Funding is available to support a Ph.D. student interested in wildfire social science and human community recovery following wildfire impacts. Successful candidates will work directly with Dr. Travis Paveglio in the Department of Natural Resources and Society at the University of Idaho and in conjunction with Dr. Catrin Edgeley in the School of Forestry at Northern Arizona University. The funded project supporting the assistantship will involve: (1) interviews and interaction with a variety of human populations (e.g. residents, land management or conservation professionals, policymakers, emergency managers, firefighters, etc.) involved in wildfire recovery across multiple states, including California, New Mexico, Montana, Colorado, Idaho and Washington; (2) collection and evaluation of information about diverse wildfire recovery programs available to impacted populations; and (3) development of a database designed to help organize and provide resources for human populations or agencies facilitating recovery following wildfire. The successful applicant will contribute to and lead various components of the project, including but not limited to content analyses, interviews and mixed-mode surveys. The student will work directly with local governments and community organizations across several study areas to produce and communicate research findings that can support local needs related to wildfire recovery and inform the use of federal- and state-level disaster assistance programs.
The successful candidate will be based at the University of Idaho’s Moscow campus. They will receive a stipend that covers 20 hours a week as a research assistant, health insurance, and a tuition waiver.
Preferred qualifications:
Knowledge of or experience with a variety of social science research methods
Strong interpersonal skills and an ability to effectively communicate with a wide range of non-academic or academic audiences
Experience conducting social science as it applies to wildfire, resource management, hazards or other environmental issues
An interest in applying social or policy theories to resource management or hazard management actions
A willingness to recruit for and conduct field work with a diverse range of stakeholders, including in-person interviews, drop-off surveys, focus groups, or workshops
Other desirable attributes include:
Existing experience with wildfire management, wildfire/hazard planning and mitigation or disaster/hazard recovery
Ability to travel and stay at various research locations throughout the year
Documented experience with qualitative, quantitative, or spatial analysis techniques
Working knowledge of programs and platforms such as SPSS, NVivo, Qualtrics, and/or ArcMap
Successful candidates would start in Summer or Fall of 2023. To apply please send the following to Dr. Travis Paveglio at tpaveglio@uidaho.edu: (1) a short statement of interest clearly stating experience, qualifications and research interests as they relate to this project; and (2) a current curriculum vitae (CV). Qualified applicants may be contacted for additional information. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis until the position is filled.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Dr. Paveglio at tpaveglio@uidaho.edu.For more information about the University of Idaho Ph.D. graduate degrees, including eligibility requirements, visit the graduate programs webpage for the College of Natural Resources.
