Communities throughout the Yukon-Kuskokwim (Y-K) Delta face the impacts of a changing climate on a daily basis. In some, it manifests as swift erosion as rivers change course. In others, it’s degrading permafrost below vital community buildings.
A new position at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Kuskokwim Campus in Bethel aims to help communities coordinate and respond to those climate threats.
Prof. Davin Holen, who currently serves as the statewide coastal community resilience specialist for Alaska Sea Grant, said that the position is not limited in terms of its focus.
"It's not just about protecting infrastructure, but we also focus on things like impacts to food security and the subsistence way of life," Holen said. "We're also working on things like renewable energy infrastructure there in the Y-K Delta and just thinking broadly about how communities are adapting to the changing climate, and through the university providing them with data and tools and expertise to kind of help them through that process."
It’s a faculty position aimed at facilitating close connections with tribes, nonprofits, and agencies across the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. The coastal resilience specialist will be part of the Alaska Sea Grant team, a partnership between the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Holen said that the position is an opportunity for someone based in Bethel to craft brand new strategies for enhancing community well-being and resilience, and that being a self-starter is essential.
"A faculty position is kind of a really wonderful and unique thing because you can really design a program based around the needs of your community as an extension agent, but also to think about what are your strengths and how you could be most effective," Holen said.
Eligible applicants must possess a master’s degree, preferably in the natural or social sciences, alongside experience working with rural or predominantly Alaska Native communities.
Holen said that the coastal resilience specialist position includes a budget for travel across the region, as well as the chance to connect with experts at the national and international levels.
"We're all very passionate about the work that we do, and that goes for also the people that work in our national program. And that person would be part of a very large family," Holen said.
The deadline to apply for the position is Nov. 17. Find the full job description by visiting the University or Alaska Fairbanks website here.
