Postdoctoral Scholar in California Water Management

Professor Brett Milligan at the University of California, Davis is recruiting a Postdoctoral Scholar to begin around fall of 2024 (start date flexible) to work on publicly engaged research co-developing future scenarios for more equitable management and allocation of water in California.

Water is at the forefront of California's climate change adaptation challenges. Climate change is exposing California's water management system to new extremes, including multi-annual droughts and flooding events that are unprecedented in modern history. The loss of snowpack and reduction of supplies from the Colorado River are further stressing California's water supplies. Many communities do not have reliable access to water and are increasingly vulnerable to shortages. Freshwater ecosystems, already in decline, are under increasing stress. The purpose of this research effort, COEQWAL - a COllaboraory for EQuity in Water ALlocations - is to understand how our water system will respond to changes in operations, infrastructure, and regulations under an uncertain climate future. As part of the project, we are expanding the functionality of CalSim, a water management model, to address and communicate contemporary water challenges. We aim to create a co-learning environment in which communities can learn how California's water system works and then evaluate how alternative future water scenarios may affect them.

Major responsibilities of the postdoc will include:

-Assisting in the project's public engagement and participatory scenario planning research

-Developing, administering and analyzing results of surveys and interviews.

-Performing public/community outreach and fieldwork across a variety of locations.

-Attend in-person and virtual workshops and meetings

-Facilitating co-production processes and information flows between the research team, participants and interested publics.

-Development of research and outreach outputs, including publications, research briefs, data visualizations, and presentations.

This position is for 2 years, and there is the possibility for renewal dependent on performance and possible extension of the project. This is an excellent opportunity for a candidate with expertise in qualitative research methods (interviews, surveys, participant observation) who would like to develop or refine expertise in areas such as publicly engaged research/scholarship, equitable climate adaptation, water management, co-design, co-production, and participatory scenario planning.

• PhD or other doctoral degree in applicable social science, planning, design, environmental management fields (or related fields) at time of appointment start date.

• Strong skills and experience in designing and administering interviews and surveys, and coding/analysis of results (ideal candidate will be able to co-lead and manage this research).

• Ability to conduct fieldwork, workshops and research in a variety of locations and in person.

• Flexibility to meet changing research needs, as determined by the project's workflow and timeline.

• Excellent writing and communication skills.

• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.

• Excellent organizational skills.

• A strong publication record demonstrating prior experience related to the research topics in the position description.

• Experience working in collaborative, interdisciplinary, publicly engaged research teams.

• Familiarity with California water management issues and challenges.

• 3-4 required (contact information only)

UC Davis is a smoke and tobacco-free campus (http://breathefree.ucdavis.edu/).

We are an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employer, and particularly encourage applications from members of historically underrepresented racial/ethnic groups, women, individuals with disabilities, veterans, LGBTQ community members, and others who demonstrate the ability to help us achieve our vision of a diverse and inclusive community.

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, protected veteran status, or other protected categories covered by the UC nondiscrimination policy.

For the University of California's Affirmative Action Policy, please visit: https://policy.ucop.edu/doc/4010393/PPSM-20

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