Research Associate in Environmental Governance and Coastal Change

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Job Description:

Barnard College’s Department of Anthropology seeks a Research Associate to work with Professor Paige West on a collaborative project examining environmental governance and community responses to ecological change. The project brings research on coastal restoration and climate adaptation into conversation with longstanding collaborative work on conservation and Indigenous sovereignty in Papua New Guinea.

The Research Associate will investigate how environmental change becomes defined as crisis and how these definitions shape planning priorities and possibilities for community action. Particular attention will be given to the relationship between ecological restoration and histories of extraction and dispossession. The project will also examine how official representations of environmental loss intersect with residents’ knowledge of changing landscapes and their efforts to defend meaningful relationships with land and water.

Responsibilities include synthesizing interdisciplinary scholarship, analyzing ethnographic and archival materials, and developing comparative arguments with Professor West. The successful candidate will contribute to co-authored publications and research proposals, prepare materials for broader audiences, and help organize exchanges among scholars, environmental practitioners, and community collaborators.

$25 / hour, up to 100 hours total

Skills, Qualifications & Requirements:

Applicants should hold a Ph.D. in anthropology or a closely related field. The ideal candidate will bring substantial research experience in coastal environmental governance, demonstrated expertise in the politics of restoration and planning, and a strong grounding in political ecology. Experience analyzing maps and environmental narratives alongside ethnographic evidence is particularly desirable. We welcome candidates whose work connects critical humanistic inquiry with collaborative environmental research. Strong writing skills, experience coordinating interdisciplinary initiatives, and a demonstrated capacity to work with community organizations are essential.

The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to departmental budgets, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, specialty, and training. The above hiring range represents the College's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.

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