Professional Aide

Position Summary(Basic Job Function)

This is a temporary or an on-call position. Provides professional support. Responsibilities may include general business, science, medical, agricultural or other professional support functions. Term: Temps can work two (2) nine (9) month terms with a week break in service in between and at the end of the second term terminate for three (3) months or switch to an on-call. On-Call allowed to work 1039 hours in any twelve (12) month period.

Unit Position Summary

The Institute of Water Research is looking for a qualitative research specialist to support their project titled Soil Health Advancement for Agricultural Resilience Enhancement (SHARE). The goal of this interview-based research is to identify the extent to which the incorporation of on-farm data influences trust in soil, crop, and hydrological models and confidence in their predicted outcomes. This is a two year maximum appointment. 

Past research has shown that a water user’s level of trust in a predictive model is a primary driver of their willingness to accept a model’s outcomes and use it as a basis for management decisions. In this project, we are translating those findings to an agronomic context to understand how trust in a model can be built. This position will perform qualitative interviews to explore beliefs about using predictive models as a management tool. Existing theories on trust will be used to develop an interview protocol, focusing on its relation to perceptions of environmental risks (Slovic, 1993), emerging technologies (Earle & Siegrist, 2008), and the willingness to accept vulnerability to negative outcomes (Hamm et al., 2016). This research aims to extend this literature on trust to the context of decision support tools.

After sufficient field data has been collected, producers will be involved in refining their respective DSSAT models. Engaging producers in this typically behind-the-scenes technical step of model building is hypothesized to increase their trust in the model, boost their confidence in its predicted outcomes, and enhance their likelihood of integrating the modeled beneficial practices into their management plans. Interviews will also gauge the impact of farmer participation in the project, their attitudes towards resilience ag (RA), and their willingness to adopt RA practices in the near future.

Duties/responsibilities

· Create interview protocol based on current research on trust in decision support systems and predictive hydrogeological models

· Collaborate with project team throughout project to inform both interview questions and analysis

· Interview ~20 Michigan farmers participating in the project, in-person when possible

· Analyze data to test hypotheses and inform future RA and modeling efforts

· Write-up project findings in a peer-reviewed academic journal article

Position requirements

· MS degree in ag-focused qualitative research

· Experience interviewing farmers about a variety of farming practices

· Publication record focused on farmer decision making

· Familiarity with qualitative research software

· Ability to work collaboratively with interdisciplinary team

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, age, disability or protected veteran status.

Special Instructions

Resume and 3 references

Work Hours

ON-CALL