The Environmental Frontiers Initiative seeks a Graduate Student Project Lead to oversee research efforts under EFCampus. EFCampus brings together students, faculty, and staff to collaboratively explore and implement sustainability practices on campus. This is a great opportunity for someone interested in bridging sustainability research and operational planning and includes direct access to the University’s sustainability efforts and institutional leadership.
The role is full-time over Summer Quarter, June 10 to August 16, and is paid $26/hour. We are looking for someone who can join the team part-time starting in April (5-10 hours/week). This will allow a transition and ramp-up period with the current graduate student lead before taking over to lead the projects. Applicants must be enrolled in a UChicago graduate program in Summer 2024 to be eligible to apply. This is a hybrid opportunity, with an expectation of working 2-3 days per week in the office and the option to work remotely the remaining days over the summer. There is potential to extend this role into the next academic year.
Job Summary
The Graduate Student Project Lead will oversee two to three research projects, including supervising teams of 3-4 undergraduate RAs. Working in close collaboration with faculty and staff stakeholders, the Graduate Student Project Lead will be responsible for scoping the next phases of project work, defining milestones and deliverables, and conceiving of programmatic strategy. The Grad Student Lead will serve as the central coordinator across all EF stakeholders, namely the undergraduate students, faculty members, and representatives from Facilities Services. In supervising the undergraduate RA teams, you will be responsible for providing regularly scheduled guidance on the students’ work, responding to their inquiries, ensuring they meet identified milestones and deadlines, and reviewing their work products for quality and completeness.
The projects for Summer 2024 have not been finalized yet, but current EFCampus projects include: 1) Lab Building Energy Analysis and Design, and 2) Business Air Travel Emissions Analysis with Booth. You can review past projects on our program page to get a general sense of the type of research involved. We are also planning to pilot a project extending into neighboring communities this summer.
Eligibility
- Must be enrolled in a University of Chicago graduate degree program during Summer 2024
- A minimum of 3-5 years of professional experience in conducting research projects, program/project management, sustainability planning, leading a team, and/or working with students
Preferred Qualifications
- Exceptional time and project management and organizational skills, including the ability to meet external and internal deadlines
- Demonstrates the skill and willingness to take initiative and to proactively anticipate project needs
- Ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously, set priorities, and manage resources accordingly
- A working knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Familiarity with data visualization platforms like Tableau a plus.
- Significant experience in quantitative methods and/or computational analysis preferred
- Experience working with senior leaders or executives in a complex environment
- Demonstrated ability to influence people to meet goals and deadlines, work collaboratively with senior leadership, scholars, student workers, and other stakeholders
- Preference for students with a demonstrated focus on environmental science, energy policy, sustainability research, conservation measures, or urban scholarship
About Environmental Frontiers Campus
EFCampus is the campus-based component of the Environmental Frontiers initiative, enabling students to use campus data, operational systems, and community behaviors as a case study for understanding a path to a more sustainable future, on campus and beyond. EFCampus provides undergraduate students opportunities to advance research on applied projects that explore campus sustainability, with an eye toward transferable knowledge to inform strategies in neighborhoods and whole urban areas. These data-driven projects will analyze campus data, engaging students in using rigorous quantitative methods to understand campus energy use and opportunities to increase efficiency. Working closely with faculty and staff from Facilities Services, students will think critically about what the data suggests are the most effective interventions to create energy-savings and reduce unnecessary consumption.
Environmental Frontiers is a partnership between the Mansueto Institute for Urban Innovation, the Committee on Environment, Geography and Urbanization (CEGU), the Center for Robust Decision-making on Climate and Energy Policy (RDCEP), and the Offices of Facilities Services and Campus Planning + Sustainability at the University of Chicago.
Applications are closed.
Applications are currently closed. For questions about the program, please contact Emily Padston at padston@uchicago.edu