Graduate Associate Positions Available: The Environmental and Social Sustainability Lab
The Environmental and Social Sustainability Lab in the School of Environment and Natural Resources at The Ohio State University is seeking high-quality MS and PhD applicants to begin graduate studies during the 2019-2020 academic year. Our curriculum includes foundational training in relevant theoretical areas (e.g., sociology, psychology, political science, communication, human geography) and related research methods and statistics. Our students and faculty engage in research within the U.S. as well as international settings with emphasis spanning both theoretical advancement and application. Our recent graduates have been offered positions in academic and applied settings (e.g., government agencies, nongovernmental organizations).
Several research positions are available in Environmental Social Sciences within the topic areas below.
1. Environmental policy and agricultural decision-making: Projects examine the interactions between environmental policy, individual land use/management decisions, and physical landscape outcomes. Examples include:
a) Examining how farmers adapt to climate change, and the impact of those changes on both crop production and ecosystem services (biodiversity, water quality, etc.), with a focus on identifying policies that maximize sustainability and resilience in the eastern corn belt. This position will be through a funded USDA NIFA project titled “Regional integrated modeling of farmer adaptations to guide agroecosystem management in a changing climate" (Project overview). Faculty advisor: Dr. Robyn Wilson. b) Examining the development of rural identity, the influence of rural identity on decisions (e.g., support for environmental policies, adoption of conservation behaviors, etc.) and the evolution of this identity within areas of social and environmental change. Faculty advisor: Dr. Eric Toman.
2. Pro-environmental behavioral interventions and technology adoption. Projects examine the effectiveness of structural and motivational approaches in promoting a variety of pro- environmental behaviors, or the factors that influence consumer decisions to adopt sustainable technologies (e.g., electric vehicles (EVs)). Examples include:
a) Framing effects of "carbon footprint"-type feedback on food, energy, and water consumption behaviors, and the cognitive and affective processes through which such feedback translates to behavior change; self-monitoring as a strategy for breaking wishful recycling habits. Faculty advisor: Dr. Nicole Sintov; projects page. b) The influences of self-identity and perceived symbolic attributes in EV adoption (in partnership with Smart Columbus); the potential for bundled vehicle subscription models to attenuate contextual barriers to EV adoption; the structure and role of consumer trust pertaining to autonomous vehicle adoption. Faculty advisor: Dr. Nicole Sintov; projects page
3. Collaborative and adaptive governance in environmental policy: Projects study how policy stakeholders (governmental and non-governmental actors) engage in collaborative behavior to tackle environmental problems that result from excessive, improper, or controversial use of common-pool resources. Examples include:
a) Examining the creation and evolution of institutions designed to protect water access and quality in freshwater bodies in the U.S., South America, and East Africa. Possible faculty advisors: Drs. Ramiro Berardo or Matt Hamilton. b) Studying the drivers of conflict and cooperation over hydraulic fracturing regulations and laws in 15 states in the U.S., and analyzing the formation of advocacy coalitions in the design and implementation of federal regulations to address climate change. Faculty advisor: Dr. Ramiro Berardo. c) Evaluating how political and biophysical risk shapes social interaction in collaborative governance settings. Projects focus on study systems in which environmental and/or demographic change amplifies hazard conditions (e.g., fire-prone landscapes in the western U.S.). Possible faculty advisors: Drs. Matt Hamilton or Eric Toman. d) Drawing upon the tools and perspectives of network science to improve understanding of how environmental governance institutions mediate human-environment feedbacks, either focusing on empirical systems (using data in hand) or through computational modeling. Faculty advisor: Dr. Matt Hamilton
4. Human-wildlife interactions: Projects examine the socio-psychological factors (e.g., values, wildlife value orientations) that influence human-wildlife interactions and more broadly, wildlife conservation and management. Students with experience using ArcGIS or QGIS are ideal, though such experience can be acquired at OSU. Examples of projects include:
a) An examination of what influences shifts in wildlife value orientations across the United States due to the modernization of contemporary society, including what such a shift means for wildlife management and conservation. Faculty advisor(s): Dr. Alia Dietsch, in collaboration with Colorado State University, see: www.wildlifevalues.org b) Investigating spatial components of human-wildlife conflict, particularly conflict associated with large-bodied mammals (e.g., wolves, bears, elk, moose, deer). Possible faculty advisors: Drs. Alia Dietsch or Jeremy Bruskotter. c) Exploring the predictive validity of secondary data sources to enhance wildlife management objectives, particularly in relation to Ohio’s deer population. Possible faculty advisors: Dr. Alia Dietsch or Jeremy Bruskotter. d) Examining management of endangered species in the context of environmental change. Faculty advisor: Dr. Eric Toman
5. Role of ecosystem services in conservation and economic development: Projects examine ecosystem services as tools for resource conservation and rural economic development. Examples include:
a) Assessing the use of non-timber forest products and ecosystem services as economic incentives for resisting development pressures faced by woodland owners in rapidly urbanizing areas. Faculty advisor: Dr. Sayeed Mehmood. b) Analyzing nonmarket valuation of ecosystem services as means to providing a more holistic valuation of natural resources. Faculty advisor: Dr. Sayeed Mehmood.
6. Public lands and visitor use management: Projects examine factors that influence decision-making related to management of visitors on public lands (e.g., national wildlife refuges, parks, or forests; state or local metro parks). Examples include:
a) A nation-wide assessment of visitors to National Wildlife Refuges. This project, funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is aimed at understanding visitor satisfaction with current refuge offerings and predicting future recreation demand across the Refuge System given changes in social-ecological conditions. Faculty advisor: Dr. Alia Dietsch. b) An examination of what leads to noncompliant/illegal behaviors across the National Park Service, including methods for detecting and addressing wildlife-feeding behaviors within campgrounds at national parks. Faculty advisor: Dr. Alia Dietsch, in collaboration with Dr. Katie Abrams, CSU: https://wildlifedistance.org/
7. Environmental inequality: Projects investigate how social processes create and sustain environmental inequalities by race and class, and/or how these unequal exposures are linked to various disparities (e.g., health, access). Possible faculty advisors: Drs. Cathy Rakowski, Kerry Ard, or Alia Dietsch. Example projects include:
a) Exploring how recreational access differs by race and class, and what that access (or lack thereof) means for the future of the profession. Faculty Advisor: Dr. Alia Dietsch.
8. Sustainable development and community well-being: Projects exploring the relationship between human well-being, sustainable consumption, and the built and social environment in both urban and rural as well as national and international contexts. Possible faculty advisors: Drs. Linda Lobao or Cathy Rakowski.
Qualifications: Applicants should have a record of academic excellence (preferred GPA of 3.56 or higher and GRE quantitative score of 158 and verbal score of 156). Strong oral and written communication skills are required. Preferred, but not required qualifications include: demonstrated coursework in social science theories, and/or research and writing experience using quantitative (e.g., survey/experimental design, multivariate statistics) and/or qualitative (e.g., interviews, focus groups, and analysis) methodologies.
Support: Positions include a stipend of $20K+ per year (higher for PhD students) plus tuition payment and health benefits. Qualified students will be considered for college and university fellowships, research associateships, and/or teaching associateships.
To Apply: Submit an online application to Environment and Natural Resources at gpadmissions.osu.edu, including a statement of purpose (with a description of interest areas and relevant faculty), CV, and email addresses for 3 references. Send transcripts and GRE scores to Ohio State. All materials must be received no later than January 1, 2019. For full details on application requirements, see senr.osu.edu/graduate/admissions.
