R2026104242 BlueGreen Decisions lab Graduate Research Assistant

The BlueGreen Decisions lab at the Powerhouse Energy Campus, Colorado State University conducts research on coupled water-energy systems, socio-ecological decision-making, and sustainable infrastructure planning. The lab integrates systems engineering, data analytics, and stakeholder engagement to support resilient and adaptive water and energy systems. Research often involves collaboration with utilities, policymakers, and interdisciplinary academic teams. Our website is https://www.engr.colostate.edu/laboratories/bluegreen/ 

Essential Job Duties

• support development and implementation of surveys and focus group protocols for socio-technical research on water treatment technologies
• manage survey deployment, data collection, and respondent tracking for IoT and energy data research in water utilities
• conduct qualitative and quantitative data analysis, including coding of focus group data and statistical analysis of survey results
• assist with stakeholder engagement activities, including coordination of focus groups and communication with project partners
• contribute to research outputs including reports, presentations, and peer-reviewed publications

Conditions of Employment

• must be enrolled as a graduate student at Colorado State University
• must be legally authorized to work in the united states by the start date

Supervision

The graduate researcher will be supervised by Dr. Steven Conrad (Associate Professor of Systems Engineering) and may receive additional guidance from project collaborators and senior research staff

Minimum qualifications

• enrollment in a graduate program in Systems engineering, Civil Environmental Engineering, Environmental studies, or related
• experience with research methods including survey design or data analysis
• strong written and verbal communication skills
• ability to work independently and collaboratively in an interdisciplinary team
• ability to handle confidential research data in compliance with IRB and data management protocols

Preferred qualifications

• experience with survey platforms (e.g., qualtrics) and focus group facilitation
• familiarity with water systems, energy systems, or utility operations
• experience with statistical analysis software (e.g., R, python, SPSS) and/or qualitative analysis tools
• prior involvement in interdisciplinary or stakeholder-engaged research
• interest in sustainability, socio-technical systems, and decision support systems