Student Posting: Undergrad Research Assistant - Sustainable Food Security, Ecosystem Restoration Project

Project: Sustainable Food Security, Ecosystem Restoration, and Indigenous Empowerment (SFSEIIC)
Supervisor: Dr. Wenqing Zhang, University of Minnesota Duluth
Location: Duluth and surrounding Northeastern Minnesota communities, with some work conducted at UMD and community partner sites
Hours: 10–20 hours per week
Anticipated Start Date: As soon as possible

About the Position

The University of Minnesota Duluth is seeking two undergraduate research assistants to support the Sustainable Food Security, Ecosystem Restoration, and Indigenous Empowerment (SFSEIIC) project.

SFSEIIC is a community-driven initiative working in partnership with Indigenous organizations and community leaders to strengthen Indigenous food sovereignty, improve access to culturally relevant foods, support sustainable agriculture, restore local ecosystems, and promote intergenerational knowledge sharing.

Undergraduate Research Assistants will participate in community-engaged research, field activities, project documentation, outreach, and visual communication. We are particularly interested in students with skills or experience in graphic design, graphic recording, visual note-taking, illustration, information design, or visual storytelling who are interested in applying these skills to Indigenous-led community engagement and environmental stewardship.

Because this project centers Indigenous communities, knowledge, and food sovereignty, we especially welcome applicants who bring relevant lived experience, cultural knowledge, community relationships, sustained engagement with Indigenous communities, or a strong understanding of Indigenous communities and food sovereignty. Indigenous students and other students with meaningful experience or connections to Indigenous communities are strongly encouraged to apply.

Primary Responsibilities

Undergraduate Research Assistants may contribute to activities such as:

• Supporting community-based fieldwork at project partner sites, including Indigenous community gardens and ecosystem restoration activities.
• Assisting with food-security, community-engagement, garden, and ecological monitoring, data collection, and documentation.
• Participating in community meetings, workshops, educational events, garden activities, and outreach programs.
• Providing graphic recording or visual note-taking during meetings, workshops, community conversations, and project events, when appropriate.
• Translating project activities, community discussions, research findings, and evaluation results into accessible visual formats.
• Designing or assisting with infographics, diagrams, posters, flyers, educational materials, presentation graphics, reports, and social media visuals.
• Documenting project activities and outcomes through written notes, visual documentation, photographs, or other media, when appropriate and with community permission.
• Assisting with the preparation and organization of educational and outreach materials related to food sovereignty, sustainable agriculture, ecosystem restoration, seed saving, and environmental stewardship.
• Supporting community workshops, youth-focused programming, intergenerational knowledge-sharing activities, and other public engagement events.
• Assisting the research team with basic data organization, project documentation, evaluation activities, and preparation of reports and presentations.
• Collaborating with UMD researchers and community partners, including the American Indian Community Housing Organization (AICHO) and the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa.
• Following project protocols related to confidentiality, respectful community engagement, data stewardship, and culturally appropriate communication.
• Completing other project-related research, outreach, and communication activities as assigned.

What the Student Will Learn

This position provides undergraduate students with opportunities to develop experience in:

• Community-engaged and collaborative research
• Indigenous food sovereignty and sustainable food systems
• Community-based environmental stewardship
• Ecosystem restoration and sustainable agriculture
• Qualitative and quantitative data collection
• Graphic recording and visual research documentation
• Information design and research communication
• Community outreach and facilitation
• Interdisciplinary collaboration with Indigenous organizations, community leaders, researchers, and environmental practitioners
• Translating research findings and community knowledge into accessible public-facing materials
• Students will have opportunities to develop portfolio-quality visual communication products while contributing to a community-driven project with environmental, cultural, and food-security impacts.

Community Engagement Expectations

This project is grounded in respectful collaboration with Indigenous communities. Research assistants are expected to approach community activities with humility, professionalism, flexibility, and respect for community knowledge and protocols.

Students should recognize that some knowledge, conversations, images, or other information shared through the project may not be appropriate for public dissemination. Visual documentation, graphic recording, photography, and other forms of communication must follow community guidance and project protocols regarding permission, confidentiality, cultural sensitivity, data sovereignty, and appropriate use of community knowledge.

