Graduate Student Researcher- Environmental Justice

We are hiring for a new GSR position focused on community-engaged research measuring air pollution in local communities that experience environmental injustice. This GSR will work on a new project funded by the University of California Office of the President entitled “Toxic Air Pollutants in California Environmental Justice Communities” (PI: Clare E. B. Cannon, Associate Professor, UC Davis).
Project Description: California has the worst air pollution in the US. Over the last few decades, regulations have improved air quality in areas suffering the most: Los Angeles, the Imperial Valley, and the San Francisco Bay Area. In 2017, the state began focusing on disadvantaged communities through the enactment of Assembly Bill 617 (AB617): “The Community Air Protection Program.” AB617 established the nation’s first state-run community-scale program to detect air pollution hotspots in communities, helping to reduce air pollutants that tend to occur at higher levels in low-income communities of color. The development of new air pollution measurement tools to implement AB617 can be an exceptional form of relief for these communities who for years have been advocating for access to cleaner air. Disadvantaged communities in California are typically exposed to two kinds of hazardous air pollutants (HAPs): toxic metals and toxic volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Two novel instruments developed by co-PI Tony Wexler, will be used by the research team with collaborative community approaches and educational outreach to build community capacity and to identify and analyze these hazardous air pollutants.
Research Activities for the Position Include:
• The GSR will be responsible for outreach with community partners and community members to make connections and begin to deploy the toxic metals instruments for data collection.
• Work with community partners to deploy the instrument and collect data. There will be an environmental chemist helping with the measurements. • Communicating the results to the community and working with them on remedies is of key importance.
• Conduct literature reviews to stay up to date on the latest environmental justice research into air pollution and other environmental hazards.
• Present research findings at conferences and in peer reviewed publications.
• Assist in writing grant proposals and project reports.
• Expected to work collaboratively with the entire research team across the UCD, UCSD, and UCI campuses.
This opportunity is for a 33% GSR, with funding that includes tuition, for the academic year 2023-2024 with the potential to extend. The GSR will work closely with Dr. Cannon to achieve project goals. Research funds are available through a UCOP MRPI grant.
Project Qualifications:
• Has a BA in environmental studies, public health sciences, or related field;
• Is working on their master’s or doctorate in environmental justice, or related field;
• Interest in outdoor air pollution and environmental justice;
• Interest and ability to learn qualitative and quantitative analytic techniques;
• Strong skills in community engagement and outreach, including background in community-based participatory action research;
• Strong written and communication skills;
• Ability to work independently and part of a team
To Apply: Please send a 1-page statement of research which includes qualifications and relevant research interests along with a CV and the name and contact information (emails and phone numbers) of 2 references.