The Center for Sustainable Development (CSD) is seeking TWO 30-hour per week Graduate Research Assistants (GRA) for the Summer 2021 semester to work on a new research project on carbon farming and biodiversity conservation. This project team will review current theories, methods, and techniques related to the goal of maximizing the soil carbon and biodiversity potential of agricultural land. With regard to carbon sequestration accounting, the specific needs of plant and soil storage in the Mississippi Delta along the coast of Louisiana will be used as a means to ground and advance the research. Research questions will focus on carbon sequestration through soil and biomass.
UTSOA faculty member Dr. Juliana Felkner will lead the team of GRAs. These two positions are part of a larger project team that includes two other GRAs led by UTOSA faculty member Phoebe Lickwar and Matt O’Toole of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
One GRA Position will explore methods for accounting for embodied energy (carbon production accounting) of various building materials and methods, with a focus on hotels.
GRA 1 Tasks:
• Examine material and carbon databases for the building sector
• Assess local material availability for Louisiana Delta
• Review and compare current methods for carbon accounting
Preferred Skills:
• Experience with Adobe Creative Suite
• Strong communication and research/writing skills
• Ability to work well with other disciplines
• Visual representation of findings (graphs, figures, renderings)
A second GRA position will focus on finding an optimal strategy for balancing carbon production (i.e. building life-cycle carbon footprint) with carbon sequestration goals (i.e. soil or plant carbon sequestration on the building site).
GRA 2 Tasks:
• Computational analysis of carbon production data
• Develop a framework enabling the linking of carbon emissions with carbon sequestration potentials on a building site
• Critically assess trade-offs of multiple objectives and represent this visually
Preferred Skills:
• Ability to work well with other disciplines
• Data representation
Interested applicants should submit a letter of interest, CV/resume, and relevant 3-5 (maximum) page writing / drawing sample. All materials should be sent electronically to csd@austin.utexas.edu, and should be compiled as one PDF document. Please indicate in your application letter which position you are applying for as well as other obligations, limitations, and your intended summer course.
Salary range: $18/hour, 30 hours per week. These positions are eligible for student health benefits and the resident tuition entitlement, if the selected candidate is from out of state.
Additional Tuition Stipend: $2000**
Position dates: June 1, 2021 – August 31, 2021
Application deadline: May 9, 2021
**Disclaimer: UT Austin requires students be enrolled for at least one three-hour course during any summer session to hold assignments during the summer (https://gradschool.utexas.edu/summer-employment
