch a new project to document higher education institutions’ (HEIs)—with a specific focus on land-grant (or “land-grab”) universities—truth and reconciliation strategies, or lack thereof, with Native American tribes and communities. Given INFAS’s priorities, this documentation will focus on land-back, free tuition, and other higher education food, agriculture, and sustainability justice strategies.
Documentation will occur through a combination of systematic scholarly and grey literature searches, surveys, and interviews resulting in case profiles of those HEIs engaging in substantive truth and reconciliation work. Case profiles will explore whether and how HEIs collaboratively pursued their strategies and assessed their efficacy. In addition to compiling strategies, this project will result in concrete recommendations for how HEI administrations can outreach to Sovereign Nations relevant to their land-grab context, listen to their priority strategies, and work to implement them. Findings will also guide an ongoing research and practice agenda for the INFAS Justice working group.
Dr. Rachael Budowle, a Justice working group member, will provide primary mentorship and serve as the student’s graduate advisor. Other INFAS justice working group members will provide complimentary project-level guidance. The student’s graduate thesis research should relate to the position’s activities and similar topics. This research will also ideally result in a manuscript for submission to a peer-reviewed journal.
The selected candidate will pursue their MS in Environment, Natural Resources & Society or a concurrent degree within the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources at the University of Wyoming. The position will average 20 hours/week over 12 months and includes stipend and student health insurance. The package also covers 9 credits of tuition and fees during both the fall and spring semesters and summer support.
NOTE: An additional year of graduate teaching assistantship funding (20 hours/week over 9 months during the academic year, including stipend, tuition and fees, and student health insurance) is guaranteed for underrepresented domestic minority (URDM) students, who are strongly encouraged to apply. URDM students include those of African American, Hispanic/Latino/a/x, American Indian/Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, or Asian American descent. International students are not eligible for URDM funding.
Non-URDM students are welcome to apply for this position, although an additional year of funding for non-URDM students is not guaranteed at this time and is contingent upon availability.
Qualifications: Applicants with experience OR interest in justice, land-back, truth & reconciliation, Indigenous food sovereignty, interdisciplinary environmental studies and sustainability, and/or qualitative research should apply. Applicants with a BA or BS in any field will receive consideration. Those with a background in food, agriculture, and sustainability; social science; qualitative research; and/or interdisciplinary environmental studies and sustainability fields are preferred.
Candidates for this position should possess outstanding written and oral communication and project management skills. Candidates must be self-motivated and able to work both independently with guidance and support from INFAS stakeholders. Candidates should demonstrate a strong commitment to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in higher education
Job Category: Graduate Research Assistantship (12 months) + Graduate Teaching Assistantship (9 months)
GRA Salary: $16,440 stipend; health insurance ($2,482) + tuition and fees ($7,284) | Total Package: $26,206
GTA Salary for another year guaranteed only for underrepresented domestic minority students:
$12,330 stipend; health insurance ($2,482) + tuition and fees ($6,859) | Total Package: $21,671
Program: MS in Environment, Natural Resources, & Society (ENRS), Haub School of Environment and
Natural Resources, University of Wyoming
Start Date: August 22
Application Deadline: May 31, at 5:00 p.m. MST.
How to Apply: Please send the following materials as one PDF document with the subject and filename “Your Name_INFAS ENRS GA” to Dr. Rachael Budowle at rbudowle@uwyo.edu:
(1) Cover letter/narrative explaining your desire to pursue graduate education, research interests, career goals, and relevant experience for this position;
(2) CV/resume including degree(s) earned, GPA, and contact information for at least three references;
(3) Unofficial transcripts; and
(4) A relevant professional, scholarly/academic, or creative writing or work sample (if available).
Note: this position will ultimately require successful admission to the MS in Environment, Natural Resources, & Society at the University of Wyoming, but applicants should first inquire with Dr. Budowle and/or apply directly for the position with her before pursuing admission to the program.
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