The Yale Applied Science Synthesis Program (YASSP) is seeking a graduate or upper-level undergraduate student to support a research synthesis project examining the co-benefits of temperate agroforestry systems in the United States and Europe. The project focuses on quantifying the accuracy, precision, and uncertainty of estimated co-benefits—such as carbon sequestration, biodiversity, and water quality—and evaluating the efficacy of study designs used to measure these outcomes, with special attention to the role of digital Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (dMRV) systems versus field-based data.

The Research Assistant will be responsible for spending 5-10 hrs per reviewing peer-reviewed publications and systematically entering data into an existing synthesis framework. The position offers a unique opportunity to deepen expertise in natural climate solutions, temperate agroforestry, and climate mitigation science, while developing skills in data synthesis and critical evaluation of environmental research.

Responsibilities

• Conduct systematic literature reviews focused on temperate agroforestry systems and their co-benefits

• Extract key study design and outcome data from peer-reviewed publications, ideally 5-10 each week

• Enter data into Excel-based or online synthesis tools according to a standardized protocol

• Evaluate and flag information related to uncertainty, data source type (field-based vs. dMRV), and methodological quality

• Attend brief weekly check-in meetings (as needed