The Metropolitan Institute (MI) at Virginia Tech in
Alexandria, Virginia announces the position of a Post-Doctoral Fellow for the
upcoming year. The job is a research appointment only, with no teaching duties.
The appointment is for one year and can begin anytime during the fall semester,
but our ideal start time would be January 15th 2013. The position reports to
the Director of the Metropolitan Institute.
Metropolitan Institute: Our team (director, research manager, graduate research assistants,
consultants, and interns) conducts
basic and applied research on the dynamics of metropolitan complexities, such
as resiliency, sustainability, health and security. We perform a wide variety
of projects, such as case studies, program and policy evaluations/assessments,
outreach and technical assistance to community and local governments, along
with the standard fare of publications, reports, conferences, and workshops.
Given our location
in the nation’s capital the Metropolitan Institute works closely with federal
government agencies (including the White House Office of Urban Affairs),
international and national nongovernment organizations (such as Smart Growth
America, Center for Community Progress), private consulting groups, and local
government and communities groups within the greater Washington, DC region. We
also collaborate with the faculty researchers across the College of
Architecture and Urban Studies and in particular within the School of Public
and International Affairs.
Scope of Work: We are looking
for an entrepreneurial candidate to help elevate several of the Institute’s
major research initiatives and projects, such as:
· Urban
Regeneration, Shrinking Cities, and Vacant Property Reclamation
· Urban
and Community Resilience
· Sustainability
and the Sustainability Planning Lab
· Smart
Cities, Megacities, and the New Metropolis
· Trans-Atlantic
Policy & Planning Translation Project
Within the context of the Institute’s major research
initiatives, we view this post-doctoral fellowship as a wonderful opportunity
for a new scholar to develop and test his or her own research ideas and talents
by building their own portfolio of research projects and papers. We anticipate the Fellows would spent about
1/3 of his/her time on grant proposals/concept papers, 1/3 in support of MI’s
signature research areas and the fellow’s related research questions, and 1/3
writing publications and participating in workshops and conferences.
Required
Qualifications: Ph.D. in any of the following fields: urban planning,
public policy, sociology, geography or any social science field related to
urban studies.
Preferred
Qualifications and Areas of Interest: We are especially interested in
fellows with interest and research experience developing, implementing, and
measuring sustainability plans, programs, and initiatives within the US and
abroad. Another area of interest
involves the diffusion of innovation and transfer of policies among local government
and communities within the US and across the Atlantic—how do cities learn from
each other? Earlier this year, as part of a grant from the Ford Foundation, the
Institute launched the Vacant Properties Research Network, so we are also keen
on fellows who have done work on the regeneration of legacy/shrinking cities.
If interested, please send your CV
and writing sample to:
Jessica Hanff
Research and Operations Manager
703.706.8100
