Cornell University embraces diversity and seeks candidates who will contribute to a climate that supports students, faculty and staff of all identities and backgrounds. We strongly encourage individuals from underrepresented and/or marginalized identities to apply.

CROPPS Public Engagement Specialist
Extension Support Specialist II
Center for Research On Programmable Plants Systems (CROPPS)

The Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation (OVPRI) enables and advances Cornell’s research priorities, including research activities of Cornell colleges, schools, research centers, institutes, and laboratories. The OVPRI advocates for researchers within the university, supports specialized research facilities and services for researchers, provides campus-wide research administrative support services, and facilitates major interdisciplinary research initiatives.  

Who We Are:

The Center for Research on Programmable Plant Systems (CROPPS) is an NSF Science and Technology Center that is administered under the OVPRI. CROPPS has a mission to develop new technologies that can be used to create a two-way communication system with plants and their associated organisms for the benefit of scientific research, industry and agriculture.  Alongside research, CROPPS pursues related and complementary initiatives in education, public communication, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. CROPPS aims to create an inclusive environment for productive collaboration across disciplines, titles (faculty, students, and staff), and personal identities. The Center aims to develop and implement best practices in Team Science for the pursuit of these goals. The Center has a five-year award at $5M per year, for a total of $25M, through September 30, 2026; the award is renewable for an additional five years.  CROPPS currently involves faculty from three colleges at Cornell (CALS, CIS, and COE) and has three partner institutions (Boyce Thompson Institute (BTI), University of Arizona (UA), and University of Illinois Urbana Champaign (UIUC). The Center, led by five Theme groups of ~eight research leaders, funds approximately fifty research projects annually, which includes ~32 faculty investigators (CROPPS Project PIs), and ~67 student (PhD, postdoc, and small number of undergraduates) trainees associated with funded projects.

What You Will Do:

While position responsibilities vary, every member of our community is expected to foster a culture of belonging and a psychologically healthy work environment by communicating across differences; being cooperative, collaborative, open, and welcoming; showing respect, compassion, and empathy; engaging and supporting others regardless of background or perspective; speaking up when others are being excluded or treated inappropriately; and supporting work/life integration of oneself and others.

Campus Collaboration

The individual in this position will network with other public engagement practitioners on campus, both for general support and to learn of existing resources that can be leveraged for CROPPS activities.

The CROPPS Public Engagement Specialist is a part-time (50%/20 hours per week) position reporting to both the CROPPS Managing Director and the Associate Director for Public Engagement & Communication, working closely with the rest of the CROPPS leadership to accomplish a variety of tasks, which include but are not limited to:

• Education: Coordinate and track education activities across CROPPS institutions.

• Public Engagement:  Coordinate and track public engagement activities across CROPPS institutions.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and 3 to 5 years relevant experience or equivalent combination.

• Experience in and/or demonstrated commitment to supporting diversity, equity, access, inclusion, and wellbeing.

• Individual must be capable of performing independently, taking initiative, and self-motivating as well as acting as a productive team collaborator.

• Individual must be flexible, service-oriented, and able to work well under pressure while maintaining an acute attention to details.

• Individual must have excellent organizational skills.

• Individual must be a strong and professional communicator in interactions with colleagues, members of the Center, and the public.

• Individual must have skills writing, editing, and using graphical information for communication about diverse topics, including science and technology.

• Individual must be skilled and confident in communications across large, diverse populations of individuals, in-person and through remote tools (phone, email, Zoom, Slack, and other collaborative platforms). 

• Individual must have experience using social media and web outlets for professional communication and public relations.

• Experience incorporating the perspectives of multiple communities, including communities of color. 

• Ability to cultivate and develop inclusive and equitable working relationships with students, faculty, staff, and community members. 

Preferred Qualifications

Cornell related experience is preferred, as well as knowledge in the following areas:

• Experience in higher education, or knowledge and understanding of an academic environment.

• Familiarity of Cornell’s policies and procedures.

• Experience in public engagement or outreach around science and technology.

• Experience in teaching or coordinating teaching, including the development of syllabi, teaching materials, and experiential learning activities.

• Experience working with students and trainees at K-12, undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctoral levels.

For more information about this opportunity, please visit: https://cornell.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/CornellCareerPage/job/Ithaca-Main-Campus/CROPPS-Public-Engagement-Specialist_WDR-00038191-1?shared_id=8e316f3d-b0af-4367-9992-72368d38bd4b