Application Materials

Please submit:

1. Resume - Include relevant employment, coursework, community involvement, volunteer activities, research, design, or creative experience.
2. Brief Statement of Interest: Approximately 250–400 words describing:
   • Why you are interested in the project;
   • Relevant experiences or interests related to Indigenous communities, food sovereignty, sustainability, community engagement, or environmental stewardship; an
   • Any experience or interest in graphic design, visual storytelling, or graphic recording.
3. Examples of Visual Work, if applicable
   • Applicants with design or graphic-recording experience are encouraged to submit 3–5 examples or a link to a portfolio. Examples may include graphic recordings, sketches, posters, infographics, illustrations, presentation graphics, social media designs, class projects, or community-based work. A professional portfolio is not required.

Applicants should not feel obligated to disclose Tribal enrollment, Tribal affiliation, or other personal information to demonstrate their interest in or connection to this work.

Required Qualifications

Applicants must:

• Be currently enrolled as an undergraduate student at the University of Minnesota Duluth.
• Demonstrate an interest in community-engaged research, Indigenous food sovereignty, environmental sustainability, food systems, community development, visual communication, or related areas.
• Be dependable, respectful, organized, and willing to work collaboratively with faculty, community partners, Elders, youth, and other project participants.
• Demonstrate strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• Be willing to participate in both university-based and community-based activities.
• Demonstrate respect for Indigenous knowledge, community protocols, cultural practices, and community ownership of knowledge and information.
• Be willing to learn and follow appropriate procedures related to research ethics, confidentiality, community engagement, and project documentation.

Preferred Qualifications

Strong applicants may demonstrate one or more of the following:

• Experience with graphic design, graphic recording, sketchnoting, visual facilitation, illustration, information visualization, or digital storytelling.
• Experience with design tools such as Adobe Creative Suite, Canva, Procreate, Figma, or similar software.
• Ability to communicate complex ideas through clear, engaging, and culturally appropriate visual materials.
• Lived experience, cultural knowledge, community relationships, or sustained engagement with Indigenous communities.
• Knowledge of or interest in Indigenous food systems, food sovereignty, Traditional Ecological Knowledge, sustainable agriculture, seed keeping, community gardening, or ecosystem restoration.
• Experience working with community organizations or participating in community-based research, outreach, workshops, youth programming, or volunteer activities.
• Experience creating posters, infographics, social media graphics, presentations, educational materials, or other communication products.
• Interest in learning how research findings and community knowledge can be communicated through visual and community-centered approaches.

Applicants do not need to meet every preferred qualification to be considered.

Pay Range: $15.25 per hour - $17.00 per hour; depending on education/qualifications/experience.

Retirement plan options are available for Civil Service, Faculty, Labor-Represented, Professional & Administrative, and Temp Casual classifications.  Learn more about retirement plans.

Student positions are a form of financial support while pursuing an education at the University of Minnesota.

Applications must be submitted online.  To be considered for this position, please click the Apply button and follow the instructions.  You will have the opportunity to complete an online application for the position and attach a resume.

Additional documents may be attached after application by accessing your "My Job Applications" page and uploading documents in the "My Cover Letters and Attachments" section.

To request an accommodation during the application process, please e-mail [email protected].

The University recognizes and values the importance of diversity and inclusion in enriching the employment experience of its employees and in supporting the academic mission.  The University is committed to attracting and retaining employees with varying identities and backgrounds.

The University of Minnesota provides equal access to and opportunity in its programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.  To learn more about diversity at the U:  http://diversity.umn.edu

Any offer of employment is contingent upon the successful completion of a background check. Our presumption is that prospective employees are eligible to work here. Criminal convictions do not automatically disqualify finalists from employment.

University of Minnesota, Duluth (UMD)

The University of Minnesota, Duluth (UMD) consistently ranks among the top Midwestern, regional universities in U.S. News and World Report's "America's Best Colleges" issue.

Overlooking Lake Superior, UMD provides an alternative to both large research and small liberal arts environments and attracts students looking for a personalized learning experience on a medium-sized campus of a major university.  A firm liberal arts foundation anchors a variety of traditional degree programs, as well as professional and graduate students that draw on UMD's many research institutes and labs.

At the University of Minnesota, we are proud to be recognized by Forbes as a Best Employer for Company Culture (2026), Best Employer for Women (2023, 2025, 2026), and Best Employer by State (2022-2026). In 2026, we also received Culture Excellence & Industry Awards recognition for employee appreciation and work-life flexibility.