The Northwest Regional Invasive Species & Climate Change (NW RISCC) Network is looking for one (1) Graduate Research Assistant (GRA) to lead the creation of a Management Brief (a two-page research synthesis fact sheet) for 20 hours per week during the winter 2025 quarter. 

The GRA will work as part of a team to write, edit, and format a NW RISCC Management Brief, a 2-page fact sheet synthesizing the current knowledge and management implications of a current challenge to climate-smart invasive species management in the Northwest. This will include reviewing and synthesizing the published literature and other available data sources. The final fact sheet will be assigned a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) address and shared with members of the NW RISCC Network.

The NW RISCC Network is a partnership of scientists and practitioners from regional agencies and organizations dedicated to addressing the challenges posed by the combined impacts of climate change and invasive species. The GRA will also have the opportunity to participate in other NW RISCC activities such as planning webinars, website updates, and writing research summaries.

The GRA will choose from the following topics to focus their Management Brief:

• Using the Resist-Accept-Direct (RAD) framework in climate-smart invasive species management
• Spotted Lanternfly risks in the PNW
• Prioritizing native community resilience during invasive species management
• Feedback loops between invasive species and environmental degradation in the PNW 
• Current knowledge of climate-impacted, range-shifting invasive species in the PNW
• Learning as we go—Adaptive management in climate-smart invasive species management
• Another topic of the GRSA’s choice at the nexus of invasive species and climate change

This position requires strong writing and research skills, the ability to work independently and with a team, and enthusiasm about connecting research with practice. Best suited for a candidate that has taken coursework in ecology and/or environmental studies, and who is interested in science translation. Experience with invasive species ecology and/or management is a plus, but not required.

Pay range: $2,984–$3,291, plus benefits & tuition (Salaried, 50% FTE)

How to Apply: Candidates must be graduate students registered full-time for the winter 2025 quarter (10 credits). For consideration, please send a cover letter (1–2 page) and resume/CV to Eva Colberg (evamc@uw.edu), cc’ing Maria Anguiano (mariaxz@uw.edu), by December 23. Candidates will be notified by December 30.

The Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center (NW CASC) seeks a Research Assistant to support our efforts to evaluate the impact of our programs delivering science to help fish, wildlife, water, land and people adapt to a changing climate. The Research Assistant will work with NW CASC staff to update our evaluation efforts based on previously developed NW CASC evaluation strategies and the Research Assistant’s own exploration of contemporary literature and evaluation best practices. They will also develop related evaluation instruments such as survey questions, intake forms, interview protocols, etc. Particular attention will be devoted to developing goals and metrics evaluating the extent to which NW CASC is realizing its commitments to environmental justice and inclusion of underrepresented groups in science. In the process, the Research Assistant will learn about program management related to NW CASC’s Research Fellowship, Faculty Fellowship, Actionable Science Deep Dives, and Research Experience for Undergraduates programs among others. By the end of their assistantship, the Research Assistant will propose recommendations about how NW CASC can enhance its evaluation efforts, contribute to the related literature on program evaluation and integrate justice impacts into its current evaluation and tracking efforts.

Experience Required:

• Familiarity with developing survey questions, interview questions and other means of understanding and evaluating program impact
• Managing databases such as excel spreadsheets
• Familiarity with concerns about environmental justice and inclusion of underrepresented groups in the sciences

Experience Desired:

• Program evaluation
• Supporting the development of scientific literature reviews and peer-reviewed articles
• Familiarity with science boundary organizations
• Familiarity with justice implications related to work with Tribal governments and organizations
• Familiarity with assessing geographic footprint of impacts

Pay range: $2,984–$3,291, plus benefits & tuition (Salaried, 50% FTE)

How to Apply: Candidates must be graduate students registered full-time for the winter 2025 quarter (10 credits). For consideration, please send a cover letter (1–2 page) and resume/CV to Scott Kalafatis (scottkal@uw.edu), cc’ing Maria Anguiano (mariaxz@uw.edu), by December 23. Candidates will be notified by December 30.

The Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center (NW CASC) is looking for one Graduate Research Assistant (GSA) for 20 hours per week during the winter quarter of the 2024–2025 academic year to support the NW CASC communications program. The GSA will work closely with the NW CASC communications manager to keep external and internal communications channels up to date Specifically, the GSA will:

• Assist with updates to the NW CASC website, including compiling and developing content for new thematic pages highlighting NW CASC science, as well as improving usability of existing project pages and publication pages.
• Develop content for NW CASC Bluesky and LinkedIn accounts as well as the NW CASC newsletter if needed.
• Proofread and edit content for clarity and effectiveness.
• Coordinate and share information across a complex organization with a distributed team.

Job requirements and qualifications:

This GSA position requires excellent writing and organizational skills. Candidates should have experience translating science into compelling written materials. Ideally, candidate will have experience developing website and social media content and working in WordPress websites. This position is well suited for someone with the ability to thrive independently as well as operate in a team environment. Experience in graphic design is a plus, but not required.

Pay range: $2,984–$3,291, plus benefits & tuition (Salaried, 50% FTE)

How to apply: Candidates must be graduate students registered full-time for the winter 2025 quarter (10 credits). For consideration, please send a letter of interest and resume/CV to Darcy Gould (darcyjw@uw.edu), cc’ing Maria Anguiano (mariaxz@uw.edu) by Dec 23, 2024.