Department: Construction Management
Date Available: January 6, 2020

Application Deadline: October 1st, 2019

General Duties/Description:

We are looking for a graduate research assistant to join our project team on the NSF funded grant, “Knowledge Work and Coordination to Improve O&M and IT Collaboration to Keep Our Buildings Smart AND Secure” for the 2019-2020 academic year.

This three-year study addresses the organizational and cultural challenges that an organization’s information technology (IT) staff and a building’s operations and management (O&M) staff have when they work closely together to keep Internet of Things (IoT) devices, such as room occupancy sensors, safe and secure from cyberattacks and other cybersecurity threats. We aim to better understand and improve how IT and O&M professionals can work better together and how public policy may affect their collaboration around IoT security. The research team will conduct observations, interviews, and document analyses on collaborative O&M and IT cybersecurity efforts on universities in the Pacific Northwest and across the United States. You can find a full description of the project here: https://sites.google.com/uw.edu/ctop-iot-collaboration

This RAship would be a good fit for students interested in or looking to deepen their expertise in organizational communication, technology policy, and/or security. The RA can expect to gain experience and mentorship developing the following skills: research tool development, observational research/ethnography and interviewing, human subjects requirements, conducting background research and literature reviews, writing, and research project management.

General Research Assistant duties:

• Collect and analyze qualitative data (observations, interviews, documents)
• Summarize project data and results
• Assist in research tool development
• Provide background research and/or conduct literature reviews for the project
• Subject recruitment and consent
• Maintain accurate records of interviews and observation data, safeguarding the confidentiality of subjects
• Attend project team meetings
• Manage and respond to project related email and assist in project scheduling
• Prepare, maintain, and update website materials as needed
• Attend area seminars and other meetings as needed
• Prepare other articles, reports, and presentations as needed

Requirements:

• Academic knowledge and/or experience using qualitative/interpretive methods
• Able to work and thrive in a collaborative team environment
• Familiarity with Excel, Word, Google Docs
• Strong communication skills
• Demonstrated ability to work independently as well as collaboratively
• Flexible schedule for conducting observations

Preferred

• Prior knowledge and/or experience in ethnography, interviews, and/or case study methods as part of coursework or dissertation/thesis work
• Experience in light project management
• Experience interacting with research participants
• Familiarity with internet-related issues
• Academic background in Communication, Anthropology, Construction Management, Technology Policy, Sociology, International Studies, Political Science, Informatics, or other related field

Hours and Salary: This position will be approximately 20 hours per week, with a 220 hours per quarter expectation in fall, winter and spring quarters. This position has a summer quarter option. Salary is commensurate with academic standing, qualifications, and experience.

How to Apply:

Please send 1) CV or resume, 2) short writing sample, and 3) a letter of intent to Laura Osburn, lbusch@uw.edu, Department of Construction Management, University of Washington.

Notes:  This job classification is governed by a negotiated labor contract and is subject to union shop provisions. For more information about union shop provisions, visit: http://www.washington.edu/admin/hr/jobs/apl/union-info.html

The University of Washington is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer. To request disability accommodation in the application process, contact the Disability Services Office at 206.543.6450 / 206.543.6452 (tty) or dso@u.washington.edu.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has two upcoming funding opportunities:

1. Maximizing Opportunities for Scientific and Academic Independent Careers (MOSAIC) Postdoctoral Career Transition Award to Promote Diversity: The purpose of the MOSAIC Postdoctoral Career Transition Award to Promote Diversity program is to support a cohort of early career, independent investigators from diverse backgrounds conducting research in NIH mission areas. The long-term goal of this program is to enhance diversity in the biomedical research workforce. The MOSAIC K99/R00 program is designed to facilitate a timely transition of promising postdoctoral researchers from diverse backgrounds from their mentored, postdoctoral research positions to independent, tenure-track or equivalent faculty positions at research-intensive institutions. The MOSAIC K99/R00 program will provide independent NIH research support before and after this transition to help awardees launch successful, independent research careers. Additionally, MOSAIC K99/R00 scholars will be part of organized scientific cohorts and will be expected to participate in mentoring, networking, and professional development activities coordinated by MOSAIC Institutionally-Focused Research Education Award to Promote Diversity (UE5) grantees. Link to opportunity: PAR-19-343 (K99/R00 – Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
2. Data Sharing for Demographic Research Infrastructure Program: The purpose of this funding opportunity announcement (FOA) is to increase the impact of NICHD-funded research within the scientific mission of the NICHD Population Dynamics Branch (PDB) by providing research infrastructure to: promote data sharing; support the development of procedures and technologies for data sharing; disseminate best practices in data sharing; provide a resource that catalogs NICHD-funded data available for secondary analysis; and promote the secondary analysis of data collected through NICHD grants to research teams outside the original grantees. Link to opportunity: RFA-HD-20-001 (R24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is inviting grant proposals for the following initiatives:

1. Grand Challenges: Voices for Economic Opportunity seeks to elevate new and diverse voices that can help broaden the conversation about the issues underlying economic mobility in the United States and generate deeper awareness and actionable understanding. Application is open to U.S.-based investigators. Initial grants of USD $100,000 will be awarded, and applications are only two pages, with no preliminary data required. Applicants can be at any experience level; in any discipline; and from any type of organization, including colleges and universities, government laboratories, research institutions, non-profit organizations and for-profit companies. Application deadline is Wednesday, November 13, 2019 11:30 am PST.
2. Grand Challenges Explorations: Innovations for Improving the Impact of Health Campaigns seeks innovative solutions that accelerate the improvement of coverage, reach, efficiency, and effectiveness of campaign-based delivery of health interventions. Initial grants of USD $100,000 will be awarded, and applications are only two pages, with no preliminary data required. Applicants can be at any experience level; in any discipline; and from any type of organization, including colleges and universities, government laboratories, research institutions, non-profit organizations and for-profit companies. Application deadline is Wednesday, November 13, 2019 11:30 am PST.
3. Opening Influenza Research, a partnership between the Flu Lab, the Center for Open Science, and PLoS, seeks to promote the availability of negative results, null results, and replications of important findings. Application deadline is November 30, 2019.

