Assistant Research Professor

Penn State’s Social Science Research Institute (SSRI) and Population Research Institute (PRI) seek a talented scholar to join their large transdisciplinary POLARIS team. POLARIS, or Pursuing Opportunities for Long-term Artic Resilience for Infrastructure and Society, is a newly funded National Science Foundation project that studies environmental migration, food security, and human-environment conflicts in coastal Arctic Indigenous communities and identifies the important assets (social, environmental, infrastructural, institutional) to help them adapt and become more resilient to climate-related changes. More information about the project can be found at https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1927827&HistoricalAwards=false. The research is interwoven with education, outreach, local community engagement, international comparison and collaboration, and evaluation. The team is composed of more than 20 collaborators from Penn State, University of Alaska at Anchorage, University of Alaska at Fairbanks, and Michigan Tech. This position will have both project management and research responsibilities. This position will manage and coordinate project activities. This position will also help ensure the team is on track and milestones achieved in a timely, efficient, and effective manner. For research, this position will participate in and collaborate on research activities of this project; this position will also lead research in his/her own research area. The successful candidate will also lead developing new projects or components of them. This position requires a Ph.D. or equivalent degree. Fieldwork experience in the Arctic, especially in coastal Indigenous communities is desired. Some fieldwork experience in remote research settings is a minimum. Candidates from social and natural science fields are all welcome to apply for this position, but the candidate should be comfortable and able to work with researchers and others across a wide variety of disciplines and perspectives. Interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research experience is desired. This position requires an individual who is self-motivated, detail-oriented, responsible, team-oriented, and creative, with excellent organizational, interpersonal, and communication skills as well as research proficiency, and ability to multi-task. Applicants should submit a brief cover letter that describes relevant experiences along with a current curriculum vita, and contact information for three professional references (name, current position title, mailing address, telephone number, and e-mail address). This is a fixed-term appointment funded for one year from date of hire with excellent possibility of renewal. This position is expected to be at least four years. A competitive package will be provided, and selection is dependent upon successful completion of background clearances in accordance with Penn State Policy.