FULL-TIME URBAN PLANNING/POLICY-RELATED RESEARCH SPECIALIST POSITION AVAILABLE IMMEDIATELY
(Posted September 2011)
The Institute for Health Research and Policy at the University of Illinois at Chicago has an immediate opening for a full-time staff person with experience and/or training in planning and land use law and/or local government and policy related research to join a project examining the impact of policy and environmental factors at the community level that are likely determinants of healthy eating, physical activity, and obesity among youth. Working in conjunction with project investigators and other team members, the incumbent for this position will be responsible for overseeing the policy collection process and coding of policies from a nationally representative sample of communities located throughout the United States. The policies collected/coded will include, but not be limited to, municipal and county-level zoning and other codes, ordinances, and comprehensive/master plans as well as other policies related to the built environment, urban planning, land use, active living, and food availability/accessibility. In this position, the incumbent will be responsible for working with other members of the study team to code relevant polices from over 400 counties/municipalities located throughout the U.S. per year. Other duties include some geographical information systems (GIS) mapping techniques utilizing ArcGIS to identify policy collection jurisdictions and working on supporting manuscripts.
Key Qualifications:
- Master’s degree in urban planning/land use, political science, public policy or related discipline. A bachelor’s degree will be considered with comparable degree and relevant experience.
- Experience/familiarity with urban/land use planning and law;
- Familiarity with local government structures and local government policy organization;
- Research experience;
- Strong writing skills;
- Strong attention to detail;
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team;
- An interest in obesity and related public health issues; and Basic ArcGIS skills.
To Apply:
For full consideration, please send a copy of your resume or CV to Emily Thrun at ethrun2@uic.edu. Transcript, writing sample, and references will be requested from applicants of interest. Applications will be reviewed/accepted until the position is filled. No phone calls, please. Due to the volume of applications, only applicants of interest will be contacted.
UIC is an EEO employer.