Postdoctoral Fellowship in Climate Justice & Community Engagement

University of California Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA Full-time Education

Posted on April 22, 2024

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Postdoctoral Fellowship in Climate Justice & Community Engagement

Position overview
Position title: Postdoctoral Fellowship in Climate Justice & Community Engagement
Salary range: Commensurate with qualifications and experience. The posted UCSC salary scales set the minimum pay based on the individual’s Experience Level, which is determined by the number of months of postdoctoral service at any institution. See the salary scale titled, Postdoctoral Scholar-Employee /Postdoctoral Scholar-Fellow / Postdoctoral Scholar-Paid Direct -Fiscal Year. A reasonable estimate for this position is $65,000 - 78,000.

Percent time: Full-time (100%)

Anticipated start: Start date is negotiable but must be before June 1, 2024. Ph.D. must be in hand at the time of initial appointment (rather than at the time of application).

Position duration: Maximum Duration of Service in a Postdoctoral Title: Postdoctoral Scholar appointments are full-time and the initial appointment is for a minimum of two years, with the possibility of reappointment. The total duration of an individual’s postdoctoral service may not exceed five years, including postdoctoral service at any institution.

Application Window

Open date: February 20, 2024

Most recent review date: Sunday, Mar 31, 2024 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
Applications received after this date will be reviewed by the search committee if the position has not yet been filled.

Final date: Friday, May 31, 2024 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
Applications will continue to be accepted until this date, but those received after the review date will only be considered if the position has not yet been filled.

Position Description

The Center for Reimagining Leadership (CRL) and the Center for Coastal Climate Resilience (CCCR) at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC), in partnership with the Community Action Board of Santa Cruz County (CAB), invites applications for a Postdoctoral Fellowship in Climate Justice & Community Engagement. The Postdoctoral Fellow will work with a faculty mentor from UCSC and research mentors from CAB to co-design a community-engaged research project that both informs theory and practice in climate justice and aligns with the following core goals of the three partner organizations:

(1) Contribute to CRL’s mission to center and support the scholarly expertise and career goals of underserved early-career leaders with a view towards enhancing climate justice;
(2) Move forward CCCR’s goals of advancing innovative solutions for building coastal resilience that engage partners, foster leaders and address the challenges from climate change in California; and
(3) Contribute to CAB’s mission to eliminate poverty and create change through advocacy and essential services, and their work aimed at collaborating, resourcing and elevating the climate change conversation about impacts on local and regional communities, including preparedness education and recovery support

Each applicant should identify a primary faculty mentor from the Social Sciences or Humanities Divisions at UCSC. UCSC faculty mentors in other divisions may be considered as long as the project will be rooted in the social sciences and/or humanities research. Possible UCSC faculty mentors include those previously funded through CCCR Projects or those identified across campus. The Postdoctoral Fellow will also be mentored by CAB Executive Director, Maria Elena de la Garza, and her team. Given the close collaboration expected with CAB and the direct relevance of the project to CAB’s Community Action Plan (CAP), the fellow will spend some of their time at a designated CAB office in Watsonville. The fellow will be expected to be deeply immersed in CAB’s work and gain an understanding of the agency's history, mission, and service delivery across programs. The fellow will also have a significant amount of time to write and publish. The exact division of time will be determined in consultation with the UCSC and CAB mentors depending on the nature of the agreed project.

Fellows will receive two full years of postdoctoral salary and benefits plus $15,000 for research and travel expenses associated with their research project. Start date is negotiable but must be before June 1, 2024.

This position requires that the postdoctoral scholar collaborate and successfully work as part of a team, take initiative to ensure project progress, demonstrate critical thinking, and contribute to the preparation of academic publications and any outputs as agreed with CAB. Fluent Spanish language skills (verbal and written) are required for this position. Demonstrated experience working with and communicating with diverse partners (e.g., faculty researchers, staff, community leaders, community members) is essential. Experience with community engaged work and social science methods, such as conducting interviews, focus groups, and/or document analysis, are also required. Candidates with a demonstrated track record of contributing to enhancing diversity, equity and inclusion within their prior institutions are particularly encouraged to apply.

