The National Center for Smart Growth, a research unit of the School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation, is hiring 20-hour PhD-level graduate assistants for at least three years (four years if the applicant is selected for the President’s Fellowship) beginning the academic year 2024-2025. Students will enroll in the Urban and Regional Planning and Design (URPD) PhD program in the School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation at the University of Maryland. Students will support one of two projects within the National Center for Smart Growth:
- The development of data tools and research that support community, service providers and policy practitioners in the region related to housing instability at multiple scales. This work will engage in questions of data justice, data access, housing instability and community engagement.
- The development of data and research that investigates the relationship between land use, displacement, public transportation, and community power.
Requirements:
Master’s degree in Urban Planning, public policy, economics, sociology, political science or related field, proficient written and spoken English communication skills, and all requirements for admission to the URPD PhD program, part of the UMD Graduate School; applicants are encouraged to attend a virtual open house on November 13 or December 4.
Preferred applicants may have any or all of the following:
Quantitative data analysis skills, including: experience with GIS and coding tools like R and/or Python; Qualitative data analysis skills, including: interviewing, survey design, coding; Experience working in a research lab environment.
Applicants should send an email including a CV and 1-page cover letter detailing the applicant’s interest in the position and qualifications to klhowell@umd.edu and nfinio@umd.edu before applying to the PhD in Urban and Regional Planning and Design. The deadline for consideration for President’s Fellowship funding is December 8, 2023. However, applications for the PhD program will be considered until January 9th, 2024. The graduate assistantship will cover 10 hours of tuition remission for fall and spring semesters each year, and offer a 9-month stipend.
