Graduate Research Position Announcement

Are you passionate about the great outdoors, environmental management and eager to contribute to research in the field of environmental valuation? I am pleased to announce an opportunity for a motivated graduate student to join our team and undertake a research project focusing on answering: What does it take to build and maintain a sustainable trails system in the Hawaiian Islands?

Position Title: Graduate Research Position in Environmental Economics - (Recreation)

Location: University of Hawaii at Manoa: Dept. Natural Resource and Environmental Management

Description:

The selected candidate will have the opportunity to work with an interdisciplinary team developing a strategic plan to manage the state of Hawaii’s Na Ala Hele public trail system. This research aims to quantify the economic, social, and ecological dimensions of recreational impacts, public perceptions of use management approaches, providing valuable insights for sustainable management and conservation strategies.

Responsibilities:

• Conduct literature review of existing methodologies and frameworks focused on trial management, environmental economis, nonmarket valuation, willingness-to-pay and recreational impacts assessment.
• Design and implement data collection strategies, including designing surveys, web scraping crowdsourced data, or other relevant information recreational information to examine various impacts to better manage Hawaiʻi trails for current and future generations.
• Apply quantitative and/or qualitative analysis techniques to assess and quantify the economic, social, and environmental values associated with recreational activities.
• Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams and stakeholders to integrate research findings into management and policy recommendations.
• Prepare and present research findings at conferences, workshops, and academic seminars.
• Prepare a report/thesis documenting the research process, findings, and conclusions.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Current (or qualified for M.S. enrollment in NREM) in a graduate program at UH. Interests in natural economics and environment science such as Natural Resources and Environmental Management (NREM) or Economics Department.
• Bachelor’s degree in economics, statistics, natural resource management, environmental science or related field.
• Interest in environmental valuation, ecosystem services, and recreational ecology.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a multidisciplinary research environment.

Desirable Qualifications:

• Good data, database management skills;
• Prior experience in research or fieldwork related to economics is preferred but not required
• Excellent statistics and spatial analysis skills (GIS, R, Stata, or python);
• Strong in-person communication skills;

Benefits:

• Opportunity to work with leading researchers in the field of economics, environmental and ecosystem management.
• Hands-on experience in designing, conducting, and analyzing research projects.
• Access to academic facilities, resources, and professional development opportunities.
• Two-years of graduate research funding available.

Duration:

Begin Fall 2024 with 2 years of graduate research funding.

Application Instructions:

Interested candidates should submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae (CV), academic transcripts, and contact information for two references via alowemac@hawaii.edu. Please indicate "Graduate Research Position Application - Environmental Economics” in the subject line. Review of applications will begin in Summer of 2024 and continue until the position is filled.

Salary : https://manoa.hawaii.edu/graduate/compensation-tax-withholding/