Research Associate - Sustainable Technology

Hawaii Pacific University; Honolulu (HI); On-site; USD 34,000 - 48,000; Part time

Job summary

Hawaii Pacific University seeks a Research Coordinator to support interdisciplinary research and sustainable technology initiatives. The role includes research administration, federal proposal development, environmental data analysis, GIS, scientific communication, and project coordination, working with the PI on a federally funded project.

This is a grant-funded, temporary, part-time position (up to 19 hours/week) based on our Waterfront Plaza campus in downtown Honolulu.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher in a related field.
• Experience supporting research programs or federally funded projects.
• Experience with administrative coordination, including travel and records management.
• Experience with environmental data collection and GIS.
• Ability to translate technical information for proposals and presentations.

Responsibilities

• Assist NSF/DOE/other federal proposals coordination and materials tracking.
• Coordinate inputs from multidisciplinary teams to ensure complete proposals.
• Maintain organized records of proposals and research documentation.
• Develop visuals and reports translating data for technical and non-technical audiences.
• Support environmental data collection, GIS mapping, and communication materials.

Skills

Proposal coordination

Data management

Scientific communication

Interdisciplinary collaboration

Project coordination

Education

Bachelor's degree in environmental science or related field

Master's degree in environmental science or related field

Tools

GIS

DaVinci Resolve

Web content management

Job description

Job Summary:

The Research Coordinator supports interdisciplinary research and sustainable technology initiatives through research administration, federal proposal development, environmental data analysis, GIS, scientific communication, and project coordination. This position works closely with the PI (principal investigator) to support the development and execution of a federally funded project. The ideal candidate brings an interdisciplinary background spanning environmental science, research administration, data management, and digital communications, and will help translate technical and environmental research into well‑organized proposals, reports, maps, presentations, and multimedia products while ensuring that project logistics, travel, expenses, records, and administrative requirements are effectively managed.

This is a grant‑funded, temporary, part‑time (up to 19 hours per week), non‑exempt staff position with an anticipated employment term of one year, subject to available funding and program needs.

Location

This on‑site position will be based out of our Waterfront Plaza campus site in downtown Honolulu.

Qualifications:

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in environmental science, environmental policy, natural resources, research administration, public administration, or a related field.
• Experience supporting research programs, scientific projects, environmental initiatives, or federally funded programs.
• Experience with administrative coordination, including travel, expense reporting, scheduling, records management, and project support.
• Experience with environmental data collection, mapping, monitoring, or analysis.
• Knowledge or experience with water and air‑quality testing, watershed research, ecological monitoring, or natural‑resource assessment.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to organize technical information for proposals, reports, and presentations.

Desired Qualifications:

• Master's degree in environmental science, environmental policy, natural resources, research administration, public administration, or a related field.
• Experience supporting NIH, DOE, NSF, or other federal grant and proposal activities.
• Familiarity with federal research administration, proposal development, or federal funding requirements.
• Experience with research proposal writing, technical writing, or scientific communications.
• Experience with video production, filming, editing, or multimedia storytelling.
• Experience developing or maintaining research, laboratory, environmental, or organizational websites.
• Experience with statistical or data‑analysis tools such as R.
• Graduate training in environmental science, environmental policy, sustainability, natural resources, or a related discipline.
• Experience working with interdisciplinary research teams
• Experience using travel and expense‑management systems.

Other Qualifications:

• Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States. Visa sponsorship and relocation allowance are not available for this position.
• Report to work obligations to support the department and may require work during HPU’s winter break, if necessary.
• Must meet training and background check qualifications and comply with the Protection of Minors policy.
• Ability to work in a fast?paced environment requiring excellent time and stress management skills.
• Ability to manage multiple deadlines and coordinate work across interdisciplinary teams.

Key Responsibilities/Essential Job Functions:

1. Research Administration & Proposal Development and Coordination

• Support the preparation and coordination of NSF, DOE, and other federal research proposals, including gathering information from investigators, organizing proposal materials, tracking deadlines, and coordinating supporting documentation.
• Conduct background research and literature or program reviews to support proposal development and identify relevant funding opportunities.
• Coordinate inputs from multidisciplinary team members and ensure that proposal components are complete, consistent, and submitted according to sponsor requirements.
• Maintain organized records of proposals, project documentation, research data, and supporting materials.
• Assist with preparation of progress reports, presentations, briefing materials, and other sponsor‑facing deliverables.

2. Environmental Technology Research

• Assist with collection, organization, quality control, and analysis of environmental and geospatial data.
• Support field research and environmental monitoring activities, including water‑quality sampling, water‑quality testing, and ecological assessments.
• Translate environmental data and technical findings into clear maps, figures, reports, and presentations for technical and non‑technical audiences.
• Assist researchers in documenting field activities, methodologies, datasets, and research findings.

3. Research Communications & Multimedia

• Develop visual and multimedia materials that communicate research findings, project objectives, and environmental impacts to scientific, governmental, community, and public audiences.
• Support video production, filming, editing, and post‑production for research projects, educational materials, presentations, and project documentation.
• Use video‑editing and digital media tools such as DaVinci Resolve to produce professional research and outreach content.
• Develop website and digital content that communicates project activities, research outcomes, and environmental or technological innovations.
• Collaborate with researchers and project teams to convert complex scientific information into accessible visual and written communications.

4. Performs other related duties as assigned

• Actively participates as an effective member of team by completing assigned duties, accepting additional assignments or reassignments.

This description is not designed to list all activities, duties or responsibilities which may be required for this job. Other duties, responsibilities and activities may be assigned at any time.