Social Science Portal

The interagency Joint Fire Science Program (JFSP) Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs) are now open through 5 pm MDT, October 14, 2021.

The Graduate Research Innovation (GRIN) announcement (FA-FOA0022-001) has one task statement. Proposals must address one or more of the following topic areas:

• Fuels management and fire behavior
• Changing fire environment
• Emissions and air quality
• Fire effects and post-fire recovery
• Relative impacts of prescribed fire versus wildfire
• Human dimensions of fire

The primary announcement (FA-FOA0022-002) has two task statements:

1. Social and ecological recovery of communities impacted by wildfire
2. Collaborative development of ecosystem mapping products for fire and fuels management

The Regional Fire Science Exchange announcement (FA-FOA0022-003) has one task statement focused on leading and executing a regional fire science exchange in the following six regions (see map and supporting information in the FOA):

1. Southern
2. Southern Rockies
3. Southwest
4. Appalachians
5. Great Plains
6. North Atlantic

The Department of Environment and Society (ENVS) at Utah State University (USU) invites applications for the tenure-track position of Assistant or Associate Professor with expertise in Human Dimensions of Environmental Change. We particularly welcome applications from scholars whose research focuses on social, cultural, historical, or ecological issues impacting public and/or tribal lands in the Southwest United States. This tenure-track, full-time (nine-month) position is based at the USU campus in Moab, a thriving tourism-oriented community in southeast Utah and a federal agency hub adjacent to National Park, National Forest, BLM and Tribal lands. The relative emphasis for the position is 50% teaching, 40% research, and 10% service. The position starts August 01, 2022.

The Senior Ecologist will lead the Sonoma Land Trust's (SLT) important work addressing the challenges of climate change in Sonoma Valley and throughout the county. They will lead SLT's work on nature-based solutions that bolster the resilience of our natural and human communities, focusing on wildfires, wildlife corridors and natural lands management.

The successful candidate will drive key conservation strategy decisions using the latest science, as well as identifying areas of future applied science research that SLT will need to advance biodiversity and climate resilience in Sonoma County. Over time, the position will be central to growing SLT's ecological science resources and staffing, and leading the development and implementation of science and nature-based solutions for the protection and enhancement of essential ecosystem functioning in Sonoma County.

The University of Washington College of the Environment Climate Impacts Group (CIG) seeks a full-time Frontline Community Climate Resilience Scientist to provide thought leadership and coordination across the academic and community-facing partners of a climate justice focused research collaborative. The Frontline Community Climate Resilience Scientist will have a unique opportunity to advance the theory and practice of climate services provision to frontline communities, working collaboratively with Native American tribes, rural communities and communities of color. In addition to playing a key role in the CIG’s flagship climate justice research program, the Frontline Community Climate Resilience Scientist will join the other Principal Investigators at the CIG in the coproduction of climate impacts and adaptation science, participating at a strategic level within the CIG and pursuing other research opportunities related to environmental and climate justice.

The successful candidate will have strong organization skills, planning document generation experience, entrepreneurial attitude and aptitude, and a desire to support ecological forestry and fire practices in Colorado. This position is not a primary fire position. Previous wildland fire operational experience is not required, but a desire to participate in prescribed fire is supported. They will:

• Manage, support, and/or lead planning document generation, including community wildfire protection plans, research products, other similar projects.
• Work with partners to identify new opportunities for engagement.
• Manage work assignments with minimal direction from supervisors.
• Provide project management and planning support for other Ember Alliance projects, including Ember Alliance Fire Operations activities.
• Coordinate with project partners to ensure planning and personnel needs are met.
• As needed and desired, may support Ember Alliance prescribed fire and wildfire operations.
• May represent the Ember Alliance at local and regional meetings.
• May work in variable weather conditions, in remote locations, and on difficult or hazardous terrain and / or in other physically demanding environments.

Dr. Katherine Lee is seeking Master of Science candidates with interest in a 2-year funded graduate research assistant position. This position and related research are in collaboration with Drs. Tim Prather and Eva Strand, and supported by the Joint Fire Science Program.

The student will assist in developing a catalog of potential economic impacts of fires and fuel breaks to sagebrush steppe user groups, including livestock producers, land managers, and recreationists. Using this catalog, a strategy for identifying and collecting the data necessary to quantify these impacts in our study area. The impacts are expected to include direct fire suppression costs, loss of forage value, reduction in quality of recreational sites, costs of evacuations and interruptions of economic activities, etc. The student could assist with the development of a survey instrument that will be used to measure stakeholder perceptions of the trade-offs involved in different wildfire management approaches. There is also an opportunity for the student to be employed as a project research technician during the summer 2021 field season.