A funded research assistantship is available for a motivated MA/MS student interested in environmental social science and social-ecological systems to join a transdisciplinary team as part of the Idaho wide project, Idaho Community-engaged Resilience for Energy-Water Systems (I-CREWS). This project will be in Idaho and will align with or be related to the themes of social resilience, environmental stewardship, local/Indigenous knowledges, food sovereignty, and/or energy-water systems. The student will be part of a transdisciplinary group of researchers investigating how social systems, such as governance dynamics and local knowledge, can inform behaviors, trade-offs, and energy-water futures in relation to climate, population, and technological change. Key partners within this project are the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes, the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, and the Treasure Valley energy-water community. Potential interdisciplinary graduate student projects will include a variety of innovative and integrative aspects and can focus on 1) working with diverse stakeholders and rightsholders to identify local knowledge of the drivers of social-ecological change and their consequences; and 2) exploring stakeholder/rightsholder social resilience in connection to energy and water through interviews and surveys; 4) assessing pathways to sustaining Indigenous sovereignty and/or the resilience of Tribal energy-water systems, and others. Students will be able to develop their own research projects within these or related themes. Students interested in projects that will benefit Tribal citizens and Nations and/or that integrate social science and ecology are especially encouraged to apply.

The position will begin in Summer or Fall of 2025 and includes one year of support for the student (approximately $24,000 per year), a tuition waiver, funds for fieldwork, and support for travel to meetings. The second year will either be funded in the same way as the first year, or through a Teaching Assistantship. The student’s degree home will be in the Department of Anthropology and Languages at Idaho State University, and their major advisor will be Dr. Georgia Hart-Fredeluces. The student will also work closely with other graduate students and faculty at Boise State University and the University of Idaho committed to transdisciplinary, team-based, actionable research that addresses real-world environmental challenges.

To apply

Interested students should send a letter of interest that includes a 1) description of their research interests and interest in this position (including how your experience and skills would enable you to be successful in a team-based, transdisciplinary project); 2) Academic CV; and 3) undergraduate transcripts to Georgia Hart-Fredeluces at [email protected] by December 13th.

Additional information about I-CREWS: https://www.idahoepscor.org/i-crews