Summer Research Assistant

Overview

Job Description – Summer Research Assistant

Temporary (4-8 week) Hourly Job ($20/hr) for Graduate Student

Job Summary: Bloustein PhD Candidate Laura Geronimo is hiring a student to support to support her dissertation research for an NJ Sea Grant funded project titled: Prioritizing Hazard Mitigation Investments for Equitable and Efficient Adaptation of Coastal Residential Communities. This is an exciting opportunity for a graduate student to receive training in mixed methods research in the field of coastal adaptation to flood risk. The student will assist Laura in preparing materials for her dissertation, research talks, and potential journal submissions. Laura is also co-chair of the Student and Post-doc Leadership Council (SPLC) for the large Megalopolitan Coastal Transformation Hub (MACH) project led by her advisors, which relates to this research.

Laura is building an analysis to evaluate the tradeoffs of different flood mitigation strategies for barrier island communities in New Jersey. Laura is interested in the range of economic, social, and environmental tradeoffs associated with two distinct policy pathways: remaining in risky areas versus retreating. Laura forms part of a larger research team directed by Dr. Clint Andrews focused on characterizing the local fiscal impacts of diverse risk reduction strategies. She is seeking a research assistant with a strong intellectual interest in climate adaptation and skills in quantitative and qualitative methods.

Responsibilities: The responsibilities include supporting Laura in a variety of research tasks, with a focus on literature review and data management and analysis. A central task will be to conduct a literature review to investigate costs associated with implementing specific mitigation strategies (e.g., home elevations, dune replenishment, roadway elevations, nature-based solutions, buyouts, etc.) in specific barrier island contexts, and how those costs are distributed across multiple levels of governance. Tasks involve reviewing municipal budgets, state and federal plans, FEMA data, and NOAA databases.

Requirements and Skills:

•   Strong skills in literature review, synthesis, writing, and communication.

Preferred:

• Completed Basic Quantitative Methods, Planning Methods, and Topics in GIS.
• Benefit-Cost Analysis
• Applied Multivariate Methods

Time Commitment and Compensation: The research assistant is expected to work 10 hours a week for about 4 weeks beginning June 1st – July 1st , 2022. Compensation is $20/hr, for a total of $800. There may be opportunity for extending the term of hire depending on need and student performance. The student will meet with Laura weekly to receive training and discuss tasks.

Application Process: Please submit your resume/CV and a few paragraphs describing your interest in the position and how your experience and skillset make you qualified for this position.

•  Submit materials to laura.geronimo@rutgers.edu by May 26th.
• Expected start date: June 1st.