The Department of Integrative Biology – PISCO Program invites applications for a full-time (1.00 FTE), 12-month, fixed-term Faculty Research Assistant position. Reappointment is at the discretion of the Department Head.

The incumbent in this position will work with Dr. Jenna Sullivan-Stack and Dr. Kirsten Grorud-Colvert as part of The MPA Project at OSU, which seeks to help improve ocean protection outcomes through connecting marine ecological and social science with policy and management decisions. Marine protected areas (MPAs) are a primary tool for restoring and protecting ocean spaces, and their use has been growing globally over the past few decades. MPAs form the basis for multiple international commitments for protecting a certain percentage of the ocean, including the soon-to-be updated target as part of the Global Biodiversity Framework in the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). A recent scientific tool, The MPA Guide (https://science.sciencemag.org/cgi/doi/10.1126/science.abf0861; mpa-guide.protectedplanet.net), provides a shared language and framework that considers the outcomes that can be expected from different types of MPAs. It draws on a wealth of local and traditional knowledge and input from ocean experts and practitioners working in MPA design, governance, and management. Use of The MPA Guide can deliver an understanding of how much of the ocean is protected in MPAs, and what that protection can be expected to achieve. Founding partners of The MPA Guide include the United Nations Environment Programme-World Conservation Monitoring Centre's (UNEP-WCMC) World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA), Protected Planet, Marine Conservation Institute's (MCI) Marine Protection Atlas (MPAtlas), the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) – Marine, and National Geographic's Pristine Seas.

The incumbent in this position will work closely with Dr. Sullivan-Stack and other MPA Guide leaders to support MPA Project work at the national, regional, and international policy level involving the implementation of The MPA Guide as a reporting tool for MPAs globally. They will collaborate closely with MPA Guide experts, including those reporting the data on MPAs worldwide, key UNEP-WCMC and WDPA staff, those who regularly vet the data as part of MCI's MPAtlas, and other MPA Guide co-authors and in-country collaborators. This position helps contribute to updating the WDPA and a related database, the Global Database on Protected Area Management Effectiveness (GD-PAME), via collaboration with leaders at UNEP-WCMC, IUCN, and others currently deliberating the use of these databases to track progress towards a forthcoming CBD Target for ocean protection.

The incumbent in this position will listen and learn from partner organizations to help track these science-to-policy opportunities, facilitate conversations with key players, and make connections between experts in The MPA Guide consortium of collaborators and partners. Work will involve collaboration with our partners at WDPA on reporting using The MPA Guide Stages of Establishment and Levels of Protection, including at the level of the user experience, by helping create user guidance and tools such as a User Manual and other products as needed. It will involve test-running pilot MPA Guide data to summarize global progress, and refining as needed.

The MPA Project team is based in Corvallis, Oregon, within the Integrative Biology Department in the College of Science at OSU.

The MPA Project team is deeply committed to prioritizing equity, justice, diversity, and inclusion in our policies, practices, and workplace culture. We seek to elevate voices that have traditionally been excluded from science and decision making.

The College of Science comprises 16 academic departments and programs that offer 17 disciplinary degrees, containing 45 options among them, as well as 11 pre-professional options. Science is one of the university's largest academic units with approximately 300 faculty, 465 graduate students, 2796 undergraduate students, and 100 management service and classified personnel. The College of Science provides a core instructional role at Oregon State University (OSU), supporting the ideals of learning, discovery, and engagement that are the foundation of a land-grant university. The College embraces instruction and research, in disciplines ranging from the physical, mathematical, statistical sciences to the life sciences that are based in unbiased inquiry and a dedication to discovery and innovation. The College of Science is committed to partnering with industry and public agencies to address some of the most compelling challenges of today and tomorrow. The College of Science is an essential partner for three of the university's world-class research centers, namely the Linus Pauling Institute, the Hatfield Marine Science Center, and the Center for Quantitative Life Sciences. OSU is also home to large regionally and nationally important vertebrate research collections that include fish, reptiles/amphibians, birds and mammals. OSU is one of only two American universities to hold the Land Grant, Sea Grant, Space Grant, and Sun Grant designation and is a Carnegie Doctoral/Research-Extensive university. OSU is located in Corvallis, a community of 57,000 people situated in the Willamette Valley between Portland and Eugene. Ocean beaches, lakes, rivers, forests, high desert, and the rugged Cascade and Coast Ranges are all within a 100-mile drive of Corvallis. Approximately 25,700 undergraduate and 4,700 graduate students are enrolled at OSU, with US students of color, first generation college students, and international students representing 25%, 23%, and 11% of the student population, respectively. The university has an institution-wide commitment to inclusive excellence, recognizing that success in all our endeavors is dependent on, and directly tied to, equitable access to opportunities and how we value, engage, and include the rich diversity within our community. There is an expectation that employees will support and model these shared fundamental values. OSU's commitment to student success includes hiring, retaining, and developing diverse faculty to mentor and educate our undergraduate and graduate students from entry through graduation. This commitment is reflected in OSU's membership in the University Innovation Alliance, a national network of 11 public universities with a shared mission of increasing graduation rates across the socioeconomic spectrum. In 2017, the Brookings Institution ranked OSU as a national leader in access to higher education, based on a combination of extending social mobility to students from underrepresented backgrounds and university research output. For more information, visit:http://diversity.oregonstate.edu ,http://oregonstate.edu/leadership/strategicplan/phase3,www.theuia.org.

Masters degree in a science and/or policy field.

At least one year demonstrated experience with science and policy at national, regional, and/or international scales.

Understanding of current issues in marine conservation and/or management.

Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Demonstrable commitment to promoting and enhancing diversity .

The primary work location for this position is OSU's campus in Corvallis, OR. However, remote work may be considered and established via OSU's Remote Working Agreement as agreed on between the employee and supervisor, with pre-determined review intervals for approval and continuation. Relocation is not required (and relocation costs would not be covered for this position).

Predominantly, the employee would work at a computer, with occasional domestic or international travel.