Ghana DISES Research Specialist

About the Role

The Research Area Specialist position supports the NSF-DISES project, "Investigating mercury biogeochemical cycling via mixed-methods in complex artisanal gold mining landscapes and implications for community health." This role provides entry-level research and project support for an interdisciplinary study of artisanal and small-scale gold mining and mercury pollution in Ghana.

This position is a one-year (full-time) term-limited appointment with the possibility of renewal.

Key Responsibilities

Literature Review and Videography Program Development

• Review research and practical examples related to participatory video, digital storytelling, visual research methods, media literacy, and school-based learning about environmental and community issues.
• Develop a videography program for Ghanaian schools, including learning objectives, activities, student prompts, filming guidance, expected products, and simple evaluation tools.
• Support project planning by creating timelines for school recruitment, teacher preparation, filming, editing, film exchange, and evaluation.
• Organize permissions and project documentation, including consent materials, media-handling guidance, citations, meeting notes, activity versions, decisions, and progress updates.

Onsite Fieldwork and Research Support

• Travel to Ghana with the research team to support educators, students, and local partners in school-based videography activities.
• Prepare equipment, instructional materials, schedules, consent documents, and supplies.
• Coordinate communication across schools and project partners.
• Support workshops covering storytelling, interviewing, filming, sound, editing, ethical media practices, and respectful community representation.
• Document implementation and organize project materials, including field notes, attendance records, video files, transcripts, and de-identified research records.
• Participate in team debriefs and suggest practical improvements.

Michigan Ghana Partnership Support

• Coordinate an online film festival or exchange connecting participating schools in Ghana and Michigan.
• Identify potential Michigan school partners, track outreach, prepare informational materials, and schedule meetings.
• Document teachers' curricular and technical needs.
• Provide basic support to teachers and students with planning, filming, editing, captioning, and creating accessible digital media.
• Confirm required permissions before media is shared.
• Support privacy and culturally respectful communication practices.
• Gather feedback and participation information for the project team.

Manuscript Support

• Conduct literature searches, summarize findings, and organize datasets and research materials for manuscripts based on existing thesis data.
• Complete supervised research tasks such as data cleaning, coding support, transcription review, citation checking, quality assurance, and preparation of tables, figures, maps, and appendices.
• Draft and revise manuscript sections with guidance from senior researchers.
• Incorporate coauthor feedback and format submission materials to meet journal requirements.
• Maintain citation libraries, version histories, contributor records, deadlines, and submission checklists.
• Support conference abstracts, posters, presentations, research briefs, and team meetings.

Requirements & Tech Stack

• Applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in environmental justice. A Bachelor's degree and equivalent experience is acceptable.
• History of work and/or research experience in Ghana.
• Experience in Environmental Education.
• Experience preparing environmental geography manuscripts for publication.
• Ability to occasionally travel internationally for fieldwork assignments.

Application Process

• A cover letter is required and should be attached as the first page of your resume.
• The cover letter should address your specific interest in the position and outline skills and experience that directly relate to this position.