UC BERKELEY

Position Title/Short Description

Full Text of JOE Listing:

The Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics (ARE) at the University of California, Berkeley seeks applications for a Postdoctoral Scholar-Employee to be focused on life-cycle analysis and the economics of groundwater recharge and jointly advised by Dr. Ellen Bruno (ARE) and Dr. Jennifer Stokes-Draut (Lawrence Berkeley National Lab). They will also work closely with, and receive mentorship from, distinguished colleagues and collaborators from UC Santa Cruz, UC Davis, UC Law San Francisco, and UC Berkeley Center for Law, Energy and the Environment and Lawrence Berkeley Lab (LBL).

The Postdoctoral Scholar will help develop tools and guidance for broader national implementation of managed aquifer recharge. This Scholar will lead an effort to develop a cost-benefit analysis (CBA) framework and tool that incorporates life cycle environmental assessment (LCA) considerations and that provides customizable accounting of the costs and benefits associated with different types of managed aquifer recharge. The approach will include an evaluation of user needs through structured engagement; the development of a generalizable CBA framework; parameterization of the framework with a data library; and the development and dissemination of an accessible and interactive tool for evaluating the cost-effectiveness of EAR projects over their life cycle. An important element of this exercise is to incorporate geochemical and legal considerations through collaboration with experts on the team in these areas.

An overarching emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration, including engagement with regulators, policymakers, water managers, scientists, and engineers, will be central to this position. The Scholar may also work on other water economics or engineering initiatives within ARE and LBL more generally, depending on program needs. The exact responsibilities will vary based on the evolution of various initiatives, the interests, expertise and experience of the selected research scholar. This position is in Berkeley, but can be located remotely with willingness to travel to Berkeley as needed.

Primary Responsibilities:

Conducting research on costs and benefits of groundwater recharge, including data collection, cleaning and curation, literature review and synthesis, coding, and writing;
Quantifying the environmental impacts of different recharge approaches and conducting life-cycle inventory and impact assessment using public databases and/or tools, e.g., OpenLCA;
Develop and code an online interactive tool that serves as a customizable framework for conducting a cost-benefit analysis of recharge projects of various approaches;
Literature research to understand and synthesize scientific, technical, and operational information about existing and emerging groundwater recharge programs;
Direct engagement with key decision makers to vet, review, understand, and synthesize information about existing and emerging groundwater recharge programs;
Supporting and collaborating with a multi-institution, interdisciplinary team;
Researching and writing research papers and articles for diverse audiences including water practitioners, academics, and policy-makers, under the direction of faculty and staff;
Interdisciplinary collaboration on complex issues at the intersection of emerging science and policy;
Assisting advisors in organizing and running workshops or other events (virtual or otherwise) with national water leaders, policymakers, stakeholders, academics, and other audiences;
Speaking at workshops or other events to practitioners, the academic community, the media, and others about research initiatives;
Assisting with other miscellaneous aspects of project activities as appropriate;
Regular travel in California, and occasional travel to other states, will be required for this position.