Research Engagement Specialist – UofM School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)

Location: Ann Arbor, MI

Overview: 

We are seeking a Research Engagement Specialist to support the efforts of the Research Engagement Program at the Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research (CIGLR). In this position, you will join a collaborative team of researcher-practitioners to identify and engage with stakeholders and rights holders in the design of socially useful Great Lakes research. Through social science research and engagement practice, you will facilitate two-way interactions between researchers and end-users to ensure research products are designed with real world applications in mind, and are ultimately useful and usable for the people who might interact with them. Your work will support efforts to bridge gaps between scientists and end-users and ensure knowledge and research outcomes translate effectively to decision-support and operational contexts. You will work with researchers and stakeholders in the Great Lakes region, including government agencies, and individuals or groups from marginalized or traditionally underrepresented communities/identities. Examples of research products collaboratively designed at CIGLR include the Experimental Lake Erie Hypoxia Forecast and the Lake Erie Harmful Algal Bloom Forecast.

Research Engagement Specialist in the Research Engagement Program, are part of CIGLR’s Engagement, Career training, Outreach and communications (ECO) program. Learn more about the CIGLR Research Engagement Program here (link).

This position is open only to US Citizens or permanent residents due to federal security clearance required for access to NOAA GLERL facilities and resources.

Term Limited Appointment: This is a one-year term limited appointment, with an opportunity for extension based on funding and performance.

Roles/Responsibilities: 

These responsibilities may vary depending on the level the candidate is hired into.

• Under guidance from the Research Engagement Program Lead, develop and implement research engagement strategies using social science research methods such as focus groups, interviews, and surveys.
• Collect data related to stakeholder, rights holder and user’s  needs, knowledge, perceptions, behaviors, and cultures.
• Analyze qualitative and quantitative results to identify stakeholder information needs, generate recommendations for research product development, and evaluate research product usability.
• Collaborate with researchers in the development of products (such as web pages, fact sheets, and science presentations) to effectively communicate research results to stakeholders and rights holders.
• Create analytical outputs to inform the interdisciplinary research teams we collaborate with of our engagement results. This might include stakeholder & rights holder inventories, reports, and recommendations for research design and product improvement.
• Share the results of research co-design efforts with the broader technical and research community through public presentations, webinars, conferences, reports, and contributions to peer-reviewed publications in collaboration with the Research Engagement team and project research teams.
• Coordinate CIGLR’s engagement activities with other NOAA groups and partner organizations in the Great Lakes through participation in events, working groups, and conferences.

Qualifications: 

• Bachelor’s degree in a field related to social sciences, environmental studies, or engagement. A master’s degree is preferred.
• At least four (4) years of demonstrated experience in the following areas:
  • Professional or academic experience with social science methods for focus groups, interviews, and/or surveys including data analysis.
  • Professional or academic experience organizing and facilitating engagement or user-experience activities (e.g., work in human-centered or collaborative project design, user experience research or design of science/technology projects).
• Strong communication skills, particularly in front of the public. Must be able to produce technical reports, as well as translate science to a lay audience.
• Ability to work independently on individual job responsibilities and goals, but to also work well as part of an interdisciplinary team.