The Bridge Funding Program provides bridge funding to support faculty to span a temporary funding gap in critical research programs. Maximum of $50,000 may be applied for through the Provost; all funding requests must be matched 1:1 by the applicant’s college/school.  A total of $500,000 is available for each round of awards. Bridge Funding awards are typically used to support on-going research programs that have lost funding, although these funds may also be used to support new research directions, at the discretion of the recipient.

Eligibility Requirements Include:

• Faculty with a track record of extramural funding who have lost all of their research support at the time of the Bridge application, or who will lose all of their research support within six months of the Bridge application deadline.
• Junior faculty with a record of productivity who have exhausted their startup funds, but who have not yet obtained their first research funding (including an RRF award) either as a PI or as a co-investigator.
• A facility providing a key resource to multiple faculty that has lost extramural support. One faculty member should submit the proposal on behalf of the team.

The Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR) is recruiting highly qualified Post-Docs/Research Scientists, Research Faculty, and PhD students for multiple positions in the Lab of Digital and Computational Demography.

MPIDR is one of the leading demographic centers in the world. It is part of the Max Planck Society, a network of 84 institutes that form Germany’s premier basic-research organization. Max Planck Institutes have an established record of world-class, foundational research in the sciences, technology, social sciences and the humanities. They offer a unique environment that combines the best aspects of an academic setting and a research laboratory.

Links for open positions:

• Postdocs Digital and Computational Demography
• W2 Research Faculty Position (equivalent to Associate Professor)
• PhD student positions
• Summer Research Visits

Amazon’s Sustainability organization points Amazon’s innovative culture at environmental and social impacts with enormous scale. We consider the full lifecycle of our impact, from supply chain to customer experience, operational efficiency to waste diversion. We take action to improve the impact amazon has on the environment and people within our supply chains, looking for wins that are good for our customers, suppliers, and our business as well. Sustainability Science and Innovation (SSI) is a team of environmental and social research scientists and product managers answering core sustainability questions for the larger organization and looking around corners to identify environmental and social impacts and opportunities.

A Research Scientist at Amazon applies data science, subject matter expertise, and business acumen to deliver results at scale. As a Sustainability Science Researcher (Social Responsibility), you will be responsible for conducting assessments of social issues/impacts across Amazon, evaluating social sustainability impacts of value chains, from manufacturing, to transportation, to consumer. The ideal candidate will have industry experience researching key social issues/impacts/opportunities across the value chain. The candidate should be comfortable working with ambiguity, imperfect data, identifying sources of uncertainty, and finding public data or working with program teams to fill the gaps where needed. This candidate will also possess excellent communication, negotiation and influencing skills to drive consensus across multiple stakeholders.

The Center for International Social Science Research (CISSR) at the University of Chicago is seeking a Center Supervisor to support the center’s research programs and advance new initiatives for fostering empirical research in the social sciences. CISSR is a small community of dedicated scholars; the work is interesting, flexible, and semi-structured.

The Center Supervisor reports to CISSR’s Faculty Director and works closely with the Director, Board and Faculty Fellows on a day-to-day-basis. In managing CISSR’s day-to-day activities and operations, the Center Supervisor exercises considerable independent judgment and coordinates with key Divisional and University staff as appropriate. The Center Supervisor will: execute programs and sponsored activities designed by the Board; serve as liaison between the Director, Faculty Fellows, University Administrative Offices, and external agencies; supervise student assistants; coordinate logistics for visitors; support the Director and Faculty Fellows to disseminate research findings; oversee the CISSR website and bi-weekly Digest.

The University of Kentucky Center for Poverty Research, in conjunction with the United States Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service and the Food and Nutrition Service, announces a new Request for Proposals for food insecurity research using the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID). Research funded competitively under this announcement will focus on economic analyses of longitudinal household food insecurity and its links to food assistance program participation, work, income, consumption, and wealth. It is anticipated that five (5) grants at $50,000 each will be awarded.

The PSID began in 1968 as a survey of 4,800 American families and has since followed the children and grandchildren of original respondents. Today there are more than 11,000 PSID families and 26,000 individuals who participate in the survey. The USDA provided funding to include the 18-item Household Food Security Module on the 1999, 2001, and 2003 PSID main family surveys, as well as the 1997 Child Development Supplement (CDS). Food Security Module questions were also included on the 2014 CDS and on the 2015 and 2017 main family surveys.

The aim of this grant initiative is to expand upon the first round of PSID grants (see http://ukcpr.org/research/food-assistance-food-insecurity/psid) by competitively awarding cutting-edge longitudinal research on causal links between food insecurity and child, adult, and family well-being across the domains of income, employment, consumption, wealth, and family structure utilizing both the historical, and especially, the newly released 2015 and 2017 data on food insecurity in the PSID.

Prospective researchers are encouraged to submit a letter of intent to UKCPR by Oct. 10, 2019, with full proposals due Nov. 14, 2019, by 5 p.m. For details on submission, see the full request for proposals here. Interested researchers may also contact UKCPR Assistant Director Jeff Spradling at ukcpr@uky.edu or 859-257-7641 for more information.