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Research Associate - Common SENSES

Join the Boston Area Research Initiative (BARI) to be part of the Common SENSES project, a collaboration with the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative, Project RIGHT, Inc., the City of Boston’s Office of Emerging Technology, and the communities surrounding Blue Hill Ave. in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston. The project has installed a network of 75 sensors tracking heat, noise, and air pollution in the neighborhood, with all locations selected through a community co-design process. We are now focused on expanding the community’s ability to use the data for their own action, advocacy, and solution building. This position will play a crucial role in the project in two ways: (1) planning workshops for Community Data Observers to continue to build their skills communicating the meaning of sensor data to the broader community; and (2) advancing initial research using the sensor data.

  • Location:

    Boston

  • Semester:

    Spring 2027

Application

Doctoral Program
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  • Project Title

    Common SENSES

  • Faculty / Project Lead

    Dan O'Brien

  • Project Description

    The student will be part of a multi-generational research team, including Profs. Michelle Laboy (School of Architecture), Amy Mueller (College of Engineering), Dan O’Brien (School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs; Director, Boston Area Research Initiative), and Moira Zellner (School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs); staff, including Roua Atamaz Sibai (Project Manager and Climate Technology Specialist for the City of Boston), Dean Massey (Data Technician), Ann Walsh (BARI’s Community Relations & Program Manager); and other graduate and undergraduate students. They will also interface regularly with our community partners. On a day-to-day basis, they will work most actively with Prof. O’Brien, Ms. Atamaz Sibai, and other students.

  • Qualifications Necessary

    Applicants should be passionate about community-engaged scholarship and have comfort communicating with partners outside academia. Those hoping to contribute to data analysis should have experience working with R programming language. Experience with GIS software and Python also a plus.

  • Hours per Week

    20 Hour Position