About the job
OUR STATEMENT
The San José State University Research Foundation (SJSURF) is committed to building a work environment where everyone can show up as their own self and have an opportunity to contribute, develop, and advance in their career. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) are core values of the organization. We strive to attract, retain, and develop employees who reflect the community and society where we work and live. The Research Foundation aims to develop a culture where everyone feels welcome, shares their views, and where differences in backgrounds and perspectives are seen as adding value.
GENERAL NATURE OF POSITION
Prof. Costanza Rampini in the Department of Environmental Studies and Prof. Serena Alexander in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at San José State University (SJSU) invite applications for a postdoctoral scholar position to research urban stream corridors (USCs) in the San Francisco Bay Area, with a focus on socio-economic and land use considerations. Urban areas in California span a wide range of environmental conditions, yielding a variety of USC archetypes. In turn, USC archetypes have different physical hazards, support unique habitats and ecological functions, and present different opportunities and challenges for unhoused folks and their social support services. This is the hazard-habitat-unhoused (HHU) nexus. However, USC archetypes are poorly known, classified, or spatially mapped, so we cannot understand the present HHU nexus, let alone forecast how they will change in the future. We are seeking a highly motivated and compassionate scholar to help design and implement a rigorous experimental framework and field campaign to characterize and differentiate the socio-ecology of USC archetypes with an emphasis on unhoused populations.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES
- This position will involve a mix of fieldwork, data collection and analysis, scientific writing, and related academic duties.
- Responsible for coordinating the SJSU research team in its various social science observational data collection efforts.
- Will supervise graduate students, undergraduate students, and the fieldwork crew working on i) rapid trash assessments, ii) social vulnerability surveys, and iii) land use analyses.
- Coordinate the work of the SJSU research team with that of our research partners at UC Davis and at three different RCDs.
INTERPERSONAL CONTACTS
- Reports to project director.
- Frequently interacts with SJSU students and research partners at UC Davis and three different Resource Conservation Districts.
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES
Alongside the project director, the postdoctoral researcher will supervise graduate students, undergraduate students, and fieldwork crew.
QUALIFICATIONS
Minimum Qualifications
- PhD degree in environmental studies, urban studies, urban planning, public policy, human geography, anthropology, or related field.
- Expertise in urban stream research, sustainable water resource management, spatial analyses, climate vulnerability analysis, climate adaptation planning and implementation, or related field.
- Must be proficient in written and spoken English. Proficiency in written and spoken Spanish is preferred but not required.
Additional Requirements
- Collaborate compassionately, inclusively, and effectively among diverse peers, students, and as part of the larger team that has multiple investigators and workers from academia, local government, and nonprofits, spanning diverse disciplines.
- Must be licensed and willing to drive the field crew to different urban stream locations in the nine San Francisco Bay Area counties.
- Demonstrated experience and skill with organization, time management, flexibility and adaptability.
- Quantitative and qualitative analysis skills, and ArcGIS proficiency.
- Experience working and outreach with underserved urban communities especially unhoused folks, multi-agency working, advocacy and community organizing.
- Proficiency to publish in scientific journals, and ability to communicate (oral and in print) research findings to multiple academic and nonacademic audiences.
Physical Demands
- Remotely located employment is not an option due to the field work involved.
- The postdoctoral researcher will be based at SJSU, but will work closely with the UC Davis team as well as several prominent nonprofit organizations in the Bay Area.
- Frequent and ongoing use of a computer terminal to conduct a variety of the more advanced clerical functions and communications.
- Periodic regular lifting, walking, and carrying of files, documents and other related materials. Incumbents must have the ability to lift and carry 15 lbs.
- Standing and sitting for long periods of time is periodically required.
A background check (including a criminal records check) must be completed satisfactorily before any candidate can be offered a position with the SJSURF. Failure to satisfactorily complete the background check may affect the application status of applicants or the continued employment of current SJSURF employees who apply for the position.
PLEASE NOTE: This position is considered a “sensitive” position by SJSURF and CSU policy. Consequently, the successful candidate must undergo and successfully complete the Live Scan (fingerprinting) background check as a condition of their employment. This background check must be completed before the actual start of employment.
NOTE: This position description intends to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this job. It is not intended to include all duties and responsibilities. The order in which duties and responsibilities are listed is not significant.
BENEFITS
The SJSURF provides an excellent benefits package to benefited employees. The comprehensive benefits package includes:
a) Four company health insurance plans to choose from (employee contributions differ according to plan and level of coverage).
b) Employer-paid dental and vision for both employee and eligible dependents.
c) Life, AD&D, LTD with supplemental coverage opportunities.
d) 14 paid federal & state holidays.
e) Retirement Plan: 403 (b) employee contribution plan component and a 403 (b) employer contribution component, which vests immediately.
f) Vacation-hour accruals and separate sick-hour accumulations.
g) Employee discounts.
h) Paid training and professional-development conferences.
Please visit the Benefits & Compensation page on the SJSURF website for more detailed information.
APPLICATION PROCEDURE
To apply for this position, an applicant must submit a formal application for employment.
REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION
The SJSURF is committed to providing access, equal opportunity, and reasonable accommodation for individuals with physical or mental disabilities in the employment, recruitment, examination, interviewing, and hiring processes. If you are a job seeker with a physical or mental disability, and you require a reasonable accommodation to search, apply, or interview for a job opening or otherwise need a reasonable accommodation during the application and hiring process, please contact us at foundation-jobs@sjsu.edu. In the email message, please indicate your full name, phone number and the type of assistance required. You must not reveal the underlying medical reason for your needed reasonable accommodation or otherwise disclose confidential medical information.
ABOUT THE SJSU RESEARCH FOUNDATION
SJSURF employment is separate and distinct from San José State University (SJSU) or state of California employment. SJSURF employees are not employees of SJSU or of the state of California.
SJSURF is a non-profit auxiliary of SJSU. SJSURF is totally self-supported. The majority of the organization’s funding comes from the federal government, and other public and private entities. With annual revenues totaling over $65 million, programs managed through SJSURF cover a rich diversity of applied research, public services, and educational-related activities.
SJSURF is an equal opportunity employer.
