Although the two PhD students will work closely together with the three project PIs, we anticipate two positions associated with two project areas:

Agritourism and Policy Position:

Dr. Knollenberg will direct project activities related to the connections between agritourism, education, and food policy. The successful student will coordinate project activities related to unstructured agritourism experiences and policy recommendations. Major deliverables include: 

• identification of agritourism research sites;
• coordination with agritourism operators;
• development of a survey instrument to measure impacts of unstructured agritourism experiences;
• data collection and analysis; preparation of reports, manuscripts, and associated outreach materials;
• as well as compilation of policy recommendations based upon project findings.

Agritourism and K-12 Education Position:

Dr. Stevenson will direct project activities related to educational impacts of agritourism, particularly in K-12 settings.  The successful candidate will lead all project activities related to the evaluation of project activities through schools (semi-structured and structured agritourism). 

• Major deliverables will include coordination of teacher professional development workshops;
• school field trips to agritourism operations;
• pre- and post-survey administration of students, teachers, and parents;
• data analysis;
• preparation of reports, manuscripts, and associated outreach materials.

Responsibilities and Opportunities for the Graduate Research Assistants:

Interdisciplinary engagement. Engage with interdisciplinary research teams and develop new areas of inquiry with faculty advisors and project collaborators. Research activities entail literature reviews, research design, quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis, and results dissemination.
Build public and professional networks. Help build and maintain an outreach strategy for the research team that may include building a social media presence and professional relationships with relevant stakeholder groups and community partners. Students will be expected to present results in both professional and community settings.
Writing. Assist or lead in writing grant proposals, technical and non-technical reports, fact sheets and other public-audience deliverables, and peer-reviewed journal articles.
Teaching. Students may be asked to train and supervisor undergraduate research assistants and/or serve as a teaching assistant in PRTM courses.
Self-direction. Maintain good graduate standing and make satisfactory progress toward completion of degree. Students are expected to communicate clearly and to work with advisors to build a mentoring team that can support their career goals and degree progress. 

Required Qualifications:

The successful candidates will:

• Hold a thesis-based Master’s degree in a social science field; 
• Illustrate a vision for integrating the areas of focus for this project (agritourism, K-12 education, and policy) which may build upon a personal passion or expertise in these areas;
• Demonstrate quantitative data collection and analysis skills; 
• Provide evidence of excellent communication skills (written and oral, in English);
• Exhibit leadership skills and the ability to work independently and with groups;
• Possess a passion for the project’s subject matter; 
• Have an aptitude for organization and project management and; 
• Meet admissions requirements of the NC State Graduate School (found here: https://cnr.ncsu.edu/prtm/graduate-programs/phd-in-prtm/).

Desired Qualifications:

The selected applicants will have demonstrated strong interest in:

• interdisciplinary research, experience with education and/or tourism, and an ability to think creatively and learn independently.
• A background or experience in both qualitative and quantitative social science research methods is desired.
• Applicants with a degree in another field but who have work and/or volunteer experience that indicates a commitment to addressing relevant social and environmental issues will also be seriously considered.