Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program: Minnesota
Education, Research and Technical Assistance for Managing Our Natural Resources

Due to demand from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to conduct studies focused on the human dimensions aspects of fisheries, wildlife, and ecological management issues a Human Dimensions Research Fellow position was created in the Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology at the University of Minnesota. The position was funded jointly by the Minnesota Department of Natural resources and the Minnesota Cooperative fish & Wildlife Research Unit. This position has helped to ensure that data addressing a variety of fisheries wildlife management issues are collected in a consistent fashion across activities and issues and over multiple years. The position has also allowed human dimensions research to be collected more efficiently and more rapidly than would be the case using graduate student research efforts. In fiscal year 2010, the research fellow position was converted to a research associate position. The research associate will have primary responsibility for designing, implementing, analyzing, and reporting 3 studies using a variety of social science methods including focus groups, surveys and field experiments. These studies will include use of advanced methods and statistical analyses including Q methodology, choice models, and structural equation modeling. During this time period the research associate will have primary responsibility for designing, implementing, analyzing and reporting up to 3 studies each year focused on the human dimensions of fisheries, wildlife, or ecological management issues of interest to the Minnesota DNR. The research associate will conduct these studies in close cooperation and under the supervision of the Minnesota Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit Assistant Unit Leader, Dr. David Fulton.