Position Title: Climate Change Adaptation Graduate Student Specialist
Reports to: Sarah Gonzalez-Coffin, PhD, Tom Lovejoy Postdoctoral Fellow
Hours/Week: Up to 10 hours/week, up to 100 hours total
Internship Date Range: November 2026 to May 2027
Location: Hybrid
About the Resilience Internships and Student Experiences (RISE) Program
The RISE Program is hosted by the Arizona Institute for Resilience (AIR) and places undergraduate and graduate students in paid, resilience-related internships. RISE internships provide real-world work/research experience, grow students’ career readiness skills, and prepare them for careers after graduation.
About the Lovejoy Center:
The Lovejoy Center for Bridging Biodiversity, Conservation Science, and Policy is a center at the University of Arizona housed within the Arizona Institute for Resilience. Guided by Thomas Lovejoy's scientific work and unwavering optimism, the Lovejoy Center advances the science and practice of biodiversity conservation through research, education, and cross-sector collaborations. Our team works with conservation science and policy, connecting university research with the people and organizations working towards conservation solutions at scale in the Sonoran Desert, the Amazon, and beyond.
Past student specialists at the Lovejoy Center add, “Student specialists are core contributors, not task-runners. Past student work has been published in policy briefs, presented at university showcases, and used directly by community partners.”
Internship summary:
The incoming Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) Graduate Student Specialist will work closely with the principal investigator to execute a specific research project. Project goals include conducting an interdisciplinary systematic literature relevant to climate change adaptation in the United States. The successful candidate will have the option to contribute as a co-author to the peer-reviewed journal publication.
Duties and responsibilities:
Work closely with the principal investigator to conduct a systematic literature review
Screen titles, abstracts, and full-text articles as a second coder
Read and summarize papers from a wide array of subject areas, including environmental science, agricultural and biological sciences, engineering, economics, policy, psychology, health
Use Covidence software to maintain records, code articles, and identify trends
Adhere to the study protocols, code book, and open science guidelines for the project
Meet with the principal investigator to resolve coding discrepancies
Attend and actively participate in regular weekly/biweekly team meetings on Zoom
Remotely collaborate with the research team over email
Optional: Commensurate with contributions, the CCA Graduate Student Specialist will have the option to co-author to a peer-reviewed publication with the research team. This will involve contributing to the manuscript writing and development on project timelines.
Minimum Qualifications:
Graduate student (Masters, PhD)
Active University of Arizona student in good academic standing and enrolled in at least 6 credits
Preferred Qualifications:
Experience with conducting literature reviews (e.g., systematic review)
Coursework or experience with scientific writing (e.g., research paper)
Experience working in Covidence review software, or equivalent
Background and/or interest in doing interdisciplinary research in social and environmental sciences
Passion for environmental conservation and resilience
Compensation:
The intern will be hired and paid by the University of Arizona. The pay rate is 19/hour.
Credit Requirements:
The intern must be a U of A graduate student.
For internships during the academic year: applicants must be active U of A students enrolled in at least 6 credits.
For summer internships: applicants must either
Be enrolled in at least 3 credits during the summer
OR
Be enrolled in at least 6 credits the Spring semester before and at least 6 credits in the Fall semester after
Allowable Work Hours:
During the semester, student employees are limited to 25 hours/week (20 hours/week for international students) across ALL U of A positions.
For graduate students with a GA position on campus, total on-campus employment must not exceed 26.4 hours/week.
International Students:
International students should consult with International Student Services (ISS) if work authorization is needed before securing an internship. ISS advising information can be found here.
How to Apply:
Applicants must be a U of A student enrolled in a graduate program.
The hiring process will follow the timeline below:
We're accepting applications until October 23, and plan to conduct interviews in mid- to late-October.
Applicants will hear a decision by the end of October/early November
Our target start date is November 9th. We can be flexible given a candidate's schedule.
Please submit the application through Google Forms, which will ask for your resume/curriculum vitae and cover letter.
Cover letters should describe your interest in the position, relevant experience, and anything else you would like the committee to know about why you would be a great fit for the Lovejoy Center and the position.
Apply on Google Forms: https://forms.gle/1GFpH6Vo8b8pG27h9
Questions About This Position?
If you have any questions about this position or trouble submitting the application, please contact Lovejoy Center Program Coordinator Phoebe Meixner (pmeixner@arizona.edu).