Ph.D. Research Assistantship in Human Dimensions of Dams at the University of Rhode Island
Ph.D. research assistantship available in Human Dimensions of Dams with the Society, Ecology & Communication Lab at the University of Rhode Island ( http://seacomm.weebly.com). The student will work on a National Science Foundation-funded project that examines the economic, technological, ecological, social, and political trade-offs associated with different kinds of dam decisions in New England. Research includes textual and discourse analyses of news media and environmental impact statements; interviews, focus groups, and surveys with dam stakeholders and scientific team members; and stakeholder workshops to support participatory system dynamics simulations. Working under the direction of Dr. Caroline Gottschalk Druschke and a cross-disciplinary committee, the ideal candidate’s dissertation work will support stakeholder-driven solutions about dams by connecting research and theory in rhetoric and communication with subject areas like fish habitat and life cycle, stream ecology, land use change, or watershed geomorphology. With a strong foundation in rhetoric via Dr. Druschke’s influence, the student will engage in interdisciplinary, integrative coursework and research through the Environmental and Earth Sciences specialization (http://web.uri.edu/celsgradprograms/eves/) in the Biological and Environmental Sciences Ph.D. within the College of the Environment and Life Sciences. The research assistantship provides an annual stipend, including 20 hrs/wk in the summer, with a full tuition waiver, health insurance, and other fees (3 years of RA support guaranteed; potential for one additional year of RA support and two additional years of TA support). To apply submit the following by email to Dr. Caroline Gottschalk Druschke, [email protected]: (1) letter stating your qualifications and research interests; (2) CV; (3) unofficial copy of any college/grad transcripts; (4) copy of GRE scores; and (5) contact information (not letters) for three references. Priority given to applications received by 12/11/15. Selected candidates will be asked to apply to the Graduate School by 1/15/16. Candidates from underrepresented groups are encouraged to apply. This project is part of The New England Sustainability Consortium, which has launched a new stakeholder-engaged, solutions-focused, interdisciplinary research program focused on the future of dams ( https://www.newenglandsustainabilityconsortium.org/dams). Our research draws upon world-class faculty expertise at University of Rhode Island, University of New Hampshire, University of Maine, Rhode Island School of Design, Keene State University, and University of Southern Maine and builds on NEST’s experience in advancing the theory and practice of sustainability science. -- Dr. Caroline Gottschalk Druschke Assistant Professor, Departments of Writing & Rhetoric and Natural Resources Science, University of Rhode Island ORISE Fellow, USEPA Atlantic Ecology Division Society, Ecology & Communication Laboratory http://seacomm.weebly.com/
