Summer Research Assistant at CLF
The Center recruits a limited number of student Summer Research Assistants positions to work during the summer. This year these positions are only open to current JHU students. The positions provide programmatic, research, and administrative assistance to CLF staff members. Responsibilities for each position include a range of duties and activities, such as conducting web-based research, report writing, data cleaning and data entry, data analysis, literature review, and event planning. Performing administrative support activities is part of each CLF Research Assistant’s scope of work, but will generally involve no more than 20 percent of work hours. Research Assistants are encouraged to attend CLF-sponsored seminars, lectures and other activities scheduled throughout the summer.
Students applying for 2024 Summer Research Assistant positions at CLF must be active in a degree-seeking full-time or part-time status @JHU, must be physically in the U.S., and must hold and maintain current work authorization during payment/work dates (i.e. foreign national students must be valid, unexpired J-1 and F-1 visa holders).
There are six openings at the Center.
- Food, Agriculture, and Animal Production Research Translation and Policy
Scope of work: The Research Assistant will support the Food Policy Solutions Focus Area on several projects related to industrial food animal production (IFAP) and related food systems topics. The work in this area is focused on informing public policies that address problems caused by the IFAP model, and advancing the development of food production models that support public health, environmental justice, climate change mitigation, and animal welfare. Primary tasks will include supporting analyses and development of translational materials related to public opinion polls and focus groups conducted through our Food Citizen project; drafting reports, policy briefs or other translational materials in support of CLF’s policy priorities; tracking and analyzing legislative and regulatory efforts related to key agriculture, climate and public health issues; conducting literature reviews and/or policy analyses; and contributing to project tasks as needed, on topics such as food procurement policies, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the US Agriculture Census, agriculture policies (such as the Farm Bill) and the advancement of alternative food production models.
Skills required: Excellent writing and analysis skills and able to work independently and in teams; familiarity with literature reviews, policy analyses, and/or qualitative and quantitative research methods; and a strong interest in public policy, food system equity, and the public health impacts of agriculture, food animal production, and climate.
Hours/Week: 20 - 37.5
Level of education: Master’s or PhD student
- U.S. Seafood Consumption
Scope of work: The research assistant will support the Aquatic Food System Focus Area on a project that aims to understand seafood consumption patterns among Americans. The work will support the preparation of a manuscript for publication in a peer reviewed journal presenting up-to-date estimates of seafood consumption in the U.S., as well as profiling seafood consumers and supporting the development of a national survey to understand perceptions around seafood consumption by different groups, including as a substitute for terrestrial meat. Primary tasks will include reviewing the literature related to seafood consumption and helping to draft the introduction and discussion section of the manuscript and reviewing and summarizing the literature related to perceptions of seafood and other proteins, and reviewing modules from other surveys to help develop a survey questionnaire and program the new survey into Qualtrics for pre-testing.
Skills required: Prior experience conducting literature reviews, experience with survey development and Qualtrics is desirable, and the ability to work independently and in teams is a must.
Special Requirements: Expected to be onsite Tuesdays and Thursdays at CLF’s office (Downtown Baltimore -near the Aquarium).
Hours/Week: 20 - 37.5
Level of education: PhD, Master’s or Undergraduate student
- Meatless Monday and Sustainable Diets
Scope of work: The research assistant will support the Meatless Monday and Sustainable Diets Focus Area with providing research support, such as research, data collection and literature reviews for research projects related to the Meatless Monday (MM) Campaign and the development of a new online resource center. Primary tasks for potential projects include cataloging current reports and research (by CLF and partners), collaborating on activities pertaining to the climate label study, including menu analysis, drafting research summaries on identified topics relevant to Meatless Monday implementation, and conducting outreach at JHU dining facilities, as needed. Duties may include writing, quantitative and qualitative data analysis, research summaries, and report generation.
Skills required: Experience and/or training related to nutrition and sustainability and knowledge of food systems, public health, and preferably the Meatless Monday initiative; good communication, writing and organizational skills; experience with literature searches and data collection - recognizing the value of rigorous analysis and careful work, and is an independent worker who can also work effectively in a collaborative team-oriented environment.
Special Requirements: Proficiency in MS Office Suite; Working knowledge of EndNote or RefWorks preferred, and ability to conduct simple data analysis using Excel, R, or Stata preferred
Hours/Week: 20 - 30
Level of education: Master’s or PhD student
- Systematic Review of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations and Human Health (2 positions available)
Scope of work: The research assistant(s) will assist with the IFAP and community health systematic review project. Primary tasks will be related to the identification and evaluation of epidemiological studies. Duties will include but are not limited to drafting and publication of a systematic review protocol; deployment of a literature search strategy; title and abstract screening of identified manuscripts; full text review of retained studies; risk of bias assessment; evidence synthesis; and manuscript preparation. Additionally, opportunities to present the results of the work at conferences may be possible.
Skills required: Public health training, additional training in environmental epidemiology, systematic review methods, or familiarity with food production systems and industrial food animal production is a plus.
Hours/Week: 20 - 37.5
Level of education: PhD or Master’s student
- Climate Impacts of Policies that support or address IFAP
Scope of work: The research assistant will support the Diet Climate Focus Area with conducting research on the climate impacts of policies that directly or indirectly enable industrial food animal production. Duties will include but are not limited to conducting literature reviews, writing policy analyses, and assessing policy implementation for climate impacts.
Skills required: Experience conducting literature reviews; excellent writing and organizational skills; ability to work independently and collaborate with project team remotely; completed coursework in or have knowledge of food systems (including food animal production), climate
Hours/Week: 25
Level of education: PhD or Master’s student
Start date: o/a June 10, 2024
End date: o/a August 23, 2024
Hours: between 20 - 37.5 (depending on position filled)
Salary range: Commensurate with educational level
Applications for CLF student summer research assistants must be received by 9:00 a.m. on Monday, April 22, 2024. Process and additional information will be provided to selected shortlisted applicants only o/a Friday, April 26, 2024.
Instructions for applying for a 2024 CLF Student Research Assistant
Please submit the following to clf@jhu.edu:
- Completed CLF RA Application Form
- An updated CV or resume describing your work experience, academic background, specific skills and expertise.
- Two or three references and contact information, to include both academic and work setting references.
- A writing sample of a paper you have developed from start to finish and that involved a review of literature.
- A cover-letter outlining the following:
- why you are interested in working with CLF;
- what you hope to gain through a CLF research assistant’s experience;
- a brief description of what you see yourself doing in five years.