(Now Closed) Illinois Water Resources Center—Undergraduate Hourly: Student Assistant

by Job Opportunities

The Prairie Research Institute and the Illinois Water Resources Center, a multidisciplinary research institute at the University of Illinois, are seeking several motivated, resourceful, and tech-savvy undergraduate students to join our team.

The duties across all opportunities will include the following:

  • Producing materials that may include, but are not limited to, ads, posters, brochures, newsletters, flyers, digital ads, displays, banners, window signs, special events, mobile apps, and websites.
  • Adhering to University of Illinois and Prairie Research Institute branding and style guidelines.
  • Archiving, organizing, and managing Center data while ensuring its protection for future use in research and policy making for the Center.
  • Assisting with evaluating, updating, and adding content to the Illinois Water Resources Center website and social media accounts.

Desired experience per opportunity includes the following:

  • Web Design & Development Intern
    • Experience with WordPress
    • Experience with, or willingness to learn, Elementor
    • Knowledge of Intermediate SEO (using WordPress plug-ins)
    • Knowledge of Basic HTML & CSS
    • Experience with interactive design platforms, including, but not limited to, Figma and Adobe XD
    • Knowledge of the Adobe Creative Suite
    • Knowledge of JavaScript & PHP a plus but not required
    • Excellent communication and organizational skills
    • Ability to communicate with supervisors clearly and concisely on project status
  • Marketing & Communications Intern
    • Strong written and verbal communication skills
    • Ability to tell an engaging story in multiple formats and of various lengths (e.g., photos, video clips, and words)
    • Understand internet and social media marketing best practices
    • Experience with multiple social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn
    • Experience with design platforms, including, but not limited to, Adobe Creative Cloud and Canva
    • Experience with mass emailing platforms (prior Webtools knowledge a plus but not required)
    • Excellent proofreading and editing skills; strong attention to detail
    • Knowledge of Basic SEO (using WordPress plug-ins)
  • Graphic Design Intern
    • Proficiency in the Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop)
    • Experience with many different types of design, such as print and digital
    • Understanding of current design trends and best practices
    • Ability to solve new design problems in innovative ways
    • Strong layout and typography skills
    • Excellent communication and organizational skills
    • Ability to communicate with supervisors clearly and concisely on project status

Wages for the successful candidate(s) will be commensurate with experience. The candidate will be expected to work a minimum of 10 hours per week during standard business hours (M-F, 8 am to 5 pm), but scheduling is otherwise flexible and will accommodate the student’s class schedule and U of I holidays and breaks. This will be a remote work position until remote work needs change.

To apply, send your resume, a short cover letter, and an original writing and/or design sample no later than January 31, 2023, to Amy Weckle (aweckle@illinois.edu).

(Now Closed) USGS Integrated Water Prediction Mendenhall Postdoctoral Opportunities

by Job Opportunities

Four Mendenhall research fellowship opportunities within the Integrated Water Prediction Program of the Water Mission Area of the U.S. Geological Survey are listed below. The closing date for applications is Nov. 1, 2022, and information about required application materials can be found here.  

21-7. Advancing co-design of models and data networks 

Better integration of data, knowledge of complex hydrologic systems, and modeling tools across scientific disciplines, programs, and agencies will be required to improve and accelerate the development of water prediction capabilities. We seek a Mendenhall Postdoctoral Scholar to undertake a series of Observation System and Observed System Simulation Experiments through a variety of different modeling approaches in selected basins or at a national scale. 

21-8. Advancing representation of groundwater surface water interaction in regional and national hydrologic models 

A critical gap in national scale hydrologic modeling efforts is the inability to integrate the surface water stream network with subsurface hydrogeology and groundwater transport. We seek a Mendenhall Postdoctoral Scholar to investigate improvement of hydrologic models through coupling of groundwater and surface water capabilities through a variety of different modeling approaches in selected basins or at a national scale. 

21-9. Advancing hydroclimate science for water availability 

Climate change will result in physical changes to the water cycle that will impact water availability (quantity, quality, and use) through complex interactions and feedbacks between human, ecological, economic, political, and social systems. We seek a Mendenhall Postdoctoral Scholar to investigate the impact of hydroclimate forcings on water availability through a variety of interpretive approaches including modeling in selected basins or at a national scale. 

21-10. Integrated water availability modeling 

To face growing demand on the Nation’s water resources, the Integrated Water Prediction (IWP) Program is developing the capacity to predict water availability (quantity, quality, and use) through integrated models of the complete hydrologic cycle, including both natural and human systems, that traditionally have been modeled separately. We seek a Mendenhall Postdoctoral Scholar to investigate water availability and sustainable water management, including human system interactions, through a variety of different modeling approaches in selected basins or at a national scale.