Postdoctoral Research Associate, Environmental Justice Policy Clinic

The Repair Lab at the University of Virginia seeks a Postdoctoral Research Associate to help build the Environmental Justice Policy Clinic (EJPC) housed under the auspices of the Lab. The EJPC will synthesize research on environmental issues affecting communities in the mid-Atlantic region, working with emerging citizen-led groups to develop interventions to improve local outcomes. The goal of the EJPC is to consolidate legal and policy resources for addressing environmental problems, and to promote community-centered, equitable and democratic approaches to policymaking at all levels. The Postdoctoral Research Associate will work closely with faculty affiliated with the Repair Lab and the Lab's practitioner-in-residence to build the EJPC from the ground-up, imparting their vision to projects related to environmental justice that answer policy-relevant questions.
We are particularly interested in scholars who are engaging with critical issues in environmental justice including: community mobilization, the role of the ideology of race and the experiences of minority/marginalized populations in formal and informal institutions, policy-making and political action, climate change policy and regional and urban planning.
The postdoctoral fellow will operate in an administrative capacity managing the operation of the EJPC. This includes synthesizing research on issues affecting communities in the mid-Atlantic region, working with emerging citizen-led groups to develop interventions to improve local outcomes and creating an online database with publicly available information. Additionally, the post-doc will collaborate with the Lab's practitioner-in-residence, manage the work of research associates and/or graduate students, who provide analytic and relationship support on some project and be the primary point of contact with government agency partners. The postdoc will manage those relationships, provide deliverables on time, attend and organize meetings with stakeholders, and keep engagement active and bi-directional. The post-doc would develop project leadership experience and gain extensive practice working with large administrative data sets. The position does not include teaching obligations. It is expected that approximately 75% of the postdoctoral associate's time will be spent working with the EJPC, 10% collaborating on related projects (e.g. Oral History Initiative and film series) across the Repair Lab and 15% will be on your own research.
We seek individuals with a highly independent project and data management capacity, strong written and oral communication skills, a research portfolio focused on questions of environmental justice, and rich experience working with citizen-led groups. We are open to all areas of environmental justice policy.
Applications are invited from scholars of political science, Black and ethnic studies, public policy and other relevant disciplines. The Repair Lab is founded on the premise that racial injustice and climate change are critical challenges facing democracy, and that they are inextricably linked. The Lab generates policy-relevant, cross-disciplinary research to inform environmental justice policy, and is part of the University of Virginia's Democracy Initiative.
Minimum Qualifications: A Ph.D. in a related field within the past six (6) years; excellent written and oral communication skills; a strong work ethic.
Notes: This position is based in Charlottesville, Virginia. The initial appointment is for 1 year, however, the appointment may be renewed for an additional year contingent upon available funding and satisfactory performance. The position is available starting from August of 2021.
This is a salaried position at $53,000 per year plus benefits.
Review of applications will begin immediately.
The University will perform background checks on all new hires prior to employment.
TO APPLY:
Apply online at https://uva.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/UVAJobs : search for posting # R0024841 (or through Workday for internal applicants), complete the application, and attach the following documents:
*Please note that all required documents MUST be uploaded in the "resume" box.
REQUIRED DOCUMENTS:
- C.V/Resume
- Cover Letter
- Statement of research plans (1,500 word max).
- Contact information for three references (name, email address, telephone number, and address)
*Applications that do not contain all the required documents will not receive full consideration.
For questions about the position, please contact Jennifer Ludovici, at jll4m@virginia.edu . For questions about the application process, please contact Nicole Robinson, Faculty Search Advisor, at nr7f@virginia.edu .
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