Applications will be evaluated based on the scholarly and community engaged qualifications of the applicant, the potential of the proposed project to contribute to the overlapping goals of the CRL, CCCR, and CAB, and the ability of the applicant and proposed mentor to carry out the project.

SPECIAL CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT
Written and verbal fluency in Spanish is required for this position.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS
All documents and materials must be submitted as PDFs and should be forwarded to Submit application materials as a single PDF via email to CRL Associate Director, Dr. Sikina Jinnah at sjinnah@ucsc.edu; please refer to the Postdoctoral Fellowship in Climate Justice & Community Engagement position the email subject line and refer to Position JPF01696 in all correspondence.

REQUIRED Documents/Materials

Cover Letter: Letter that details applicant’s experiences with community-engaged work, social science research, analytic skills, and career goals. The cover letter should also reflect on the CAB's 2023 Community Action Plan survey and explain how a fellowship that engages with CAB’s work will help them meet their goals and/or push forward climate justice (3 page maximum).
Curriculum Vitae: Your most recently updated C.V., which must include a list of publications (5 page maximum).
Letter of Support from a Prospective UCSC Faculty Mentor: Letter that describes their mentorship plan for you. If the faculty mentor is outside the social sciences or humanities divisions this letter must discuss how a mentor network will be created to support the fellow in social science and/or humanities research (2 page maximum).
List of Professional References: Provide the names and contact information for a minimum of three professional references (a maximum of five will be accepted). The committee will contact the references for applicants who are under serious consideration.

RECRUITMENT PERIOD
Full consideration will be given to applications completed by March 31, 2024. Applications received after this date will be considered only if the position has not been filled.

Center for Reimagining Leadership (CRL): https://news.ucsc.edu/2022/07/stem-leadership-advancement.html

Center for Coastal Climate Resilience (CCCR): https://officeofresearch.ucsc.edu/cccr/index.html

Community Action Board of Santa Cruz County (CAB): https://cabinc.org/

Qualifications

Basic qualifications (required at time of application)
Ph.D. (or equivalent foreign degree) in any field addressing climate justice and community engagement.

Help contact: sjinnah@ucsc.edu

About UC Santa Cruz

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, or protected veteran status. UC Santa Cruz is committed to excellence through diversity and strives to establish a climate that welcomes, celebrates, and promotes respect for the contributions of all students and employees. Inquiries regarding the University’s equal employment opportunity policies may be directed to the Office for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064 or by phone at (831) 459-2686.

Under Federal law, the University of California may employ only individuals who are legally able to work in the United States as established by providing documents as specified in the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. Certain UCSC positions funded by federal contracts or sub-contracts require the selected candidate to pass an E-Verify check (see https://www.uscis.gov/e-verify). The university sponsors employment-based visas for nonresidents who are offered academic appointments at UC Santa Cruz (see https://apo.ucsc.edu/policy/capm/102.530.html).

UCSC is a smoke & tobacco-free campus.

If you need accommodation due to a disability, please contact Disability Management Services at roberts@ucsc.edu (831) 459-4602.

UCSC is committed to addressing the spousal and partner employment needs of our candidates and employees. As part of this commitment, our institution is a member of the Northern California Higher Education Recruitment Consortium (NorCal HERC). Visit the NorCal HERC website at https://www.hercjobs.org/regions/higher-ed-careers-northern-california/ to search for open positions within a commutable distance of our institution.

The University of California offers a competitive benefits package and a number of programs to support employee work/life balance. For information about employee benefits please visit https://ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/compensation-and-benefits/index.html

As a University employee, you will be required to comply with all applicable University policies and/or collective bargaining agreements, as may be amended from time to time. Federal, state, or local government directives may impose additional requirements.

VISIT UC Santa Cruz: https://www.ucsc.edu

Job location

Santa Cruz, California

To apply, visit https://recruit.ucsc.edu/JPF01696

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