Careers

Description:

USDA Forest Service Office/Lab and Location: A fellowship opportunity is available with the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service (FS) within the Pacific Northwest Research Station (PNWRS). Location is anticipated to be in Seattle, Washington, although other locations will be considered.

At the heart of the USDA Forest Service’s mission is their purpose. Everything they do is intended to help sustain forests and grasslands for present and future generations. Why? Because their stewardship work supports nature in sustaining life. This is the purpose that drives the agency’s mission and motivates their work across the agency. It’s been there from the agency’s very beginning, and it still drives them. To advance the mission and serve their purpose, the USDA Forest Service balances the short and long-term needs of people and nature by: working in collaboration with communities and our partners; providing access to resources and experiences that promote economic, ecological, and social vitality; connecting people to the land and one another; and delivering world-class science, technology and land management.

Research Project: The fellow will contribute their skills to studies of experiential qualities of forest-based recreation at landscape scales. Spatially explicit trip reports, in which people describe their recreation experiences, will be one of the primary data sources for this research. The fellow will draw on literature in outdoor recreation, visitor use management, data science, and other fields to develop innovative research approaches to answer questions about when, where, and how often different outdoor recreation experiences occur, and their outcomes for people. The fellow will join a team of scientists from the U.S. Forest Service and University of Washington to develop and implement research projects that help inform wildland recreation management.

Learning Objectives: The fellow will have opportunities to strengthen their research skills by engaging in the full cycle of research activities, including developing research questions and methods, reviewing literature, analyzing data, writing publications for peer review, and presenting results to scholarly and managerial audiences.

Mentor: The mentors for this opportunity are Eric White (eric.m.white@usda.gov) and Monika Derrien (monika.derrien@usda.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research, please contact the mentors.

Anticipated Appointment Start Date: January 2025.  Start date is flexible and will depend on a variety of factors.

Appointment Length: The appointment will initially be for one year but may be extended upon recommendation of USDA Forest Service and is contingent on the availability of funds.

Level of Participation: 40 hours/week participation is preferred, but part time participation will be considered. 

Participant Stipend: The participant will receive a monthly stipend commensurate with educational level and experience. The monthly stipend rate at 40 hours/week for this opportunity ranges from $5,200-$6,700.

Skills/Eligibility:

The qualified candidate should be currently pursuing or have received a master’s or doctoral degree in the one of the relevant fields. Degree must have been received within the past five years, or anticipated to be received by 6/30/2025.

Preferred skills:

• Educational background in outdoor recreation management, sociology, leisure studies, environmental studies, natural resource management, or related fields.
• Familiarity with social science theories related to nature-based experiences.
• Experience qualitatively or quantitatively analyzing text-based data.
• Familiarity with programming languages such as R or Python and machine learning techniques for quantitative analysis of text data.
• Ability to troubleshoot, problem-solve, prioritize tasks, and research independently.
• Excellent organizational, teamwork, and communication skills. 
• Excellent writing skills and interest in learning about the development of scholarly publications.