REU Program Administrator

Position Title:                                                 REU Program Administrator

Job Status:                                                      Part-Time

Location:                                                         Mountain View, CA         

 Position Summary:

The SETI Institute is seeking a Program Administrator to support its summer undergraduate research program, which is majority funded by (and named after) the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program that is administered nationwide by the National Science Foundation (NSF). 

 The SETI Institute, a non-profit private, scientific research institution located in California’s Silicon Valley, provides a summer REU program for highly motivated students who are interested in research related to astronomy, astrobiology, and planetary science. We typically receive more than 450 applications from undergraduates nationwide for approximately 10 positions. Selected interns reside in Mountain View, California for a 10-week program from June through early August during which each student is paired with a scientist at the SETI Institute for an intensive research project. Research topics span the field of astrobiology, from microbiology to planetary geology to observational astronomy.

 The internship program includes a week-long field trip to Hat Creek Radio Astronomy Observatory in Northern California, and to nearby Lassen Volcanic National Park. At Hat Creek, students will engage in a collaborative radio astronomy project focused on the SETI Institute’s Allen Telescope Array. At Lassen, a field experience studying hydrothermal systems will give students an opportunity to consider habitability and other topics in astrobiology. Students will also participate in local field trips to places such as historic Lick Observatory, the NASA Ames Wind Tunnel facility, and other nearby locations of scientific interest. 

 During the 10-week program, students also attend seminars, lectures, and discussions on astronomy, astrobiology, and planetary science. Students have workstations at the SETI Institute headquarters and live in dormitory housing nearby. At the end of the summer, students will give presentations on their research projects, and many will be funded to present their research at various national scientific conferences.

Reporting to the REU Program Director, the role of the REU Program Administrator is to collaborate with the REU Program Director in all aspects of overseeing the program and to be a resource and to provide resources to the overall team and program.  Reinforcing program goals and objectives, they schedule, organize and execute program events, with the purpose of creating an educational and meaningful research experience for both students and mentors.

This is a part-time job, amounting to approximately 25% time averaged over the calendar year (that is, 10 hours per week).  However, the effort is is highly variable at different seasons of the calendar year, being at least half-time (that is, 20 hours per week) during the 10 weeks that students are present (June through early August) with additional bursts of activity during application evaluation season (February) among other times, and then only a few hours per week during certain low-activity times of the year. 

 Responsibilities:

The REU Program Administrator’s duties include

• Collaborating with the REU Program Director on all program-related correspondence and acting as a “fellow traveler” with him as they jointly manage the program
• Working with the REU Program Director to create and manage the program schedule
• Personally interfacing with the students during and after the program, providing a “listening ear” and supporting open and healthy communication between the students and other leaders at the Institute
• Occasional travel, along with the REU Program Director, to professional meetings 
  • to interact with other REU program directors and NSF program officers and/or 
  • to interact with potential students and faculty members from minority-serving institutions
• Hosting program events if the REU Program Director is not available and/or the REU Program Director’s expertise is not required for a particular event
• Carrying out setup of the REU application on an NSF-provided website platform, coordinating with the REU Program Director for the content
• Downloading and collating received REU applications from the NSF-provided website platform and coordinating an Application Review Team composed of SETI Institute personnel and volunteers
• Creating an orientation guide for incoming students
• Coordinating paperwork for incoming students
• Interfacing with management at the hotel where we house the students, to ensure that our relationship with them is healthy and that the students’ needs are met
• Arranging local field trips including at Lick Observatory and NASA Ames
• Assisting the REU Program Director in interfacing with the REU Field Trip Director and with the Field Trip Chaperones, as well as with staff at the Hat Creek Radio Observatory (HCRO), for the purpose of arranging the overnight field trips
• Coordinating with a vendor to produce program T-shirts according to a design created by the students
• Coordinating student travel to and from the summer program, including interfacing with our external travel agent and assisting students with the preparation of reimbursement requests
• Coordinating student travel afterward to professional conferences, including interfacing with our external travel agent, providing payment for hotel reservations, and assisting students with the preparation of reimbursement requests
• Maintaining and distributing the surveys that we send to program participants and collecting and archiving the results
• Managing information in the REU alumni database, including periodically using it to send email to alumni and to enter new information from their received responses into a provided online platform

 Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience
• Excellent communication and people skills, flexibility and interest in learning about different cultures, and ability to collaborate with all levels in a community are required
• Familiarity with standard office software and equipment
• Must demonstrate professionalism, collaboration and flexibility while maintaining an open mind and be receptive to new ideas

 Compensation range for this position: $40 to $49 per hour

 Diversity and Equity

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin.

The SETI Institute is an Affirmative Action Employer and members of underrepresented communities and demographics are particularly encouraged to apply, including women, people of color, LGBTQ and people with disabilities. 

 Employment Details:
The successful applicant must be able to regularly come to work at the SETI Institute headquarters in Mountain View, California, especially during the 10-week summer program, though there is flexibility to sometimes work from home.