Dubois, ID

Position Title: Fellowship on Co-producing Rangeland Social-ecological Research in the U.S. West

Organization: U.S. Department of Agriculture

Location: Dubois, Idaho

Position Overview:  This project rests on the idea that scientific innovations in natural resource management and food production systems are most effective when bundled with social and institutional innovations. They apply this idea to rangeland livestock production in the US Intermountain West and research at the RSPER Unit based in Idaho.

The ORISE fellow will be involved in a team conducting research to develop and implement a “Rangeland Collaboratory” project to address these topics through participatory research. This approach integrates experimental research, local knowledge, and conservation goals together with ranching objectives to bolster manager adaptive capacity. More specifically, the project replicates methods for collaborative adaptive rangeland management developed by ARS researchers in Colorado and adapts these to the range sheep systems of the Intermountain West. In this context, there is a need for: 1) clear methodological frameworks for co-produced research within the ARS research unit; 2) a greater understanding of the goals and mental models of diverse public partners and stakeholders who may be able to enhance livestock production, biodiversity conservation, and climate adaptation goals on rangelands; 3) methods to integrate these diverse goals into participatory experimental study designs; 4) methods to convene collaborative research and enhance social learning across public and private land contexts, stakeholder groups, and throughout vast landscapes.

Duties:

• Collaborate with a team of researchers, public partners, and agency staff to contribute to the design, development, and implementation of Collaboratory research goals, including the development of co-produced research methodologies and stakeholder assessment processes.
• Collaborate with team members to develop and implement a qualitative research protocol focused on stakeholder assessment, collaborative learning activities, and mental model elucidation during in-person and virtual meetings and/or field research.
• Travel and/or meet virtually with stakeholders and partners across the region.
• Collect data to evaluate research project objectives.
• Assist and/or co-lead in the development of analytical approaches that examine the historical, cultural and ecological contexts of land management goals and strategies, natural resource management conflicts, and key knowledge needs among agricultural, conservation, and public agency stakeholders based on interviews, focus groups, and collaborative activities.
• Organize, summarize, and synthesize relevant scientific literature, qualitative and quantitative data, and related project documents to advance scientific knowledge of stakeholder context and goals.
• Communicate and coordinate team project tasks and timelines through virtual and in-person formats.
• Develop skills in meeting and qualitative data collection facilitation, data analysis, and scientific writing.
• Participate as a collaborator or leader in the development of peer-reviewed scientific publications and outreach publications or presentations.

Qualifications: The qualified candidate should have received a master’s or doctoral degree in one of the relevant fields, or be currently pursuing one of the degrees to be received by January 1, 2024.

Start Dates: January 2024

Salary/Pay: $54,200 (Master’s) and $65,200 (Ph.D.)

Application Deadline: November 24

How to Apply: Please use the online application to view the full job description as well as how to apply.