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Social Science Research Opportunity with the US Forest Service (USFS)

A postgraduate research opportunity in social science is available with US Forest Service (USFS), Pacific Northwest Research Station (PNWRS) in Seattle, Washington.

The USDA Forest Service is an agency of roughly 30,000 employees that engages a broad spectrum of stakeholders holding diverse perspectives and values around the stewardship of the nation’s forest and grasslands resources. The agency itself has an evolved culture rooted in values that have not only facilitated, but also have in part defined how the agency has fulfilled its mission over its century long existence. The influences of agency culture are manifest in many aspects of the workplace environment having impacts on employee safety, sense of value and resilience to challenging tasks or changing expectations or conditions. Decadal trends suggest that the employee satisfaction within the agency is low relative to agencies government wide – particularly around values supporting work-life balance. More recent public disclosures of incidents of egregious sexual harassment and workplace bullying have sharpened the focus on the role of multiple evolved cultures that potentially contribute to these employee behaviors and experiences.

Social scientists within the PNW Station, in collaboration with NFS Managers and scientists from other stations have been engaging in research to better characterize and understand how the agency culture influences, and is shaped by, workforce diversity and inclusion, as well as the experiences of employees representing various demographic groups. The station has developed novel applications to characterize various connections among groups and how they relate to their environment, and more specifically, a study of the experiences of women and people of color within the Pacific Northwest (R6) fire organization. Beyond the station, there are new agency efforts to undertake an initiative around the Forest Service as a learning organization. The role that PNW social science will play in such an initiative is incompletely defined but anticipated to be integral.

The ORISE Participant will be engaged to facilitate the PNW Social Science engagement in research activities in support of potential agency workplace assessment efforts and potentially informing workplace improvement strategies. The research participant will assist social scientists in the Goods, Services, and Values Program to identify, develop, and execute studies related to organizational culture, structure, and function as well as workforce characteristics. 

Under the guidance and mentorship of Lee Cerveny, Research Social Scientist, the Participant will:
  1. Develop a review and assessment of existing social sciences research related to federal agency culture, particularly with an emphasis on those agencies (federal [or state]) with natural resources management missions; comprised of diverse work force; hierarchical organizational structures; that engage in hazardous public safety missions; and that relate to the broad spectrum of rural to urban communities.
  2. Support and/or help coordinate activities associated with the ongoing studies of women and people of color in fire conducted in collaboration with USFS Region 6;
  3. Provide coordination or logistics support for the development of cross-station initiatives in agency culture, the workplace environment, and employee experience.

Learning Objectives:
  1. To provide exposure to federal agency organizational practices, norms, and approaches.
  2. To introduce new skills and expand existing knowledge of social science research methods through direct application.
  3. To expand knowledge and awareness of theory and conceptual models related to organizational culture.

This opportunity is available to U.S. citizens, legal permanent residents, and foreign nationals.

For more information about the USFS Research Participation Program, please visit the Program Website.