Research Assistant or Project Director, Silent Spring Institute, Newton, MA

Research Assistant or Project Director

Posted on: January 24, 2013

Posted by: Silent Spring Institute

MORE / LESSDESCRIPTION

Silent Spring Institute, a non-profit institute studying the environment and women's health, with a focus on breast cancer, seeks a new addition for our research and public communications programs.

This position involves substantial responsibility for NIH-funded research on the social and ethical context of environmental health issues. Research projects investigate how people respond to learning their own environmental exposure data and their views about sharing personal data online. Other responsibilities include communicating scientific work to the public and building relationships with advocacy organizations and science collaborators.

We are a multi-disciplinary team with expertise in exposure science, toxicology, epidemiology, and communications. Our staff of about 12 works with collaborating investigators at Harvard, Northeastern, UC Berkeley, etc. Two recent studies, published in ES&T and Environmental Health Perspectives and covered widely in the news media, illustrate our work:

• Many toxic flame retardants linger in homes at levels of health concern (more)
• Consumer products contain toxic chemicals not listed on the labels (more).

We seek applicants with outstanding academic and communications skills and interests in applying social science to environmental health issues. Science journalists welcomed to apply.

Responsibilities:

This position requires great versatility in support of the Institute's research and public communications. It reports to the executive director and affords a bird's-eye-view of community engaged research, and breast cancer and environment issues.

Examples of activities:

• Working with the principal investigator, manage NIEHS-funded study of how people respond to communications about their personal exposure to pollutants and design a novel digital reporting system.
  • Coordinate a multi-institution research team with Silent Spring, Northeastern (SSEHRI), Harvard (SEAS and HSPH), and UC Berkeley
  • Schedule and conduct interviews with study participants, researchers, and ethics officials
  • Code and analyze interview data using systematic qualitative methods
  • Help design a digital exposure reporting system
  • Opportunities to author peer-reviewed articles
• Contribute to a study of ethical, effective methods for online data-sharing in environmental science
  • Recruit for and conduct interviews with people who have shared genetic data online
  • Coordinate a workshop on environmental data sharing and privacy issues.
• Represent the Institute in relationships with environmental health advocacy organizations
• Support proposal preparation for federal and foundation grants.
• Some travel. Some evening and weekend responsibilities at public events.

Additional requirements: Applicants with a bachelors or graduate-level degree will be considered. Excellent academic record; social science, environmental science, and communications coursework an asset. Technology and social-media savvy a plus. Relevant work experience preferred. High energy, creativity, attention to accuracy, ability to work independently within a multidisciplinary team. Commitment to careful and impartial research in a context of partnership between scientists and the public. For more information, visit our web site at www.silentspring.org.

MORE / LESSHOW TO APPLY

Send cover letter describing your interests and experience related to this job, resume, writing sample, and copy of academic transcript (photocopy is fine) to Anna Claeys, HR/IT/Research Associate, Silent Spring Institute, 29 Crafts Street, Newton, MA 02458 or email careers@silentspring.org with 'Research Position' in the subject line.

MORE / LESSLOCATION

29 Crafts Street, Newton, Massachusetts, 02458, United States

MORE / LESSDETAILS

Education requirements

4-year degree, social science,environmental science, communications,science journalism

Employment type

Full time

Professional level

Professional

Job function

Research, Environmental Health Research,Social science, Project management,Science and Society Studies

Owner's areas of focus

Environment, exposure science, Research and science, health